Igniting empowerment through entrepreneurship

Established in 2018 by a globally based group of women leaders, the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge has recognized 20 social entrepreneurs over four years who are scaling programs and innovations that are pushing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals forward and solving the world’s great challenges. And they are just getting started.

To ensure that women from every region of the world are represented, WE Empower has segmented the globe into the following five areas based on the level of opportunity and need: Sub-Saharan Africa, Greater Middle East and North Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and Europe/North America/Other.

The WE Empower program is guided by three primary objectives: to honor innovative women entrepreneurs supporting those who need assistance or empowerment; to invest in the most inspiring and transformational women through capital, training and networking to increase visibility and credibility for their organizations; and to ignite awareness of the invaluable contribution women entrepreneurs are making globally to address our world’s problems and help drive the UN SDG to success.

Each year, 25 finalists are selected from hundreds of entries submitted each spring. All entrants must be women entrepreneurs who have lead decision-making ability for their organization, have been in operation for at least three years, employ at least three full-time staff and generate at least $100,000 U.S. in annual revenue.

The program has begun to announce the initial group of finalists for the 2022 challenge. They include Radwa Rostom, CEO and founder of Hand Over Projects in Egypt. Hand Over is working to revolutionize the construction industry across the Middle East through the integration and use of natural and renewable building materials to provide homes for underprivileged communities. Another finalist is Panmela Castro, founder and president of Rede NAMI in Brazil, arts and culture network designed to provide awareness and support for women’s rights and to fight domestic abuse.

To learn more about the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and see the other 2022 finalists, please visit sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/we-empower. Look for the 2022 awardees to be announced this summer.