Caterpillar, Walmart announce Africa commitments
August 11, 2014 | 04:33 PM
The Caterpillar Foundation and Walmart last Wednesday announced commitments to African agriculture-related programs during a day-long symposium hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Laura Bush.
The Caterpillar Foundation announced a partnership with the State Department's African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) to create the first ever AWEP-Women’s Entrepreneurial Centers of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Caterpillar Foundation and the State Department “are providing $1 million each to create these self-sustaining women’s business centers where women can gain the tools, resources, support and education they need to become successful entrepreneurs and exporters,” the White House said in a news release.
Walmart, through its Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, has committed to train 1 million farmers, half of which will be women, by the end of 2016, the White House also announced.
“Through $3 million in grants and in partnership with leading NGOs and USAID — which is working with the Feed the Future initiative — Walmart is accelerating the pace of training and aiming to deliver training to more than 135,000 farmers — 80,000 of which will be women — in Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia,” the White House said. “Kenyan farmers taking part in the program should see farm incomes double in just one growing season.”
The Caterpillar Foundation announced a partnership with the State Department's African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) to create the first ever AWEP-Women’s Entrepreneurial Centers of Resources, Education, Access, and Training for Economic Empowerment (WECREATE) in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Caterpillar Foundation and the State Department “are providing $1 million each to create these self-sustaining women’s business centers where women can gain the tools, resources, support and education they need to become successful entrepreneurs and exporters,” the White House said in a news release.
Walmart, through its Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, has committed to train 1 million farmers, half of which will be women, by the end of 2016, the White House also announced.
“Through $3 million in grants and in partnership with leading NGOs and USAID — which is working with the Feed the Future initiative — Walmart is accelerating the pace of training and aiming to deliver training to more than 135,000 farmers — 80,000 of which will be women — in Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia,” the White House said. “Kenyan farmers taking part in the program should see farm incomes double in just one growing season.”
