WERK empowers warriors of change
Being a woman in the ‘now’ means being a warrior for change. WERK ( Women Entrepreneurs Resource Kit), Sri Lanka’s first online woman- centric professional network, which was launched last Saturday, at Hatch in Colombo amply testifies to this.
Amongst the gathering, mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, leaders, entrepreneurs and Angels, - of which they were at least one, and some of them all of these and more, were seen mingling with each other.
The common denominator amongst these women was that they believed in the need to support each other, share stories, and find strength in numbers.
Committed to tackling this disparity by accelerating the career ambitions of women in Sri Lanka, Yusra Aziz- Eliyas and Amrit Rupasinghe set up WERK to do just that.
“Amrit and I had a conversation on why females had no proper movement in Sri Lanka to discuss issues which were faced by women. He was very taken up by the ‘ Me too Movement’ and inquired as to why women were ignored in many circumstances. I did point out that we face discrimination be it in the boardroom or a pitch meeting, literally on a daily basis but had got used to it and although tough, we as women weathered through it,” she told the Business Times on the sidelines of the event, reminiscing the beginning of this platform.
Amazing women
She had met amazing ladies through her start- up journey and was completely inspired by them, so she thought it would be nice to have a forum to voice off these issues. “The other point I raised was how we as women, had no clue as to what other ladies were achieving in their respective fields to collaborate, partner or even just to educate ourselves. Amrit then asked wouldn’t it be interesting to have a community you could reach out to and I replied yes almost instantly. After much research, thought and many ups and downs WERK was born,” she added.
In a bid to unlocking the combined power of female entrepreneurs and corporate women in Sri Lanka to create massive economic and social progressthe platform will provide networking, advice, resources and opportunities for women to take their careers forward.
Yusra wants WERK to be an online home for all women to visit, to lend support, to pick up some guidance, to be mentors, to laugh together, to know that they are not alone in this journey, to share stories, learnings and create a community in their sisterhood. The well- attended event brought together invitees from various stages in their respective professional lives, paving the way for a promising line- up of projects from the new online platform.
The dynamics of the work environment has exerted enormous pressure on working women as they need to cope with virtually two full time jobs – one at the office and the other at home. It's a tricky juggling act. However, they also come up with proactive ideas about how to make things better.
IMF stats
In its 2018 Country Report on Sri Lanka, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that Sri Lanka could raise its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by as much as 20 per cent in the long run, just by closing the gender gap in its workforce.
The platform has resources in the form of a host of online tools to automate and/ or simplify everyday business tasks will be made available, as well as a constantly updated knowledge base of helpful information through inspiring interviews, non-fiction book summaries, and useful articles and tips.
Testament to the underlying need for such a service, at the end of the official launch event membership stood at over 400 members representing over 380 small and large businesses, all looking to connect, learn, and rise professionally.
While WERK already stands out from other community networks in the wealth of corporate partnerships it is seeking to further enhance its offering through collaborating with more companies that align with its values.
Yusra also noted that in keeping with the ethos of WERK, 10 per cent from all corporate membership subscriptions will be donated towards upskilling women from underprivileged backgrounds and charities that provide support services to victims of violence against women.
Along with varying discounts and offers these alliances provide for the WERK community - from book keeping to office attire, website building tools to software- WERK currently partners with a range of professional associations and organisations which also provide great resources for its members looking to advance their careers through educational workshops, networking events, mentoring programmes, volunteer and employment opportunities, career services and support, and much more.
An online marketplace is also in the works, where corporates can post collaboration opportunities with start- ups and freelancers.
WERK is currently a mobile app, but the team has plans of taking the experience beyond the confines of the online sphere.
Upskilling workshops, mentoring sessions, talk shows and even a #WERKOUT conference are also being scheduled for the year’s agenda.
Interested professionals looking to further their careers can sign up at www.werk.community. For sponsorships and corporate collaborations, click on the ' Partnerships' tab on the website.
In keeping with the ethos of WERK, 10 per cent from all corporate membership subscriptions will be donated towards upskilling women from underprivileged backgrounds and charities that provide support services to victims of violence against women.