Women Help Women (WHW) Project
Proposal for sustainable job creation for
women in Tohoku disaster area
Global Summit of Women 2012
Doing Good and Doing Well: Social
Entrepreneurship
June 2, 2012
WHW Initiative Japan Haruko Nishida
14:46 March 11, 2011 …
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14:46 March 11, 2011 …
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Women Help Women (WHW) Genesis
Women Help Women (WHW) was created by GSW
related Korean and Japanese women groups in order to
help women and children in Tohoku disaster areas
 Women Help Women Korea led by Mrs. Sung-joo Kim visited
Japan last July to provide immediate relief
 Women entrepreneurs of GSW Japan led by Mrs. Ann Sado
formed the WHW Japan to work together
 WHW Initial plan
– Immediate relief: donation of 100,000 US dollars and
150,000 US dollars worth of goods
– Five-year long term support with strategic planning
dedicated to the recovery of Japan, especially for those
women affected
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2011 Women Help Women (WHW) Activity
 Series of support efforts with the help of various partners
− Selection of donation recipients and ensuring donation
− Support of local women entrepreneurs’ recovery
efforts :
 With limited resource, focusing on a role model
creation, WHW Japan has started to work with
Oikawa Denim’s President, Hideko Oikawa and
asked Mrs. Oikawa for public speeches and appear
at recovery related events
− Sales of WHW T-Shirts
− Creation of WHW Japan web sites and
communication of WHW activity to the public
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WHW 2011
July
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WHW 2011
July
July
July
September
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WHW 2011
September
October
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November
7
WHW web page and facebook page
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Next stage: long term support
 Need to ensure WHW Fund to develop projects for
empowering women entrepreneurs in Tohoku
affected areas (especially Fukushima)
– With help of global fund raising, it would be
possible to create sustainable jobs for women
 Initial Project scheme:
− Community based job skill training program for
single mothers
− Micro finance fund for business start ups
− Supply and sales channel creation for sustainable
operation
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WHW Fund and Micro finance project scheme
GSW group
WHW Korea
WHW
Sweden
and others
Overseas and Domestic donators,
investors
WHW Japan Fund
Support operation
Microfinance offering
Support operation
Community based Job Skill Training
Program for single mothers
Subsidy
WHW Japan
Participating
organization
Government
Oikawa Denim
Local sewing business
association
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WHW Project detail
Phase 1: Community based job skill training
Offering 1 year job skill training with help of Oikawa
Denim and a sewing business association
 Oikawa Denim and a sewing business association
will provide sewing skill training for single mothers
 During 1 year job skill training, training recipients
will be offered subsidy from a local government
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WHW Project detail- continued
Phase 2: Business model creation
Pilot business model creation by WHW
 Pilot business image:
− Made to order designed hospital robes creation and
sales
− Design competition by young designers
− Procurement of cotton textiles: fair trade from
Bangladesh and other developing countries
− Sales strategy: domestic and overseas sales through
cause marketing and utilizing GSW network’s sales
channels (both online and real market places)
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WHW Project detail - continued
Phase 3: Trainee will get micro finance fund
 After completion of 1 year training, trainee would
get micro finance fund to purchase a sewing
machine and other necessary equipment for
sewing business startup
 When business starts, after a certain period of
stable operation, interest and principal payment
scheme would be negotiated and collection will
start
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Global collaboration for future of women
Women Help Women
If the WHW project model will be successful, it will be highly likely
that this scheme would be applicable to other places
If we collaborate, we could transform current WHW initiative to
women led global funding and business support movement
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Thank you.
Web site:
http://www.women4women.asia/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/womenhelpw
omen#!/womenhelpwomen
Contact: info@women4women.asia
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