In this episode, we are joined by Poornima Kirloskar-Saini (Founder and CEO of Kundakala) and Sam Everard (Chief Executive Officer- SAMEE). Our guests will be helping us explore entrepreneurship as a route out of gendered poverty.

Kundakala's mission is to help women from under-recognised communities become more confident and financially independent through programmes that provide tailoring skills and business enterprise support. Poornima, the founder, moved to the UK from Mumbai, India about 20 years ago and has worked in the field of women empowerment ever since. She started my career with the award-winning social enterprise Women Like Us, providing career guidance and recruitment to women who had taken a career break after their children.

Sam Everard of SAMEE is a dedicated entrepreneur with a flair for reaching out to vulnerable people in the community and helping them explore self-employment. A dynamic and SFEDI Level 7 qualified business start-up advisor with over 20 years experience of providing information, mentoring and guidance for sole traders and SMEs. Sam is the Chair of the South West Regional Stakeholder Network for the Disability Unit in Cabinet Office and studying towards a PhD at Bournemouth University. Both of these roles allow her to engage with disabled people on a deep level which informs the development of best practice for the disabled community.

Kundakala and SAMEE are both part of our Community Grant Partner Programme.

Useful links from this episode:

About the SAMEE charity: SAMEE Charity - Work with disabled people on self-employment

Clair's website (mentioned in the episode) Home | lavish4me-blended essential oils-natural solutions-mind-body-spirit

About Kundakala: https://kundakala.org/

Support Kundakala’s Graduates through buying their products: https://kundakala.org/fundraising-products/

Smallwood Community Grant Partner programme: https://www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk/community-grant-partnership-programme/

Smallwood’s wider work around disability through the Routes to Power and influence: https://www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Routes-to-Power-Influence-for-UK-Womens-Organisations.pdf

Happy listening!

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Poornima Kirloskar-Saini and Sam Everard