HER Programme Supports Women Entrepreneurs in Mayreau After Hurricane Beryl

A photograph of HER program participants, facilitators, mentors, assistants, and advisory council members from the Caribbean Feminist Climate Justice Movement pictured during the closing ceremony. Credited by Sebastian Cyrus for Offhannd.

By Admin. Updated 3:42 p.m., Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

A new initiative is helping women in Mayreau rebuild stronger businesses after Hurricane Beryl. The Holistic Entrepreneurial Reframing (HER) programme, launched by grassroots non-profit We Are Mayreau Inc. (WAM) provides funding, training, and wellness support to women entrepreneurs in the Southern Grenadines.

Funded by the Global Fund for Women, Caribbean Women in Leadership (St. Kitts), and the Caribbean Feminist Climate Justice Movement, the 12-week pilot supported four local businesswomen with US$1,000 each, plus access to mental health care, business planning, fitness and nutrition coaching, and financial literacy tools.

The first cohort included: Dorothy Forde of Coconut Bar & Restaurant, Loretha Simmons-Isaacs of Lolo’s, Nadica Bartholomew of Nadie’s and Venecia Ollivierre of Wukkaman.

The goal of The HER programme is to build climate and economic resilience by empowering women as local leaders. The programme blends entrepreneurship with personal development and gender-based awareness.

It wrapped up on April 11, 2025, with a community celebration at The Ranch Escapade in Mayreau. Guest speaker Aria Laidlow-Ferdinand, from the Caribbean Feminist Climate Justice Movement, praised the women as “national leaders in the movement for climate, gender, and economic justice.”

We Are Mayreau Inc. (WAM) plans to expand the programme nationally. Founded in 2016, the all-woman organisation focuses on access, well-being, entrepreneurship, and climate justice for Mayreau residents.