EBW Updates: How We’ve Been Helping To Kickstart The Economy

Hello friends,

I know I’ve been pretty silent on social for the last few months. EBW and I have been heads down doing work behind the scenes in regards to getting our economy back on track, supporting women’s empowerment, and helping the global business and medical community through this pandemic (and we have some EXCITING announcements to make below).

But first, for some quick background…

Earlier this year, when it was clear that COVID-19 was taking hold globally, I knew we needed to convene voices and leadership from our EBW global network to see if we could create solutions or at least provide insights on how we could help mitigate this global problem.

As a result, we launched COVIDxNOW, our global leaders consortium that still meets weekly to get some of the world’s greatest minds together to work on solutions… 

Little did I know that was just the beginning.  

Back in March 2020 when the pandemic first spiked, my brother Dr. Garig Vanderveldt, an ER doctor in TN, was pulled out of rotation because they believed he contracted COVID from his staff running short of N95 masks—and they had to save official tests for emergency patients.

They asked if I could help, given our global network. I wasn’t sure, but I asked them to give me the weekend to do due diligence and see if we could add value to the supply chain.

By Sunday, it quickly made me see the PPE (personal protection equipment) supply issues with hospitals, governments, and institutions across the country—broken supply chains, lack of access to critical medical supplies, and a developing black market of fake/low-quality PPE products.

Couple that with the current economic disaster and the fact that women and minorities were hit disproportionally hard…

I knew we needed to do something. 

We needed to figure out a way to get critical PPE products to people in need, while simultaneously supporting our shaky economy and those marginalized communities.

And I thought about what we do best – activate women across the globe.

This inspired my team to work as hard and fast as we could to leverage our global EBW business and leadership connections, our educational and training services, and our access to supply chain/logistics to get frontline workers the supplies they need and...  

7 days later...

EBW Cares Distributors was born.

EBW Cares Distributors is a women-led, personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution platform leveraging a one-of-a-kind global network to help create jobs, rebuild communities across the globe, and provide medical supplies to organizations, businesses, and healthcare workers.

We are a global network of women—influencers, innovators, change makers, and thought leaders—who are changing the face and footprint of the US economy (along with the amazing men supporting us). We will not stop until we get America the supplies we need to get our economy back on its feet.

As mentioned, we also created COVIDxNOW, a Global Economic Leaders Consortium aimed at unlocking all possible solutions to the impacts of COVID-19 through the global thought leadership power and collective behind us—and in the process help create hope, opportunity, and jobs. 

Kickstarting the SHEconomy with SHEforPPE

• Since its inception, EBW has addressed and engaged in the Social, Health and Economic issues that impact women, what we call the SHEconomy. 
• ‘SHEforPPE’, enables women to create businesses and bring PPE solutions to their local communities.  
• EBW Cares has partnered with the Global Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce, which was founded by the incredible Ambassador Suzan Johnson “Sujay” Cook, an ambassador under President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama.

Taking Our EBW Chapters Virtual and Global

• We’ve taken our global EBW Chapters and made them virtual for this new era. 
• EBW Virtual chapters provide women leaders and entrepreneurs the specific tools, relationships, mentorship, and resources needed to start, grow, or scale successful and profitable businesses.   
• In the past months, we opened up 10 virtual chapters across the United States and Europe—and we are continuing to expand across the world.

How can you help get involved to create a better future and a strong SHEconomy?

Times are uncertain and challenging. But I believe we can make a difference and jumpstart the economy, especially through the power of diverse, women across the world.

At EBW, we’re just getting started—and we’re going to share so much more over the coming months and different ways to get engaged.

I will continue to bring women together in communities, launch chapters in new countries and cities around the world, and get women the training and support they need to thrive in the new economy… the SHEconomy. And we’ll be continuing to grow EBW Cares Distributors as we support global organizations, governments, and businesses in getting the PPE they need.

If you’re a supplier or distributor or interested in facilitating the large scale buying or selling of PPE supplies, click here.

If you want to apply or nominate a woman leader for SHEforPPE, click here.

If you want to join a Virtual EBW Chapter, click here.

It’s 2020 and it’s time to create the global SHEconomy for a more sustainable and more equitable future.

Wishing you the best,

Ingrid “iV” Vanderveldt

CEO and Founder of Empowering a Billion Women

PS — Stay tuned as I'll be sharing more frequent updates on all the initiatives we are working on, updates from our incredible team, and more ways we are continuing to support women globally and kickstart the economy.