Give Spanish Women a Second Chance

Unemployment and lack of opportunities are hurting a whole generation of motivated Spanish women. 26% of the working population in Spain is looking for a job. Women have much more difficulty than men in reentering the job market and are less likely to receive unemployment benefits.

Through this project we will help 30 unemployed women with viable business ideas to enter the Spanish job market as self-employed or start-up business owners by November 2014. We will provide women with support in starting a business, help finance the legal process, and get their newly created businesses the visibility it needs. By doing so, we’ll provide them with a second chance.

In Spain, there’s a huge pool of women with excellent business ideas that could positively contribute to the recovery of the Spanish economy. We want to help them by providing support and boosting the launch of their businesses.

We will select 30 Spanish unemployed women with viable and promising business ideas to participate in the project. From July to November, the selected entrepreneurs will have free access to the Association’s business start-up advice and individual mentoring sessions. They’ll complete their business plans will be supported through the launch of their companies. In November, we’ll finalize the required legal processing so that their businesses are officially created and launch a campaign to get the word out about their businesses. Finally, we’ll award a grant of $500 to 3 businesses that are committed to hire women in their first year of operations in hopes of achieving a multiplier effect.

At the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen, we promote entrepreneurship as a viable alternative to employment. Even in a negative context and recovering economy, we want women to believe in their dreams and help them overcome obstacles to make those dreams a reality.

We define ourselves by the job we do, and unemployment can affect self-esteem. Let’s give Spanish women the second chance they deserve.