Dear Members

The time spent with our Gauteng ladies at the Johannesburg and Pretoria member forums were definitely one of the highlights of my first quarter. Thank you for your encouraging words, the support that you pledged and I look forward to our future engagements. Being member driven means it is about our members and what we do is for our members.

I am in Kenya as I am finalising this newsletter. I am homesick and must say, if you are like me, we take many things for granted. Those who travel outside sunny SA will bear me out. I could not connect and download my emails and just as I was going to break out in electronic withdrawal symptoms, I pulled myself together and decided to enjoy the e-break. Imagine a life without cell phones, emails and IPADS. Can I even allow myself to continue with this fantasy?

MEMBER FORUMS

The Gauteng Team were very pleased to host and connect with all the ladies at our recently held member forums. We had 2 very successful evenings, on 8 March in Johannesburg and 22 March in Pretoria, where members could "Come and Meet the Gauteng Committee over Cheese and Wine tasting". A special thank you go out to Rami and Nana from "Own Your Part of History" for their very informative and creative presentation of the centenary wines.

As mentioned, in order to meet our strategic objectives we need to fill the vacancies in our committee and sub committees. Thank you for all your insights shared with us during the break away sessions. We also look forward to speaking to those ladies who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get more involved in our committee or sub committees. We will be in contact with you within the next two weeks.

Click to Read 'Who is the BWA General Information'

Sub committees:

• Membership
• Mentorship & Coaching
• Programmes – Corporates, Government, Entrepreneurs, Private practices
• Events
• Sponsorship & Bursaries
• RBAA

During the evenings we were able to hear from you, the members, what you would like to get from the BWA. Some of the topics for workshops included:

• Business management
• Self-development and personal growth
• Presentation skills
• Pitching to investors
• Motivating your team
• Wellness program for entrepreneurs
• Best practice (talks amongst members)

Thanks again to those of you who have made your voice heard by participating in our recent surveys. We value your input and eagerly anticipate engaging with more of you in the upcoming months.

MEMBERSHIP

As you may have seen, there has been communiqué going out regarding the upgrading of our website and database. We are excited about this because it would allow us to update your personal and business profiles. It is very important that your information on our database is correct. Please assist us to keep your information updated and ensuring that we have the correct profile information for you and your business so we can contact you with the various opportunities that are extended to BWA members.

Welcome to our new members.

We also welcome back our members who have renewed their membership.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME – FINAL CALL FOR MENTEES AND MENTORS

Mentoring has proven to be a significant factor in business, skills and career development and offers a unique opportunity for two individuals, who otherwise might not form a relationship, to meet and transfer valuable information and build relationships that impacts both parties.

We are starting our mentorship programme in May. If you are looking for a mentor, the reminder has gone out so this is your last chance to get on the 2012 mentorship programme. We will shortly kick off with a breakfast session for all mentors and mentees.

CAPACITY BUILDING

As a panelist, I was pleased to see how many BWA ladies applied for the 10 000 women Goldman Sachs scholarship. The first cohort has started in April and the application process for the second cohort is starting now in May. This is a unique opportunity and I would like to encourage our members to participate and attend the awareness sessions for more information.

SPEAKER’S CORNER

Please send us your BWA stories. We would like to encourage others with your testimonials. We have received a thank you and great feedback from our MBA bursar. One of our other members have also had a new job opportunity after making contact at our member forums evening. Thanks ladies for sharing. We look forward to hearing from others.

Happy Birthday to all members who celebrate their birthday in May.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Look out for our May calendar that will follow shortly. We have exciting events planned for the next quarter JUST FOR YOU. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others. – African proverb. Prudence Ndlovu – Chairperson