Deadline: 22 September 2017
Applications are open for “The Vital Voices (VV) Grow Fellowship” which is a highly competitive one-year accelerator program for women owners of small and medium businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The program includes customized business skills training, technical assistance, leadership development, and access to networks to grow their businesses and increase their leadership impact. Through global and regional online and in-person interventions, fellows focus on strategy and long-term business value paired with action-oriented plans.
Benefits
- Strengthened knowledge, skills, and confidence in 5 core areas: business planning, leadership, financial management, networking, and marketing
- Access to highly qualified staff and business consultants
- Access to 12 online business management and leadership courses through Harvard Business School Publishing’s online platform, Harvard Manage Mentor (HMM) for one year
- Interactive webinars led by expert trainers from across the globe
- A 4-day in-person, regional training workshop
- Joining a network of women business leaders from across the globe
- Referral(s) to business support services tailored to your needs
- A certificate of program completion
- Entry into the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network upon graduation
Program Structure
- Global Virtual Learning: Over 4 months, fellows complete a series of weekly webinars, assignments, online courses, assessments, and one-on-one calls with peers, Vital Voices staff, and trainers. Fellows begin to build their knowledge about marketing, networking, business planning, financial management and leadership, the core topics of the program. Fellows assess the current state of their business and leadership in order to determine where they are; analyze their business to identify opportunities for growth; and define specific business growth goals to identify where they want to go.
- Regional In-Person Training: Each year, fellows from each region gather in one country in their region to participate in a four-day, in-person training workshop that will guide them in creating an action plan outlining how they will accomplish their business growth goals. Fellows also get the opportunity to meet, network with, and learn from other fellows from their region, Vital Voices staff and trainers.
- Growth Services and Support: Following the in-person training, fellows carry out their action plans, revise them, and evaluate their progress towards their growth goals. Throughout the last 6 months of the fellowship, Vital Voices staff connects fellows to individualized growth services and support based on the goals and action items in their action plan.
Eligibility Criteria
Women business owners in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, who:
- Own a business that has been in operation for at least 3 years,
- Employ at least 3 full time staff, and
- Generate at least USD $40,000 in annual sales
- Reside in the same country as your business for at least 7 months out of the year
- Are proficient in spoken and written English
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via given website.
Eligible Countries
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Uruguay, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, the Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan or Zimbabwe.
For more information, please visit VV Grow Fellowship.