Not-for-profit movement, Global Sisters, has introduced a Marketplace providing a one-stop-shop for Australians to purchase products, services and experiences from small businesses owned and run by female entrepreneurs.
The Global Sisters Marketplace offers a range of products and experiences, including fermenting pickles, Cambodian cooking with kids, Indigenous food classes, medicine cooking, jewellery making, clay product-making, and Japanese silk dying.
To date, Global Sisters has been open to women who are unemployed, under-employed or in unstable work, including women who are solo parents, over 50 years old, regional or rural based, living or caring for someone with a disability, migrants, refugees, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or receiving government income support. This year and with the launch of the Marketplace, they are extending their support to women who have experienced a reduced income due to the pandemic.
Global Sisters CEO, Mandy Richards said women have been the most negatively impacted by the pandemic and recession but hold the keys to economic recovery and resilience.
“As we re-build our communities and businesses, now is the time to rally around and support women. We have worked with hundreds of female entrepreneurs to grow and take their businesses online, and the Marketplace is a significant step in providing women with the exposure, tools, and networks needed to support and uplift each other through these trying times.
“Global Sisters exists to support women who need it most, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it also makes good business sense. Women-led micro-businesses have shown extraordinary promise during the pandemic, and more women are flocking to this type of business model for its more manageable flexibility and control, particularly for working mums, who were evidently left behind in this year’s federal budget.
“With little to no government support for women-led micro-businesses despite women being severely impacted by the pandemic, it’s important we recognise these business leaders and entrepreneurs aren’t asking for handouts, they’re simply asking for a fair go and equal playing field. That’s what we strive to provide through Global Sisters and the Marketplace.”