Facebook is growing its women’s empowerment initiative “SheMeansBusiness” to support financial attachment and resilience of women-led businesses in Pakistan. Corporation with the State Bank and USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA), the new element of the package, ‘Business Resilience through Financial Education (BRFE)’ targets to advance financial management abilities to increase the resilience and sustainability of small businesses ran by women and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the country.
Beth Ann Lim, Director of Government Outreach and Policy Programs for Asia Pacific at Facebook and Global Head of SheMeansBusiness, delivered the keynote address, shedding detailed light on Facebook’s goals of ‘SheMeansBusiness’ and the professional resilience sections through of financial education (BRFE) newly launched in Pakistan laterally with other Asia Pacific countries. She said that “SheMeansBusiness” works in 21 countries all over the world, including Pakistan, and that Facebook and its associates have skilled more than 1 million women in digital abilities around the world.
Facebook directed BRFE with USAID SMEA, directing students in the SheMeansBusiness digital marketing teaching program. The two associates have applied the SheMeansBusiness program in Pakistan since May 2020, to improve the digital marketing and financial literacy skills of varied groups of women businesspersons across the country.
The event also featured two panel discussions. Agents from the Ministry of Commerce, State Bank of Pakistan, USAID and others with former learners of the BRFE model program. Panelists conversed the meaning of financial administration skills for women SMEs with special highlighting on challenges and opportunities and ideas to promote financial presence of women by overcoming existing barriers.