The Rural Voice, 2001-06, Page 571
AgriTech
WRED supports women entrepreneurs
By Janice Becker
After writing about antique tractor
parts, livestock technology, water
quality and crops. I thought it was
time to search for something geared
more specifically to female readers.
For those unfamiliar with WRED,
Women and Rural Economic
Development. www.wred.org, its
mandate is to "enhance sustainability
in rural communities".
Through numerous initiatives,
WRED promotes community devel-
opment, supports and guides new
business entrepreneurs, provides
access to training, financial resources
and partnerships.
A specific program also helps
women develop life skills as they
progress along the path to self-suffi-
ciency.
In the background information,
WRED states that the self- employ-
ment curriculum has been delivered
to 529 women, with 333 new busi-
nesses in Ontario due to WRED •
training and initiatives. The 21 Rural
Women Networks Zink 2,500 partici-
pants.
A very interesting aspect of the site
is the accounts of success stories
from across the province. Not only
does it provide feedback on the
effectiveness of WRED training. but
it shows the diversity of enterprises
the women have undertaken. There
are stories on improved marketing
techniques for one woman's writing,
the creation of a festival based on a
locally -grown crop, industries devel-
oped for orchard, herb, livestock and
craft products as well as a prenatal
and parental support service.
A business directory with dozens of
entries, lists women who have made
use of WRED's initiatives, giving
brief descriptions of the business and
person.
Information under Community
Economic Development (CED),
encapsulates what WRED means to
me. According to site material, CED
helps to create new employment
activities, increase household
incomes by providing another source,
adding to community wealth by cre-
ating jobs, and improving local quali-
ty of life through a balance of eco-
nomic, social and environmental con-
cerns. As an organization focused on
rural communities, it encourages the
use of local goods, services and
employees.
Dt:velopment of business skills and
personal goals is a strong portion of
WRED's edict. These are met by
offering seminars covering topics
such as marketing, cash flow, effec-
tive hiring and company growth.
There is self-employment training.
access to micro lending and links to
business alliances. joint ventures and
partnerships.
For personal development, women
are networked with others for sup-
port, mentorships are created and
courses are provided for learning the
language of business.
While the coming events section
does list seminars and meetings for
the four regions, all but the Eastern
Ontario section cited events which
had already passed or had a very
short lead time.
The newest feature on the site is an
on-line discussion page. It allows vis-
itors to add their own topics for dis-
course or a search of other entries can
be undertaken.
As with most organizational sites,
resource materials are included such
as a vast library of books available on
loan. 21 Business Women's
Networks, investment clubs to help
women learn and practice investment
strategies, technical support through
Community Economic Development
Technical Assistance Program (CED -
TAP) and conference information.
The links provide connections to
other sites of interest to women such
as Canadian Women's Health
Network, Canadian Congress for
Learning Opportunities of Women
and Centre for rural Social Research.
among many others.
While the WRED head office is
located in Stratford, there are offices
in Lindsay, Mar and Kemptville.
Contact numbers and e-mail
addresses for WRED executive as
well as local network co-ordinators
are listed.
Contact me at jlbecker@wightmwz.
ca or through the Rural Voice office.
Janice Becker is a computer enthusi-
ast and journalist living near Walton.
ON.
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JUNE 2001 53