South-West: Skills Acquisition- Discovering New Fem-Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Africa and the fashion industry is growing rapidly with the emergence of new creative designs and designers in the market. Access to training on fashion and design for rural women, who can barely afford three-square meals for their families, is 95% impossible due to the alarmingly expensive rate charged by the fashion industry to train or accept interns. The ICON coordinators at South-West organized a one week intense free fashion and design class for women from rural communities. The women learnt how to make handmade Ankara bags, sandals, and jewelries. The training was complimented with a mentorship session to assist the women on their new start-ups —businesses with customized brand names.