Swedish Institute She Entrepreneurs Program 2020 for Women in MENA Region

Application Deadline: 4th February 2020.

Eligible Countries: Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine*, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia or Yemen

To be taken at (country): Sweden

About the Award: She Entrepreneurs is a recognised leadership programme for young emerging women social entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and Sweden. Intended for women who have already started to build a social business, She Entrepreneurs offers participants a chance to take their social business initiative to a whole new level.
The She Entrepreneurs programme is an intensive programme with a full-day schedule and many evening activities and all selected participants have to commit to participating in all activities of both module 1 and 2.

Type: Entrepreneurship

Offered Since: 2011

Eligibility: To apply to She Entrepreneurs you have to:

• have the drive, ambition and interest to use social entrepreneurship to implement a social business initiative that you have already started working on
• your social business initiative should be based and implemented in your country of citizenship or in one of the countries of the She Entrepreneurs programme listed above
• be between 20 and 36 years old
• have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.

Selection Criteria: A selection committee consisting of staff from the Swedish Institute as well as representatives from partner organisations and field experts evaluates the applications according to the following criteria:

• applicant’s social business initiative that will be the focus of the programme
• applicant’s drive, motivation and commitment, as well as her answers to the questions of the She Entrepreneurs application form
• assessment of the applicant’s CV.

Selection Process: Around 60 shortlisted applicants are called for interviews as a second step in the selection process. The interviews are conducted through Skype. This offer is valid only under the condition that the participant obtains a visa to travel to Sweden. SI will facilitate the visa application process, but cannot guarantee a visa. In recent years, applicants living in conflict-ridden areas have in a few cases seen their visa applications rejected.
She entrepreneurs will accept references who speak English, Arabic and French.

Number of Awardees: Around 28

Value of Programme: She Entrepreneurs participants will build on their knowledge of business elements, from branding to risk-taking. The programme offers a competitive advantage as participants develop their own social business initiative and acquire personal skills and innovative tools.
The programme also allows women entrepreneurs to meet, inspire each other and share experiences on common challenges. Participants will emerge with a strong and active network of likeminded women who support each other in driving important changes in society.

Duration of Programme: A total of two and a half weeks

How to Apply:

• Follow these steps to submit your application
• It is important to go through the Application instructions on the Program Webpage before applying.

Visit Program Webpage for details