Challenges, knowledge gained and moments of success were among sentiments shared by female business operators of a capacity building initiative geared to empower women and young entrepreneurs on the island.

It came yesterday at the closing ceremony of the Building Back Equal programme which sought to address challenges faced in accessing finance and business support.

The initiative which was launched in 2022, was funded by the United Nations Joint SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Fund.

It was implemented jointly by the Ministry of Youth Social Development and Seniors and the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation.

The two entities received programme and technical support from UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme.

Over $1.8 million was spent across Bermuda and the Bahamas on the programme, which the UN said was the first of its kind in the history of UN-Bermuda relations.

Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, said the programme had been an important alignment with the island’s economic recovery plan.

She explained: “We have the opportunity to diversify in our economy by opening up new doors in opportunities like agricultural, sustainable tourism, creative industries and the growth of small and medium sized entrepreneurs.

“The environment is showing that all Bermudians have the opportunity to thrive, particularly in our post-pandemic landscape.”

During the course of the programme, she said participants received important lessons from training, innovative financing courses and key resources towards entrepreneurship.

Dennis Zulu, a UN resident co-ordinator for Bermuda, underscored the agency’s dedication to promoting gender equality and sustainable development in the region.

He said: “This programme has laid a strong foundation for the continued growth and empowerment of women and youth entrepreneurs in Bermuda.”

During a panel discussion, Jamillah Lodge, the director of communication and development at the BEDC, said in some instances, it was very difficult for women to gain access to economic opportunities.

She said: “Through this programme, we had an opportunity to level the playing field or at least make a start.”

Antonia Holder, the inventor of DigiRoo, a device that helps children practise safer screen time, benefited from the programme.

In her desire to expand the business, particularly to the North American market, she met challenges such as networking and access to capital.

She said: “I got involved in the programme for all of those things, and we are part of a community so I am grateful I got selected and I am looking forward to the next phase.”

Sherrie Lynn Lilley, of Pneuma Counselling and Consulting, a professional mental health and coaching firm, said she returned to the island several years ago to spend time with her mother.

As part of her charity work, she conducted therapy sessions and people asked whether she had a practice.

She said: “The answer was no, I never thought about it but then in June of 2022, I said let me just explore.

“So that is how I really got the practice started and what came of it was, over the years, I watched how mental health services evolved.”

Ms Lilley said her practice is focused of serving the needs of residents and to ensure that effective, quality and accessible mental health services are available.

She said she participated in a BEDC incubator programme which benefited her business which, she noted, was in the its embryonic stage.

Ms Lilley then applied to participate in the Building Back Equal programme and received a positive response.

She added: “It has been amazing, it has been a really incredible experience and once that support door opened, it hasn’t shut.”

Dana Selassie, another beneficiary of the programme, said that before Covid-19, she launched a coffee shop to provide a space for “thinkers” and “creators”.

However, Dr Selassie, a public relations and communications professional, said the business folded after the pandemic and she later changed the angle of her operations to focus on artificial intelligence.

Through a new firm, Zhyon International, she said she was using her film-making and cultural curator background to combine storytelling, history and culture with AI to highlight untold stories.

She said: “I am looking at how you can tell stories of our past by using AI.”

Dr Selassie said she is working to expand a coffee and tequila entity which was borne out of her coffee shop business.

Michelle White, the owner of Executemps, a temp agency which assists people with employment and work permits, said her relationship with the BEDC started in 2019.

Ms White, who worked at the Department of Immigration prior to retirement, said she was convinced by the previous owner of Executemps to take over the business.

However, in the process of taking it off the ground, the pandemic came and disrupted her plans for the firm.

She said: “That’s when we got a notification, businesses closed down and everybody would have to go home and we got scared.”

Ms White said that during the pandemic she participated in several workshops and seminars run by the BEDC.

She was later informed about the Building Back Equal programme and gained acceptance.

Ms White said that the programme afforded her networking opportunities which came as a monumental push for her business.