The Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs in partnership with Reach Beyond Foundation, the Malta Business Bureau, the National Council for Women and the Malta Association of Women in Business have successfully applied for a call for proposals within the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) – Funded action entitled “European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors”.
The AMIE project was launched in Brussels on 8 December. Maryrose Francica, as the coordinator of the local project AMIE, led a delegation of 10 Maltese female entrepreneurs to Brussels where an induction event was held at the Grand Auditorium of the Musée des Beaux Arts. The session commenced with a welcome speech by Sabine Laruelle, Belgian Minister for SMEs, Self-employed, Agriculture and Scientific Policy. Antonio Preto, Head of the Cabinet of Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry and Dr Joanna Drake, Director for Promotion of SMEs’ competitiveness within DG Enterprise and Industry, also spoke.
The session continued with various activities including sharing of best practices and experiences of other women entrepreneur ambassadors from various countries. The Maltese ambassadors hailing from diverse sectors had the opportunity to discuss and network with other ambassadors from other EU member states.
The day was rounded up with a gala dinner held at the Musée du Cinquantenaire where the new ambassadors were awarded a diploma and a chance to get to know each other socially.
The main objective of AMIE is that of promoting Female Entrepreneurship in Malta through the establishment of a Network of Women Ambassadors. This Network, is be part of the European Network of Women Entrepreneurs, and will campaign among unemployed women, women in active professional life as well as students to set up their own businesses and become entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, the objective of the ambassadors are to act as role models so as to raise women’s ability to create a vision for themselves as entrepreneurs as well as the required motivation and self-confidence in setting up and creating a successful business. The Ambassadors shall be role models to inspire other women to become entrepreneurs by ‘telling their story’.
AMIE shall translate the objective outlined above by implementing a number of activities. The selected Maltese ambassadors are Helen Azzopardi, Josette Bartolo, Shirley Cauchi, Jennifer Debono, Theresa Delia, Miriam Duca, Mary Gaerty, Charlotte Gregory, Ruth Vella and Sandra Zammit. They were selected on the basis of pre-established criteria among which is the potential to inspire other women to become entrepreneurs.
The ambassadors shall be trained to be able to not only tell their story in an effective manner but also be facilitators to instil the required confidence and motivation in women to take the entrepreneurial step.
The ambassadors will engage in a number of activities targeted at students and women. These activities will include visits to schools and also educational sessions for women in employment and those seeking gainful occupation, where the potentials of entrepreneurship shall be outlined and discussed. The project will also target indirect beneficiaries who are deemed to be, for the purpose of AMIE, guidance teachers and stakeholders such as chambers. These are seen as very important multipliers and therefore they shall be engaged to also promote women entrepreneurship.
Overall, AMIE aims to carry out the activities outlined above so as to increase the potential of women becoming entrepreneurs. It is the intention of all the partners of the consortium to sustain this action even beyond the project duration of AMIE.
For further details on this project please contact Maryrose Francica on [email protected].