The first stage of “Nadezhda” project started three years ago. Swedish women opened local-resources centers in three Belarusian cities — Mozyr, Baranovici and Borisov in that time. Larisa Cherepanova, a Minsk citizen, a presidium member of the Belarusian Women’s Union and rector of Women’s Institute “Envila” became the head of the project. It was she who united talented, initiative, enterprising women. During three years of project life many of them opened their own hair studios, ateliers, cafes, shops and other small enterprises. For example, 28 women managed to establish their own business with assistance of “Nadezhda” in Baranovichi. All future entrepreneurs passed training courses at resource centers, where experienced business ladies were sharing secrets of mastery with them. Besides, recourse centers’ fosterlings and their chiefs passed training on probation in Minsk, Sweden and St. Petersburg.
The second stage has collected women from Zhabinka, Vileyka, Postavy and Grodno region. Swedish partners are also opening there local-resources centers, that will be administrated by women entrepreneurs, famous in the region. And they have arrived in Minsk to a training seminar on information technologies.
Enterprise has become one of the acilities to realize themselves in professional sense, — Larisa Cherepanova believes. — I have noticed that women’s business is based on confidential and amicable relations, connections and acquaintances. “Nadezhda” project is established in order to develop relations, friendship and solidarity of beginners and had already experienced women entrepreneurs.
Representatives of a fair sex are able to run their own business on the same level as men do. The example of that are business ladies who came to the seminar to the capital. So, Anna Shenderchuk from Grodno region owns four food shops. She was acknowledged as the best Belarusian entrepreneur in 1997. Irina Kovalchuk from Postavy has started her business in such a way — she reequipped her own garage into a small cosmetics shop. And so it began! She managed to buy a house for money she had earned and a part of it she had already referred to shop.
And Yadviga Byalaya from Postavy from the very beginning established a wholesale food firm and then repurposed her business. And now she owns a food mobile shop that delivers food to district villages. It is even difficult to count all plans.
Swedish government finances “Nadezhda” project and women entrepreneurs of “Tramplin” company are dealing with organizational functions. Swedes provide their assistance to women from various countries in organizing their own business. Such projects already exist in Russia, Ukraine, Asian countries, Republic of South Africa and even in Australia.
Olga Korneeva
BUSINESS HAS A FEMALE FACE
The second stage of a Belarusian-Swedish project “Nadezhda” took place in Minsk. A training seminar was held by Swedish business ladies
