This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to CEO – Women’s Development Business Investment Holdings (WDBIH) – Faith Khanyile. WDB is a women-led group with a focus on funding and supporting female entrepreneurs to transform South Africa’s business and social landscape by empowering women. WDB was established in 1991 by Zanele Mbeki, former first lady of South Africa (her husband, Thabo Mbeki served as the second president of South Africa from 1999 to 2008). Women in rural areas tend to be the most marginalised in South Africa, so they are a key focus for the group, with the view that by providing credit to women entrepreneurs allows these ladies to start their own businesses thereby uplifting themselves and their families. The WDB Trust is modelled on the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, which was conceptualised by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, under the philosophy that credit is a fundamental human right, with the bank offering loans to people who were too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. WDB has also prioritised women in leadership and the gender pay gap on its gender agenda and drives these initiatives in part through its presence on investment boards and influencing change. Tune in for more….

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