SEE ALSO: Women and Programs  | Funding | Expenditures

_We chose the name Moyo Jasiri, which means strong heart in Swahili, because it describes the root of who we are. We believe that women are the heart of any strong society, and when we support women, we nurture the whole society.

We are made up of “serial entrepreneurs” and people that work for and support entrepreneurs, including lawyers, marketers, engineers and executive/solo entrepreneur coaches. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand the need to make a profit. It takes years for a business to gain solid footing and for a woman business owner to see positive economic changes in her life. Instead of focusing on assistance in just one aspect of a woman's business, Moyo Jasiri is taking the lessons we have collectively learned and integrating them into a long-term and holistic approach that goes beyond empowerment and on to sustainability. Meet our team

_We help women build profitable businesses that increase their standards of living and have measurable impacts on their communities. By helping women to become successful entrepreneurs, we open the door to real systematic societal change on a local and global level. Learn more

_We start with the visionaries.  The metaphorical “hearts” of the community – the natural movers, shakers, and connectors with the drive and desire to uplift themselves and their communities. We give them the training and tools, develop that raw potential, and then, we support them as the magic happens.
 
These women come to us in various stages of entrepreneurial growth. Some come with the just the seed - the idea and vision of a better future. Some have a start-up and are ready to grow - we give them education on best business practices to grow wisely. Some are poised to expand and simply need capital. Others are ready to reach out and connect to a wider market for their products and services. We help them gain access to a global marketplace in which to thrive.

We know that for these women, cookie cutter solutions don't provide the kind of return they need and our supporters expect. Instead, we provide the customized support that it takes to help them to thrive as entrepreneurs and community leaders.  All of our programs strive to support mind, body and spirit balance to create optimal conditions for sustainable success

With the wide spread media attention on women— with a particular focus these days on micro-enterprise and micro-finance being touted as the solution to ending global poverty—it's easy to think so.

The stark reality is that there are over 3 billion people living in poverty and women represent 70% of people living in extreme poverty. Micro-finance, for all of its gains, has only reached 190 million of the 3 billion poor.

There is tremendous opportunity for new and innovative solutions to gender and economic inequality. We believe that there is a segment of women entrepreneur living at or just above poverty who is not getting any attention and, in fact, may be being summarily ignored. Women who are starting small to medium enterprises; also known as the 'missing middle'.

Moyo Jasiri is thrilled to be part of the movement that is creating the new economy by preserving existing middle classes and creating new ones globally. We want to support, promote and collaborate with as many organizations empowering women and entrepreneurs as possible.

_There are several strengths and qualities we bring into our work that differentiate us. Our governing philosophy is to strengthen locally and connect globally.  We focus on women who have a holistic vision for how their businesses can uplift themselves, their families and their communities.  For these women, family goes beyond the traditional definition of “immediate family.” For these women, family means extended family in other communities.  It means friends and neighbors in need. Being a part of the Moyo Jasiri family means you “pay-it-forward” - that you go beyond helping yourself.  We help you so you can help your community to grow, thrive and have sustainable hope for the future.

Moyo Jasiri nurtures that hope for the future by facilitating the growth of a global family by weaving in the global element into all of our programs. Women from developing countries are creating thriving businesses alongside women from developed countries.  We have a 12-month program in Portland, Oregon that includes case studies and e-mentoring of women entrepreneurs in Kenya. We also recently launched an online program with ten women from six countries, including the US.

The typical entrepreneur Moyo Jasiri  supports is creating a business bigger than a micro-enterprise but too small to secure funding from banks or the Ashokas and Skoll Foundations. We believe that by supporting this under-served group of business women our programs is not only improving the status of these women, but creating an ecosystem that is more tolerant of entrepreneurship generally, and of women entrepreneurs specifically.  Read our Theory of Social Change to learn more

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