A top 20 social enterprise

New Zealand’s RAW Entrepreneurship Model, created to break the intergenerational cycle of violence and crime through helping women offenders on release build new lives for themselves and their children, made it to semi-finalist level in this year’s Project Inspire awards.

Project Inspire is a joint initiative between Singapore Committee for UN Women and Mastercard, and the semi- finalists were recognised as the top 20 social enterprises promoting womens’ rights in the Asia Pacific region.

RAW Entrepreneurship Model was the only semi-finalist from New Zealand, and it supports and helps women offenders released into the community by equipping them with tailored business skills. It did not make the finals.

Peter Chisnall, Mastercard country manager for New Zealand said in a statement that RAW Entrepreneurship was a great project to help women and their families, by helping them gain the skills they need to live independently.

He also said that Mastercard’s inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurial Index saw New Zealand recently ranking first in Asia Pacific for providing the best supportive conditions for women entrepreneurs to prosper.