Empowering Women Entrepreneurs to Digitize Ventures

Raseedy, a rapidly growing local fintech establishment, is a mobile wallet application that aims to facilitate tech-enabled financial inclusion across Egypt. Driven by a commitment to financial inclusion, Raseedy approached CID Consulting with an interest in designing a Women Empowerment Program, with the intent of training a cohort of high-potential women entrepreneurs to enhance their enterprises.

Raseedy partnered with CID Consulting to design and implement a training program to capacitate women entrepreneurs in managing and operating their entrepreneurial ventures. The objective of the Women Empowerment Program is not only to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the participants, but also to digitize their enterprises through the use of Raseedy. The unique focus on micro-entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and financial inclusion rendered this program unique to the Egyptian market.

CID designed a multi-faceted approach that consisted of the following phases:

·        Program Design: Building on the unique experiences of Raseedy clients, CID designed a training program targeting female microentrepreneurs and existing MFI clients that aimed to enhance their enterprises. The design process leveraged on existing best practices for training pedagogy while ensuring localization and responsiveness to the needs of targeted beneficiaries.

·        Training Implementation: CID then customized and delivered a 2-day training for 50 Raseedy clients. The training was delivered with the intent of enhancing participants’ capacity to manage and grow their enterprises, leveraging on the digital tools offered through Raseedy.

·        Coaching Implementation: Finally, CID delivered a personalized coaching program for 20 participants selected from the training phase, guiding them in the application of skills and knowledge gained from the training program to grow their enterprises. Top-performing participants were then awarded as Raseedy Ambassadors. Raseedy Ambassadors are selected to contribute to the program’s sustainability, as they will continue to represent and act as an information resource for Raseedy in their communities moving forward.

In line with the grassroots and participatory approach adopted throughout the program, CID launched the program through a series of three Focus Group Discussions (FGD’s) with 29 Raseedy users. Consequently, the FGD's report provided insight into user profiling, user experience, and training needs. Accordingly, CID designed a comprehensive program and curriculum for a three-day training program. As part of the implementation of program design, CID also provided on-going participant outreach and selection support, and specifically interviewed 68 Tasaheel and Raseedy users. Based on outreach and selection efforts, CID co-delivered three cohorts of training to 49 Raseedy and Tasaheel users, in partnership Tasaheel.Each training consisted of three-days and took place in Tashaeel branches across Greater Cairo (specifically Hadayek El Obba, Matareyya and Amareyya).  Finally, CID developed a coaching guide anddelivered two personalized follow-up coaching sessions to 19 training participants. To mark the culmination of the program, CID nominated six Raseedyambassadors, who were commemorated through an end-of-program celebratory event.