Women Empowerment Market Gives Female Entrepreneurs a Platform to Grow Their Businesses

The Women Empowerment Club at Phoenicia University, in partnership with PUI, hosted The Women Empowerment Market on 25 March 2024,  a free, on-campus platform created to support female university students and community members who own and manage small businesses.

At least 11 female-led ventures took part, spanning categories such as handcrafted accessories, home-baked pastries, and other artisanal goods, offering attendees a curated showcase of locally made, small-batch products crafted by female students and community members.

The market gave these entrepreneurs direct access to a built-in customer base, hands-on experience in sales and customer engagement, and greater visibility for their ventures within the university community — all at no cost to participants. Ms. Lama Kobeissy, President of the Women Empowerment Club, said the initiative was designed to support women running businesses within the community by giving them the exposure they need to grow and sustain their ventures.

Beyond the immediate commercial opportunity, the event reinforced PUI's broader commitment to socially sustainable, community-rooted entrepreneurship led by women — echoed in the handmade, small-batch nature of the products themselves — while raising awareness of women-led enterprises.