Orbis Launch Women's Leadership Challenge

SMP travel partner, Orbis Expeditions launch the Women’s Leadership Challenge – an opportunity to share business skills, push yourself physically and challenge yourself mentally.

About the Challenge

If you’re looking for an opportunity to develop your personal and professional impact, Orbis are offering the chance to do so in some of Malawi’s most amazing spots, through their 7 day Women’s Leadership Challenge (16 – 23 May 2020).

Hike Mount Mulanje, discover the beauty of Malawi’s Fairtrade tea estates, and contribute to sustainable development by working with inspirational Malawian businesswomen. This challenge is ideal for professional UK women to discover the two-way learning experience of Orbis’ Female Entrepreneurs Group in Blantyre, Malawi, and share their knowledge.

Interspersed between the challenges are excursions, such as a riverboat safari, and relaxing downtime at some of Malawi's most inviting accommodation.

On return to the UK, participants will also be encouraged and supported to maintain links with the Malawians they have met, enabling ongoing partnerships, mentoring and business development, and helping to broaden the horizons of everyone involved along the way.

Why Malawi?

Driving tourism to Malawi directly supports the local economy and provides employment and Orbis Expeditions are taking that one step further, through building long-term partnerships between UK and Malawian businesspeople; mutually beneficial relationships which help to develop the skills of all involved.

Orbis has been working with the Malawian Female Entrepreneurs group since 2018, and as a direct result of the skills sharing programme, members of the Malawian women’s group are reporting significant improvements in their marketing, branding, finance, innovation and networking skills. Most importantly of all, sales have risen, with one farmer, Endrina Maxwell, recording a 60% sales increase since her involvement with Orbis.

Higher incomes for Malawian women have a significant ripple effect, meaning they are better able to support their families, to send their children to school, and to afford better healthcare for themselves and those around them. Female empowerment in business also helps to reduce gender inequalities in Malawi.

Find out more

The Women’s Leadership Challenge supports responsible tourism, social impact and women’s empowerment in Malawi, contributing to many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG5 on gender equality.

As a key sponsor of SMP, Orbis are also offering a 15% discount (£305 off) the challenge happening from 16 – 23 May 2020, to all Scotland Malawi Partnership members.

Be sure to check out more information on the Orbis website, including employer sponsorship, here.