Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan Teamed Up with Wenshan Women's Empowerment Center to Host Grameen School Admissions Brief

(中央社訊息服務20241023 16:30:56)The Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan (“The Foundation”), following the spirit of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank, which assists women in entrepreneurship, began launching "Grameen School" in various communities last year (2023). Grameen school provided systematic courses that guided community home-based entrepreneurs in learning entrepreneurship, savings, and financial management. The Foundation in collaboration with the Wenshan Women's Empowerment Center, hosted a "Grameen School Admissions Brief “and Entrepreneurship Basics Course at September 28, 2024." The event introduced the Grameen School project through an admissions brief and invited Wang Hsiang-Hsin, Executive Director of the Yunus Social Business Centre of Soochow University to lead the course, helping community Home-based entrepreneurs understand the fundamentals of marketing for entrepreneurship.

Through field surveys, the Foundation discovered that many caregivers in the community needed to balance caregiving and income, while many middle-aged and elderly individuals struggled with traditional job-seeking channels. The foundation established Grameen School to encourage more groups to start home-based enterprises during their spare time, increase their income, and find support and discussion partners within five-member learning groups. Grameen School offered innovative systematic courses that integrated "entrepreneurship skills, marketing, and savings and financial management," allowing home-based entrepreneurs to gain a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship in a one-stop.

During the event, babysitting services were provided to allow participants with children to attend the course without worries. A single parent, Ms. Chen, shared that because she was raising her child alone, she was eager to find different sources of income. Through the Grameen School Admissions Brief, she learned about the potential of entrepreneurship. Ms. Shih, a participant from the first Grameen School, also shared that the weekly courses and small group discussions were particularly valuable for learning and mutual support.

Mr. Ke Kai-Chung, Director of the Wenshan Women's Empowerment Center, mentioned in his speech that the center provided various services, including welfare resources, social worker assistance, and essential supplies for women and disadvantaged families. He expressed hope that Grameen School could offer entrepreneurship-related training for the Wenshan community in the future.

Looking ahead, the Foundation hoped to replicate the Grameen School model in different communities and collaborate with more community and social welfare organizations to integrate resources and foster widespread community entrepreneurship. This initiative aimed to help more people build a second life and achieve economic independence. Welcome join the Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan's "萬點繁星 Project" (Link: https://reurl.cc/9RgpEV )to support the empowerment of disadvantaged individuals through Grameen School.