AWEC Community Champions Initiative
In seven years, we’ve built an active community of 1,400 African women entrepreneurs who have experienced first-hand the value of the AWEC experience. Realizing that our alumnae network is the future of AWEC, we are leveraging their expertise and desire to pay it forward. With alumnae across 53 countries, our goal is to impact an additional 45,000 women by 2027 through localized, AWEC-style training.
The momentum is already remarkable. Since launching this initiative in July 2024, 107 alumnae have been trained to deliver AWEC-style programs, reaching over 15,000 women across 19 countries, achieving one-third of our total goal in less than two years.
We aren't slowing down. By the end of 2026, we aim to grow our trainer network to 250 leaders and impact over 35,000 women in business and aspiring business owners.
45,000
women to be impacted by 2027
15,500+
women impacted so far
19
200+
Countries
Communities
Join a Community Training
Our alumnae are bringing world-class business training to cities across Africa. See where we’re active and secure your spot in an upcoming session. Join the thousands of women growing their businesses.
Community Champions Spotlights
Susanna Simango / Malawi
Susanna is the founder of Village Solar an energy company helping women in Malawi build livelihoods and micro-businesses with solar energy. As an AWEC Community Champion, Susanna has trained over 400 women to either start or grow their businesses.
Sophie Sijenyi / Kenya
Sophie Sijenyi is the founder of Gem Companies (Gem Delicacies and Gem Culinary Arts Training Institute). While running a thriving Kenyan Restaurant, her business also empowers young talent to enter into the culinary industry. As an AWEC Community Champion, Sophie has trained over 500 women to hire with confidence, set clear expectations, and lead with authority.
Toluwaleye Odunsi / NIgeria
Toluwaleye Odunsi is the founder and Creative Director at Folabomi, a fashion brand on a mission to empower the goal-oriented woman, helping her feel confident while achieving her goals. As an AWEC Community Champion, Toluwaleye has trained over 150 senior secondary school girls turn their skills into actual business opportunities.
Testimonials
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Testimonials *
Lucy has struggled for a long time to increase sales via social media and as a result of the training, she has been more active on social media - specifically LinkedIn, posting more about the work that they do, with beautiful visuals which has resulted in new clients in the past months post training.
— Training Beneficiary, South Africa
Skincare business owner initially explained her products to clients using technical language, focusing on complex ingredient details. Through the training, she realized that her customers resonated more with simplified, benefit-focused language. By shifting her communication to highlight how the products solve skin concerns and improve well-being, she reported in January that she has more social media engagement and enquiries.
— Training Beneficiary, Kenya
Nancy had a challenging 2024. Her business just stopped growing no matter what she did. The 5-whys helped her identify that she needed to be more visible with her business. She implemented a customer acquisition strategy and by the end of 2024, she got an all expense paid booking to consult for a school. She has gone on to hold paid trainings for 22 schools as at January 2025.