GWIM: Women driving change
ExxonMobil’s Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative is a global effort that helps women to fulfill their economic potential and drive change in their communities.
The Global Women in Management (GWIM) program stems from the Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative and is proudly supported by ExxonMobil PNG to empower women leaders across Papua New Guinea.
The annual GWIM program brings together women from select developing nations, including PNG, and delivers practical training and workshops in leadership, management and skills training.
GWIM has a proven record for improving the skills and networks of its participants and helps these women to continue making a real difference to their local communities.
Established in 1978, GWIM began as a series of workshops run by the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) – a leading international women’s organisation, recognised around the world for its women’s leadership programs.
In 2012 CEDPA was acquired by Plan International USA – an organisation dedicated to ending the cycle of poverty around the world.
For almost 40 years, the GWIM program has continued to respond to growing calls for women in developing nations to have greater control over economic resources that impact their family and communities.
Since 2006, ExxonMobil PNG has helped 64 women from PNG to attend GWIM conferences in Jakarta and Washington DC.
In 2014, with the support of ExxonMobil, PNG played host to the conference for the first time, a proud moment for the country which enabled more Papua New Guinean women than ever before to attend.
The program provides practical skills development sessions and teaching in project and financial management, leadership, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising, core business concepts, coaching and advocacy.
All GWIM participants work with a mentor for a period of 12 months’ post conference to strengthen their ability to implement development programs in their home communities.
To continue sharing ideas and driving change in their communities, the PNG GWIM alumni formed the Advancing PNG: Women Leaders Network. Funding from PNG LNG has helped the network strengthen its capacity and ability to deliver programs.
In 2016, nine Papua New Guinea women attended the GWIM conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.