site.btaNational Mentoring Programme for Women Entrepreneurs to Support 3 Refugee Women through Its Partner UNHCR Bulgaria

Three refugee women from Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine will participate in the fourth edition of the National Mentoring Programme for Women Entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, which started Friday. They are Sara Faizi from Afghanistan, Sara Alkaf from Yemen, and Olga Panina from Ukraine. Boris Cheshirkov, External Relations Advisor at UNHCR Bulgaria, said this at the opening of the programme.

Sara Faizi opened the first restaurant in Sofia a year and a half ago with specialties from Afghanistan. It already employs two other women and Faizi wants to expand her business, Cheshirkov said. Sara Alkaf, besides helping refugees, restoring furniture and wanting to open a café, wants to import coffee to Bulgaria. Olga Panina lives in Ruse, where she recently opened a beauty salon and wants to develop it.

For the first time since the beginning of the programme, refugee women who have found protection in Bulgaria can join the programme, said Viktoria Karaabova-Stoyanova, one of the mentors of the programme.

The Chairperson of the Entrepreneurship and Start-up Council at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and member of the Chamber's Executive Council, Gena Sabeva, said that this year there will be 23 mentors in the programme, as it will go beyond the capital and in the period February-May it will also take place in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, and Gabrovo.

Among the partners of the programme is First Investment Bank. Ilona Staneva, Marketing and Advertising Director at the financial institution, pointed to the bank's business programme "Smart Lady" which supports the mentoring initiative. For the period since “Smart Lady” was established, a loan has been granted to a lady with a business idea every working day.

BCCI President Tsvetan Simeonov underscored the importance of women fleeing military conflicts to be successfully adapted and expressed satisfaction with their inclusion in the programme. He announced that a Bulgarian-Ukrainian forum on the reconstruction of Ukraine is being prepared and is expected to take place in late April or early May in a hybrid format. "The chamber never backs down from having equality between men and women, and women's entrepreneurship has a very good track record," Simeonov said.

The latest edition of the programme features 23 female mentors and 50 women who want to turn their ideas into their own business projects or build on businesses they have already started. Together, they will work over the next six months to participate in the forum for women entrepreneurs, the Women's Business Arena on June 8, where they will present their business projects to investors, partners, potential clients, and enter the world of business. The programme is also open to ladies developing projects in the field of social entrepreneurship.

The programme includes intensive practical sessions, acquiring new knowledge and skills, individual approach and attitude, additional events, new acquaintances and networking. 

New in 2024 is the holding of various thematic workshops, during which the ladies will build on their knowledge and skills. The choice of workshop will be according to each woman's needs and interests.

The National Mentoring Programme for Women Entrepreneurs is part of the activities of BCCI’s entrepreneurship and start-up council.