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The Evolution of Orant’s FEM Program
A Step Towards Empowering Local Female Entrepreneurs
Author: Praises Padambo
The Evolution of Orant’s FEM Program
If you are one of the people who keenly follow our updates, you might have noticed a change in how we talk about our FEM program. We are excited to fill you in on the details.
Our FEM program was launched in 2017 as part of our Agriculture and Business programs and it has since been a game changer for our local entrepreneurs. We have been providing microloans to our program beneficiaries, to help them grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods. But we wanted more!
The need for expansion
While our FEM program has made great strides in improving the livelihoods of our program participants, we recognised the need for comprehensive support. Our program participants needed comprehensive literacy training and community savings programs. That’s why we have expanded our program in order to:
- Expand FEM Program educational offerings
- Begin offering medium-sized business loans
- Develop VSLs through collaborative programming
- Continue to offer microloans and business support
- Expand access and education for Digital Financial Services
Our FEM program is now a component of the Business Development Program, which offers a more comprehensive approach to supporting local entrepreneurs. The Business Development Program is also designed to address the evolving needs of our program participants and we will continue providing them with more robust support to help them grow their businesses, improve their financial literacy and skills and build a culture of savings.
“This means growth to the program in terms of number of participants, activities and loan sizes. We look forward to seeing many lives being transformed by the program,” says Tango Phiri, Our Business Development Program manager.
We are very excited about this new chapter in our journey to empower local entrepreneurs. We believe that by providing comprehensive support, we can help our local entrepreneurs build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
A big thank you to all our donors and followers for continuously supporting the dreams of our local entrepreneurs.
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