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The Business School – Energisa + BRK cohort graduated in November 118 women from the craft sector, benefiting another 356 people indirectly. The project, focused on developing handmade businesses, generated an average increase of 90% in business revenue for the participants.
With a practical, market-oriented approach, the Business School has supported hundreds of micro-entrepreneurs to expand their opportunities and solidify their brands in the craft sector.
This project aims totransforming artisanal work into a viable and sustainable business, promoting financial independence and personal development for participants through education and a support network.
Research from the 2023 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor indicates that women represent 54.6% of potential entrepreneurs in the country. This data reflects a significant shift in the Brazilian entrepreneurship landscape.
In this context, the Business School – Energisa + BRK Class emerges as a fundamental response to strengthening female participation in the market. 86% of the project participants are Black or mixed-race. These figures also reflect the reality of the GEM research, which points to the predominance of Black or mixed-race entrepreneurs in Brazil, aligning the project with a urgent need for inclusion and support for these women.
“The Energisa + BRK cohort at the Business School is proof of the impact that projects focused on entrepreneurial education have on building more solid and sustainable businesses. Beyond financial results, the project promotes inclusion, autonomy, and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial identity of these women, who are the foundation of nano-entrepreneurship in Brazil,” says Alice Freitas, co-director of Rede Asta.
In addition to the significant increase in business revenue, the composition of household income for these women saw an 11% growth, while the total income of the participants grew by 16%. These achievements were accompanied by improvements in financial control, personal fulfillment and entrepreneurial autonomy.
“My life has changed a lot, and my perspective has broadened to such an extent that I’ve been able to make good deals. I met new people, made friends and clients, and was able to hire neighbors and friends to help me with large orders,” says Sandra Esteves Gonçalves, one of the participants.
The project's success was only possible thanks to the Energisa and BRK sponsors Environmental and the support of the Ministry of Culture through the Culture Incentive Law. These companies believe in the power of entrepreneurship and handmade goods as relevant factors for social impact.
To learn more about the Business School, visit our website: https://www.redeasta.com.br/o-que-fazemos/cursos-e-treinamentos
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The group operates in the following segments:
Electricity distribution: The Company controls 9 distributors located in the states of Minas Gerais, Sergipe, Paraíba, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, São Paulo, Paraná, Acre, and Rondônia, with a concession area covering 2,035,000 km², equivalent to 24% of the national territory. It serves approximately 8.5 million consumers.
Services: (re)energisa is the group's brand responsible for the management and commercialization of energy and gas in the free market, the provision of value-added services, and distributed generation from renewable sources, with an installed capacity of 321.5 MWp in 3Q23 and 82 plants.
Energy transmission: This segment comprises 12 transmission concessions, including 8 operational assets and 4 under construction, totaling approximately 3,118 km of transmission lines and 14,604 MVA of transformation capacity.
Centralized solar generation: Two photovoltaic plants totaling 70 MWp, with all energy sold on the free market.
Natural gas distribution: In July 2023, the Energisa Group completed the acquisition of ES Gás, the utility responsible for piped natural gas distribution in Espírito Santo. It serves the residential, commercial, industrial, automotive, HVAC, cogeneration, and thermoelectric sectors, reaching over 80,000 consumer units.
Biogas: In August 2023, the Energisa Group acquired AGRIC, a company that composts industrial organic waste to produce biofertilizers and will also produce biogas and biomethane.
BRK is one of the largest private sanitation companies in Brazil. Our services benefit millions of people across all regions of the country, and we believe in the innovative potential of public-private partnerships.
We manage water and sewage services, building sustainable development solutions wherever we operate and implementing corporate management policies in line with our purpose and ESG commitments. Our responsibility is to turn quality service into well-being for everyone.
Founded in 2005, Rede Asta is a social impact organization that transforms the lives of micro-entrepreneurs and their handmade products through education, market access, and support networks.
Over its 19 years of operation, it has generated more than R$20 million in income for 30,000 people across 369 Brazilian cities, becoming a benchmark as an organization that empowers the artisanal economy.
Rede Asta believes that artisanal production is a catalyst for a more sustainable, resilient, and diverse local economy, with the power to create systemic impact and help reduce social inequality.
For more information, visit www.redeasta.com.br or email contato@redeasta.com.br