CANARI is inviting global citizens to "empower women-led Caribbean green-blue enterprises" beyond the celebration of International Women's Day.

The regional environmental non-profit organisation launched a global crowdfunding campaign to support Caribbean women entrepreneurs and their communities.

In recognition of International Women's Day 2023 and its theme #EmbraceEquity, the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (Canari) has launched EmPOWER Women-led Caribbean Green-blue Enterprises - its first-ever crowdfunding campaign, globally.

The regional environmental non-profit organisation said funds raised from this six-week, virtual campaign will be used to support Caribbean women entrepreneurs by helping them scale up their nature-based businesses and drive local economic development in their communities while conserving biodiversity, a media release said.

Canari's executive director Nicole Leotaud said in the release, "For the past 30 years Canari has been working with powerful women across the Caribbean leading innovation and transformation in their communities and countries. We need to do more to scale up our support so that they can deliver real change on the ground for people, planet and prosperity.'

Canari has been working for over ten years to provide business support, mentoring and seed funding to these businesses. Building on this work, the institute has a clear plan and vision for this funding that will help beneficiary businesses and their communities flourish. Specifically, the goal is to raise at least US$200,000, the release said.

This will help Canari:

• Set up specialised incubator and accelerator programmes to be a one-stop shop for financial, legal, advisory and capacity building services for local green-blue enterprises (LGEs) across the Caribbean over many years to come, targeting at least 20 women-owned and operated enterprises in this first stage;

• Establish a dedicated fund which will allow Canari to provide longterm and responsive support to nature-based community enterprises across the Caribbean;

• Advocate for more enabling policies, laws, regulations, structures and systems that can better support LGEs, including with financing, capacity building and access to markets;

• Facilitate knowledge sharing via their Caribbean LGEs knowledge platform

• Catalyse development of partnerships among LGEs and with others; and

• Mobilise key partners and build a community of practice across the Caribbean working to support LGEs as a key pathway to inclusive, environmentally sustainable and climate resilient economic development.

Canari is inviting people worldwide with an interest in embracing equity and inclusion, supporting women's empowerment, and delivering sustainable development on the ground to participate in this campaign in three ways. It is asking that people contribute what they can to the campaign; communicate about it to others; and champion the effort and the people it will benefit.

To learn more about the campaign and support, visit: bit.ly/EmPOWERw