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What Women’s Empowerment Means to Me
Growing up, I was the firstborn girl in a family of five children and a victim of a patriarchal society in Zimbabwe. But I had to set a precedent. I vividly recall taking up menial jobs in the neighborhood to supplement my school fees—my father’s risky job and meager salary were not sufficient for our…
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Life After SKIC: What Our Veterans Are Up To
On the SKIC blog, we spend a lot of time talking about our new recruits—the women who have just decided to take on a SKIMFI microloan to transform their business, or maybe venture out to start a new business altogether. We’re always excited when new women join the program, but what about the women who…
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How We Narrow Our Approach to Maximize Our Impact
“Less is more” is one of those oft-repeated sayings that, well, can get old. It’s trite, simple, and something we’ve all heard on countless occasions. It feels silly sometimes to bring up in conversation – but it’s often wildly true and important to keep in mind in both our personal and professional lives. When SKI…
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Here’s What’s Happening At Our Zimbabwe Sites
In our last blog, we updated you on the #SKIC women of Chile (who are thriving in our SKImfi and SKILLS programs!) Now, our founder, Shyam, has been visiting our sites in Zimbabwe, and we have more exciting updates about our beneficiaries on the other side of the world. Thanks to our SKImfi manager, Beatrice,…
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What #SKIC Chile Really Looks Like
SKIC founder, Shyam, recently traveled to Chile to visit our sites in Lebu and Tirua. Tirua, our new site, lies in a remote area in the Mapuche heartland. The isolated town provides fewer economic opportunities for its people—all the more important for us to maximize our impact in providing local women with microloans. The excitement…
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Portrait: Meet Melanie, SKImfi Chile Project Manager
SKIC’s project manager for SKImfi-Chile, Melanie O., discusses her work with SKI Charities and the path that led her to a passion for woman and child development. In your own words, what is your role in SKI charities? My first encounter with SKI Charities was a trip to Lebu I did to get to know the…
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Women Responding to Disaster
This year, disasters such as the ebola outbreak, the earthquake in Nepal, and the humanitarian crisis in Syria have torn apart communities across our globe. Throughout each of these tragedies, we have heard over and over again how disaster relief efforts must be better suited to impact the unique needs of women, who are too…
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A Conversation with Shyam: 2014 | The Year in Review
As we begin an exciting new year, SKIC founder Shyam K. Iyer takes a moment to reflect upon 2014. The organization saw a lot of growth this past year – with two programs operating fully in both Chile and Zimbabwe, SKIC’s operating sites. This past year we introduced a new program SKILLS, the SKI Local…
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Empowering Transformational Female Leaders
In a previous post, “Why Focus on Women?,” we discuss the importance of SKI Charities’ focus on empowering female entrepreneurs and providing education for young women. In the traditional communities of developing countries like Zimbabwe and Chile, where SKIC works, already-marginalized women are often made powerless by circumstances of conflict and unrest, with men historically and culturally standing as the heads of…
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Africa’s Mobile Technology Rise
The technology that has long provided convenience in most daily lives is now transforming opportunities available to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Mobile technology in Zimbabwe has risen to more than 71 percent, supplementing the work of SKImfi and allowing women in Zimbabwe to expand, organize, and promote their entrepreneurial efforts. Mobile technology in Africa has created…