Top Ten Voices: Caragh Bennet Bridgwood

This month, we are platforming a woman who has dedicated herself to supporting others. Caragh Bennet Bridgwood is the co-founder of The ZENA Brand, non-profit organisation that equips female entrepreneurs in Uganda, driving change against extreme poverty and gender inequality. Gender-based violence is sadly incredibly common in Uganda, and The ZENA Brand equips women in rural communities with the tools they need to start their own businesses and to stand on their own two feet. Through the help of the brand, they are able to become financially independent and therefore to look after themselves and their children, as well as learning new skills and flourishing in the community along the way.

Caragh has an incredible story which we are delighted to have captured in on our Women's Business Voice Podcast 🎙️The experiences of women under patriarchy differ wildly throughout the world. As female leaders across the globe, it's up to us to fight not only for ourselves, but for all women. Our founder, Angela, sat down with Caragh to learn more about the entrepreneurs she works with in Uganda, and how they face their adversaries with power and strength.

Find out more about how ZENA was created, and to hear about the amazing women involved, listen to this month's podcast in our Clubhouse and on all major podcast platforms at here. Our podcast episodes offer you an exclusive look into the lives of our Top Ten Voices, as they tell their stories with no filter. We talk about the wins and the losses, the ups and the downs, showing our listeners at home that the road to success is never a simple path. Listen at work, at the gym, on a walk - whenever and wherever, you can find us at womensbusiness.club/s/voice. 

Here at Women's Business Club, we are lucky to host a flourishing community of fabulous women, and we are all ready to help each other whenever someone needs support. With such a range of skills, backgrounds, experiences and knowledge, there is always someone in the Women's Business Club community who has the tools to get you where you need to go (or at least knows someone else who does!). Every month we will be drawing on our community to help our featured Top Ten Voices with any support they need for their businesses.

Caragh and her wonderful team do such an amazing job at The ZENA Brand, but after hearing her story and learning about the life-changing work they do in Uganda, we wanted to know what we could do to get involved.

So without much further ado, here are three things we can do this month to support The ZENA Brand…

1. Get yourself some ZENA Earrings:
   Buy them for everyone you know - they are perfect for birthday presents, graduation gifts etc. ZENA does not only provide earrings, but necklaces, hair accessories and bracelets, with designs that range from elegant everyday pieces to impactful statement pieces. Visit the ZENA website at thezenabrand.co.uk
2. Donate!
   ZENA has a concept called The Cocktail Club, which means you donate the cost of one cocktail every month. That is the value of the cost for one woman to access literacy classes every month. I’m sure we can all forgo that extra mojito every month for such a valuable and necessary cause 🚫🍸
   Donate Here
3. Share their stories: These women are extraordinary and they deserve the awareness they get from our platform. Caragh is the cheerleader for all these amazing women, and now so are we! The more awareness the brand gets, the more Ugandan women will be given the opportunity to become financially independent. If you are unable to buy from the brand yourself, tell your friends and family to get the word out.

As well as talking to Caragh Bennet Bridgwood on our podcast, we also spoke with one of the women who has been working with The ZENA Brand to upstart her business and earn a living of her own. That woman is Salima Nakatuba, who founded a laundry business in her village with the funds she earnt from making ZENA earrings. Now, that business is working with one of the top hotels in her area, and Salima's life has completely changed for the better. By sharing her story through us, we can highlight the real difference that ZENA makes, so hopefully more and more women can step into their new lives of safety and security.

We will hear from Salima in November, so tune in again for her insights - we feel so lucky to be speaking to so many inspirational women across the world, who we never would have encountered if they weren't nominated for our Top Ten Voices campaign. We hope you feel the same when listening!

Follow ZENA on... Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn and follow Caragh on ... Instagram & LinkedIn