Women in Rural Areas and Investment in Self-Employment (WRAISE)
The purpose of the partnership is to develop an innovative methodology for supporting women in rural areas to start and run their own businesses successfully.
The DP will use rural credit unions as a base to form peer support groups for these women. The peer group structure will empower women to access mentoring, training and finance for flexible self-employment and help to combat attitudes that inhibit their entry into and progress within self-employment.
The rationale for the application is that the gender gap in self-employment is particularly high in Northern Ireland. However, self-employment through a peer-group support programme can offer rural women in disadvantaged areas the opportunity to re-enter and progress within the labour market, achieving higher levels of pay, status and flexibility than those available in low-paid employment. This involves working practices that reconcile family and professional life.
Development Partnership Members:
- Aspire Micro Loans for Business Ltd
- Invest Northern Ireland (INI)
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)
- Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA)
- Women in Enterprise
- Rural Community Network (RCN)
- Enterprise Northern Ireland Ltd. (ENI)
WRAISE is a member of the Services for micro entrepreneurs Transnational Partnership which also includes partners in:
Contact:
Alice Quinn
Enterprise Northern Ireland Ltd.
Aghanloo Industrial Estate
Aghanloo Road
Limavady
BT49 0HE
Tel: +44.(0)28.7776 3555
E-mail: alice.quinn@enterpriseni.com
Michelle Jenkins
Aspire Micro Loans for Business Ltd
54 York Street
Belfast
BT15 1AS
Tel: +44.(0)28.9024 6245
Fax: +44.(0)28.9024 6255
E-mail: michelle@aspire-loans.com
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