At Many Rivers, we are committed to helping forge an inclusive world for everyone, including Women and Girls. We are on board with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, #BreakTheBias, which reminds us to actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8th and is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women globally. It is also a day to call action towards achieving gender equality.
We are proud that 59% of new Many Rivers supported small business owners in FY21 were female. This is significantly higher than the national average of 35%. Did you know that 47% of Many Rivers staff are female too?
“Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough; action is needed to level the playing field.” – International Women’s Day, 2022
Let’s take a look at a few of our Many Rivers supported, female small business owners in celebration of International Women’s Day!
Meet Mim, the small business owner of Mimmim Designs, an art business based in Darwin NT.
Mim creates her bright, eye-catching art on canvases, then digitalises it and gets it printed on different products such as sports uniforms and eco-friendly nappies. Recently, she collaborated with another local artist to complete a three-story mural wall. Mim’s husband said he has never seen Mim so happy as when she started her own business. Next, Mim has her eyes set on holding her own exhibition and running art workshops! Read more.
“I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and make that my full-time job. Life is precious, and I knew I would be more motivated and happier doing something I love.”
Meet Sandra, the small business owner of Active Care Nursing Agency, a business idea that started with a call from a friend needing help.
One day last year, Sandra was asked to support a client who did not have in-home care that day. Being a nurse and as a favour for her friend, Sandra provided support to this client. She quickly recognised that there was high demand for in-home care in her region. Since beginning her journey 18 months ago, Sandra now supports 47 clients with their care needs, from getting them up in the morning to preparing their food. She has employed 50 nurses so far and has big plans to grow the business and the services she offers to her clients. Hear more about Sandra’s story.
“There was such a need for disability and elderly support, and we have so many service providers in Mildura, but they don’t have the capacity to service all the clients well.”
Meet Kate and Nicolette, who run We Are Womxn and deliver evidence-based health programs for school-aged girls across Perth WA.
Kate and Nicolette noticed a lack of evidence-based health programs for young girls in Western Australia. With a vision for a world free from women’s stigma, they decided to create a program themselves. Between them, Kate and Nicolette bring experience in teaching and health promotion. This makes them the perfect duo to run their small business, We Are Womxn, and offer five programs to schools across the state. Read about Kate and Nicolette’s journey so far.
“It was something we are both passionate about and saw that there was a real lack of this education in WA, especially for women.”
Meet Zarah, a medical scientist who retrained in yoga and cultural teachings after discovering a new way of impacting people’s health.
Zarah is the small business owner of Roots Yoga, a yoga and wellbeing service that is based in Campbelltown, NSW. Zarah chose to open her own studio so that she had a physical location to bring people together and create a community by facilitating yoga, dance and cultural events and workshops. Read more.
“About 17 years ago, I was a medical scientist. However, I realised that I could be more effective in helping people in a different format. That is why I made the switch to yoga instructing. This has been an opportunity for my passion of helping people to really blossom.”
Meet Jess, who is the owner of Yoniology, a small business that sells feminine hygiene products.
Jess had always been interested in owning her own business. It wasn’t until COVID-19 restricted her ability to work that Jess decided to take a look to see whether she has what it takes to be a small business owner. Today, Jess has been a small business owner for nearly a year, and she has just released her first eBook, ‘Women and Fertility.’ Read more about Jess’ journey.
“I have really struggled with menstrual cramps for my whole life, and I would be in bed for three days a month, and there was nothing I could do about it. I heard about yoni products about a year prior to starting my business, and when I tried them, they changed my life. So I decided to sell these products instead.”
Meet Lea, the owner of Tired Glitter Co, a small business that is uniting tired Mums across the country.
Lea’s motherhood and lifestyle brand came about after becoming a mother herself. Tired Glitter Co specialises in colourful mood-boosting gifts and feel-good accessories with unique designs by Australian artists. Lea is creating an engaged community of mums who follow her for her relatable and realistic take on what motherhood is really like. Her blog is a beautiful library of quick and easy tips for mothers and life-changing products that she hopes will make motherhood just that little bit easier for her community. Hear more about Lea’s business journey.
“Becoming a mum really drove me to want to find something for myself. It is important to have my own identity outside of motherhood. It is something that I can achieve, feel proud of, and it fills my cup because it is something that I am passionate about. It helps other mums to do the same thing.”
Meet Rhiannon, the small business owner of Aboriginal Art and Designs, in Nowra NSW.
With a Many Rivers micro-loan, Rhiannon purchased a laptop and printer to bring her Indigenous art business idea to life. She has an exhibition showing eight of her canvas pieces in Delegate NSW, and she is preparing for a larger exhibition in Melbourne at the end of this year. One of Rhiannon’s biggest milestones is having the opportunity to design the print for a range of Indigenous scrubs for nurses and doctors in hospitals across Australia. Read more.
“I want to acknowledge the inspiration that I have around me. My father is an Aboriginal artist. I learnt a lot of what I know from him and from my grandmother. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them around me.”
We can’t wait to continue working with these female small business owners and see where their journey takes them.
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