The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge
The WE Empower Challenge is a global business competition for women entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspiring entire communities to create the world we want by 2030.
With the help of student judges from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, five awardees – one from each UN region – will be chosen to receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York during the UN Global Goals week (24 – 29 September 2018) to participate in a series of tailored trainings and events. Each awardee will receive a SolarSPELL device, courtesy of ASU, among other prizes and opportunities. One ASU student judge will also be selected to attend the UN Global Goals week
Our Objectives
Honor
Honor innovative women entrepreneurs who are achieving the SDGs through sustainable business practices and inspiration for others to follow suit.
Invest
Invest in the most inspiring and transformational women entrepreneurs – providing access to unique trainings, capacity building, a network of their peers, visibility and credibility for their work.
Ignite
Ignite awareness among a global community of stakeholders of the valuable contribution women entrepreneurs can make in contributing to the SDGs and the obstacles they still face.
Meet the 2018 Awardees
Habiba Ali, Africa
Ali founded Nigerian company Sosai, which brings renewable energy technologies to the most rural of users, improving access to clean, affordable energy and providing clean water and better health outcomes.
Marta Del Rio, Latin America & Caribbean
Del Rio co-founded organic snack company MAIA to fight poverty and transform Peruvian agriculture, providing training and technical assistance to smallholder farmers and sourcing ingredients from them at a fair price.
Shimrit Finkel, Western Europe & Other
Finkel co-founded ECOncrete® in 2012. The Israeli company’s durable and environmentally sensitive concretes harness natural processes to enhance growth of carbon-absorbing marine life on coastal infrastructure.
Marijana Savić, Eastern Europe
Savić founded Serbian NGO Atina to combat human trafficking and all forms of violence against women. Atina’s Bagel store provides financing, skills training and professional education to help victims in transition.
Hadeel Anabtawi, Asia-Pacific
Anabtawi founded The Alchemist Lab, whose educational programs, including Go Girls!, have reached more than 25,000 children in Jordan’s largest city, Amman, as well as remote villages and refugee camps.
Partners and Sponsors
The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University is proud to be a partner in this global challenge, empowering women to develop solutions to sustainability challenges around the world. View all partners