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Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Program

A strategy that seeks to empower people with disabilities through accompaniment and development of entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

Municipality

MX
Chihuahua, Chihuahua,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Human development, Inclusion

Type of investment needed

Grant

Associated SDGs

The challenge

In Chihuahua, the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities (PwD) is more than double (10.1%) than for the general population (4.4%) according to data from the National Occupation and Employment Survey (INEGI, 2021). However, less than 5% of people applying to social or entrepreneurship programs have a disability.

The challenge is to ensure that people with disabilities perceive entrepreneurship as a work/employability alternative to achieve economic independence.

The project

The strategy seeks to develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills in persons with disabilities (PwD) through the provision of tools and personal and family empowerment, along with awareness. Also, the aim is to raise inclusion in program delivery spaces in order to achieve economic independence. The strategy will be developed in 3 phases:

PHASE 1 | Entrepreneurial Empowerment: The objective of this first phase is to motivate and empower PwD, encouraging the development of their soft skills and entrepreneurial mindset. At the same time, we will work together with their families to strengthen their bond and support.

PHASE 2: Entrepreneurial Development: During this phase, we will work on two aspects: i) raise awareness and provide tools to organizations and institutions that coordinate entrepreneurship programs to adapt their work and make it more inclusive, and ii) encourage the participation of PwD in entrepreneurship programs.

PHASE 3: Entrepreneurial Leadership: Identify social leaders and agents of change among the participants of the program to enhance its impact.

It should be noted that in the first stage, work will be carried out with people with motor disabilities.

Know more...

In Chihuahua, it is estimated that 6.1% of the population has a disability, which is equivalent to around 196,000 people (2020 Census, INEGI). According to data from INEGI's National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) for the first quarter of 2021, the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities (PwD) in the state of Chihuahua was 10.1%, while for the general population, it was 4.4%.

Based on this diagnosis and during the process of designing this initiative, validation interviews were conducted with people affected by the problem. Those interviews showed that, although companies are willing to employ PwD, many of them do not do so due to the lack of accessible infrastructure, as well as the presence of social stigma and fear of interacting with PwD. As a consequence, PwD experiences low self-esteem, demotivation, and lack of knowledge to apply for jobs. Furthermore, their family members become overprotective, leading to economic dependency. A study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2020 highlighted that PwD often faces barriers and inequalities in the labor and business environment, which can limit their opportunities and their ability to be successful entrepreneurs.

Furthermore, low participation of PwD in existing entrepreneurship programs has been detected. For example, in the call "Entrepreneurship for social change," there was no participation of PwD. According to the interviews carried out, many PwD do not apply to the existing programs because of fear. It has also been identified that the institutions and workshop leaders that deliver these programs are not trained to provide adequate guidance and the necessary tools to start a business according to the needs of PwD.

Phase 1: Entrepreneurial empowerment

  • Activity 1: Empowering people with disabilities: a mapping of people with disabilities (PwD) who wish to become entrepreneurs will be carried out. We will select 20 people and their families to participate in workshops and mentoring to develop their self-esteem and entrepreneurial mindset, reinforcing family support and accompaniment.

Phase 2: Entrepreneurial Development

  • Activity 2: Design an inclusion and awareness-raising campaign: this will be aimed especially at organizations and institutions that have entrepreneurship programs and will be carried out through workshops and talks to train them in the delivery of their programmes from an inclusive perspective.
  • Activity 3: Develop and initiate entrepreneurship: An entrepreneurial development program, consisting of workshops and mentoring, will be carried out. The participation of PwD who participated in Phase 1 will be promoted in existing entrepreneurship programs.

Phase 3: Entrepreneurial Leadership

  • Activity 4: Detect and promote leaders with disabilities. Among the participants of the initiative, social leaders and agents of change who want to promote projects of greater impact will be identified and trained to accompany other PwD who wish to become entrepreneurs.
  • Activity 5: Create a Network of Inclusive Entrepreneurs, which will be linked to companies and other organizations, with the aim of promoting systemic change in the community.


Direct results

  • Conduct 10 entrepreneurial mindset development workshops for 20 PwD.
  • Hold 5 group mentoring sessions with PwD and their families.
  • Conduct 10 inclusion workshops for facilitators of entrepreneurship programs.
  • Conduct 5 inclusive awareness-raising talks for institutions and organizations promoting entrepreneurship.
  • Deliver 10 entrepreneurial development workshops for PwD.
  • Hold 5 group mentoring sessions for entrepreneurs.
  • Deliver the Entrepreneurial Leader Programme, consisting of 6 workshops and 3 group mentoring sessions.
  • Create a Network of entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Expected impact

  • 30% of people with disabilities participating in the program open their own businesses.
  • Raising to 10% of PwD in the existing entrepreneurship programs.

  • Universidad Politécnica Nacional  
  • No toda discapacidad es invisible
  • INDEX
  • Red de Discapacidad 
  • Red Emprende Chihuahua
  • FECHAC
  • Rotarios 


uHub A.C. Centre for Entrepreneurial Development. - We promote social and inclusive entrepreneurship by developing the skills and abilities of people to become entrepreneurs. We seek to create entrepreneurs who make change and generate positive impact in the community, https://www.uhub.org.mx/, https://www.facebook.com/uhubac/.

Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the Municipality of Chihuahua - The Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the municipal government of Chihuahua generates programmes focused on entrepreneurs and the promotion of the local economy through advice, training, linkages and financing through collaboration with different organisations in the public and private sectors. 

Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Material didáctico y kit de trabajo para 40 participantes (**)

u$s 673.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 673.00

Gastos de Movilidad y Viáticos (**)

u$s 3675.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 3675.00

Services
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Tallerista General del Programa por 12 meses (*)

u$s 1392.00

u$s 1392.00

u$s 0.00

Tallerista de Psicología por 12 meses (**)

u$s 696.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 696.00

Especialista en discapacidad por 12 meses (**)

u$s 7800.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 7800.00

Human resources
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Coordinador General del Programa por 12 meses (*)

u$s 7400.00

u$s 7400.00

u$s 0.00

Líder del Proyecto Experto en Emprendimiento por 18 meses (**)

u$s 15000.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 15000.00

Coordinador Operativo por 12 meses (**)

u$s 11000.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 11000.00

Others
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Gastos de Publicidad y Difusión (**)

u$s 1500.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 1500.00

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 49136.00

u$s 8792.00

u$s 40344.00

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