EBD Group helps Liberia develop one stitch at-a-time

CARLSBAD, Calif. & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the 2010 BioPharm America™ conference in Boston, EBD Group is announcing its support of the Women’s Sewing Cooperative (co-op), a community organization of Robertsport, Liberia. The women of the co-op have created 1,000 colorful hand-made conference bags that BioPharm America delegates will use at the conference, held at the Marriott Boston Copley Place, September 15–17. Through these bags EBD Group is supporting an organization whose goal it is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit by providing jobs and vocational training to local Liberian women of Robertsport.

“EBD Group is happy to take part in a program like this”

“EBD Group is happy to take part in a program like this,” commented Carola Schropp, President, EBD Group. “This program is more than just charity. This program gives people the tools they need to make a living.”

Robertsport is a small Liberian fishing village located 50 km north of the capital city of Monrovia with a population still struggling to rebuild their lives after the civil war. Even now, five years after the end of the war, many villagers still do not have homes or jobs, or have not been able to finish their education. To address these issues, a program called Robertsport Community Works (RCW) was created in June 2009 by Elie Losleben, an avid surfer and longtime UNICEF consultant. One project mentored by RCW is the Women’s Sewing Cooperative. The co-op was started by three local women with the ambition of owning a sewing business that created and sold bags made of “lapa”, a brightly colored fabric used in Africa.

In only 12 months the co-op has grown to 20 members. The bags for the BioPharm America conference have allowed the co-op to take on 10 additional apprentices. Not only have the women gained basic sewing skills, they have improved their literacy and gained valuable business development skills such as financial sense and management practices. The co-op has given the women the confidence they needed to start their own projects within the community.

“RCW thanks EBD Group for its generous support of the Sewing Cooperative,” Losleben said. “Sparking the entrepreneurial spirit and empowering Liberian women is key to the country’s future. More than half of the women now have formal savings accounts. Many of them have used their earnings to build homes or re-invest in small businesses; from fishing and crabbing businesses to video clubs. With their increased income, members of the co-op are able to expand their health, educational and life opportunities for their families.”

“These brightly colored conference bags may not be typical biotech conference give-aways but they are a reminder that small projects can make a big impact in the lives of others,” added Schropp.

For more detailed information about the Women’s Sewing Cooperative or the Robertsport Community Works and how you can help please visit http://www.robertsportcommunityworks.org/.

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group’s partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success.

EBD Group’s conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations, and include:

BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring^®, Europe’s largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
BioPharm America™, the fastest growing partnering event in North America
EuroMedtech™, EBD Group’s partnering event for the innovative medical technology industry
BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO
ChinaBio^® Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China, co-produced with ChinaBio^® LLC
Biotech Showcase™, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors

EBD Group’s sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE^®, is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world.

Outside of the conference format, EBD Group’s consultants provide hands-on assistance for firms seeking to in- or out-license products and technologies.

EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.

For more information visit www.ebdgroup.com

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