A shift through women’s networks

The activities of March for Women’s Month are ongoing as I write this… trying to hit a deadline amidst invitations for women talks, events and gatherings. There is a shift and I seem to find myself somewhere right in there.

Women’s economic empowerment is widely recognized as an important factor in global financial stability and poverty alleviation; however, it is evident that women remain excluded from the financial world especially in our country and similar developing nations. However, we see the strengthening of women-supportive “networks.” These are collaborative networks that bring women together through programs, services and opportunities for: access to capital; financial literacy; leadership and skills trainings to empower women in management and decision-making levels; programs that can support women in micro and small businesses, and mentorship of all sorts.

The only local bank that has a special financial program for women is the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (YGC) through its E-Woman Program. The RCBC stepped in to fill the gap as they partnered with the International Finance Center (IFC) to create the country’s first business loan program for women entrepreneurs. RCBC’s Women Enterprise Loan program provides capital for business expansion and integrated solutions for business, auto, housing, and other consumer loans, corporate credit cards, and insurance. There’s even a holiday payment period if a woman is on maternity leave.

This month through a partnership with the BPW-Makati (Business and Professional Women), the first of a number of planned E-Women trade fairs is being held at the RCBC Plaza to give women entrepreneurs a market for their products. Another good news is that a special innovative financial program is being worked on by both organizations to give access to credit to BPW-Makati’s members who own small start-up companies even with no collateral.

Networking for business and career enhancement is something women will normally not do. Not with children, families, husbands and partners that they need to take care of in whatever free time they can manage to have. So the need to create networks for: business deals, to strengthen their professional skills, grow enterprises.

This month, there are a number of women activities to celebrate women’s achievements and inspire more women to achieve, stand up, be counted and heard. Within my reach are: The Women’s Business Council that had its third Women’s Forum on the theme of “Women Mentoring Women;” NEW or the Network of Enterprising Women; SPARK, an NGO that supports young women entrepreneurs, celebrates through a film showing of Girl Rising; Women Corporate Directors and BPW-Makati (the latter two aligned to international organizations) all connecting to the United Nation’s Women Empowerment Principles (WEP).

We women can empower ourselves in another way, too... internally begin the power-shifting process, even as our exterior expression is seen striving for achievement and success. We need to change our own personal mind-sets about what makes us feel empowered to take control of our own bodies, emotions, thoughts; even as we take on responsibilities of finances and decisions for family and our careers. I really believe it works both ways. Power shifts that empower us inside will allow our success in the world to manifest.

ECHOyoga Shala’s March activities are workshops that both celebrate and teach women to empower the internal mindset. Saturday afternoon workshops, open for all beginners include: a look at heart openers, the use of the “Yin” or feminine energy, monthly menstrual cycles and another women’s network to discuss and study the shifting periods of midlife and menopause that bring special messages and meaning. Meanwhile, Friday night workshops are set to teach women (and men, too) to harness the intuitive feminine energy through cleansing meditation, slow psycho-spiritual body movements and breath manipulation.

Happy Women’s Month! May this month inspire all of us women to choose an empowerment direction in our life — be it in our career, finances and investments, business and enterprises — and parallel this with internal empowerment shifts that unite body, mind and spirit.

(Visit echoyoga.echostore.ph for ECHOyoga shala workshops, call 956-7119, check BPWMakati on Facebook and @WomenSteppingUp on Twitter.)