Ooredoo, charity in initiative to empower Myanmar women

Ooredoo and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women have announced a new partnership that will extend the benefits of mobile technology to under-served communities and support women’s entrepreneurship in Myanmar.The announcement was made at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting in New York as a CGI Commitment to Action.“With 25% of the population living below the poverty line, there is an urgent need to engage more women in the country’s economic development. As part of its vision of enriching people’s lives and stimulating human growth, Ooredoo is committed to championing women and helping them realise their potential in society. The company believes that women should have equal opportunities to access mobile technology in order to be able to best advance their lives and those who depend on them. Ooredoo has developed a strong track record in this area, leveraging mobile technology to empower women across its various markets and is confident it can make an important impact in Myanmar,” a statement issued by Ooredoo said. Myanmar presents a unique opportunity for Ooredoo, as the company recently obtained a licence to operate a mobile network in the country, and will roll out its services to the population of 60 mn people. In Myanmar, Ooredoo and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women are developing a franchisee model to enable 30,000 women by 2016 to become entrepreneurs by selling prepaid Ooredoo airtime to their communities. Each of the women will be equipped with a business kit containing a mobile phone, promotional materials, and an operating manual. They will also receive hands-on training on how to run their businesses. Research conducted by the foundation demonstrates that women entrepreneurs can add significant value to the operations of mobile companies as agents in their retail channels, selling products such as SIM cards and mobile airtime. The women mobile agents benefit from additional income and, in turn, tend to reinvest their profits back into their families and communities. HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud al-Thani, chairman, Ooredoo, said: “Across our footprint, we seek to partner with grassroots organisations and NGOs to deliver on-the-ground support that will empower women. As we begin operating in Myanmar, we’re looking to create tens of thousands of new jobs in the retail sector, with a particular focus on engaging women micro-entrepreneurs.” “Ooredoo and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women have supported thousands of women entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and we’ll use that expertise to enrich the lives of people in Myanmar. Our initiatives will not only enable women to support their families economically, but also make a distinct contribution to Myanmar’s economic development.”Cherie Blair said: “Ooredoo understands the value of women’s enterprise development and are doing excellent work internationally for women’s empowerment. It’s enormously beneficial for women and their families if they have sustainable income, so I am delighted that my foundation is partnering with Ooredoo to give women the support they need to become mobile retail agents.”The 2013 CGI annual meeting was held in New York on September 23-26. It brought CGI members together under the theme of ‘Mobilising for Impact,’ and focused on involving the right people and necessary resources to drive effective action on global challenges.