Grow Women Leaders (GWL), a Canada-based organization with the aim of assisting women secure jobs, grow in their careers, and overcome employment challenges has been unveiled in Nigeria.
Founded by Mrs. Tracy Folorunsho-Barry, the organization will provide job training, mentorship, job-matching services, and career development programs.
Its goal is to support women at different career stages, whether they are job seekers, career changers, or aspiring managers.
One of the key objectives of the organisation is to increase female employment by working with companies to create work environments that support women.
The organization believes that addressing unemployment among women, especially single mothers, requires more than just job placement. Emotional support, mentorship, and community-based initiatives play a crucial role in helping women regain confidence and stability.
To reach more women in need, Grow Women Leaders will collaborate with organizations and use referrals. The founder, Mrs. Tracy Folorunsho-Barry, explained that the group will use the SEED principle, Support, Encourage, Empower, and Develop, to assist Nigerian women in building successful careers.
“Many women struggle to find good jobs, not because they lack skills, but because they don’t have the right support. Our goal is to change that,” Folorunsho-Barry said.
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The Support pillar provides women with training and career guidance, helping them develop the skills they need to succeed. The Encourage pillar focuses on boosting women’s confidence and helping them overcome workplace challenges.
“We want women to believe in themselves and know that they are capable of achieving great things,” she added.
Through the Empower pillar, the organization connects women with potential employers, offering job-matching services to increase their chances of employment. The final pillar, Develop, ensures that women continue to receive mentorship and career support as they progress.
“We are not just helping women get jobs; we are helping them build lasting careers,” Folorunsho-Barry emphasized.
Since its inception in 2016 in Canada, Grow Women Leaders has trained thousands of women. The organization boasts a success rate of 70-80% job placements after training, with an ambitious goal of reaching 92%.
On the initiative, Folorunsho-Barry said her own struggles as an immigrant in Canada inspired the initiative. “Despite my education and skills, I struggled to find a job. I saw highly qualified women, many with master’s degrees and PhDs, facing the same challenge, and I knew something had to change,” she said.
Her first project, Canada One Fifty (2016-2017), celebrated immigrant women who overcame job market barriers to become business owners and executives.
The success of this initiative led to the creation of Grow Women Leaders, which has helped many women in Canada secure jobs.
“One woman with a master’s degree faced months of rejection. After joining Grow Women Leaders, she got a job in just four days. The issue isn’t always employer bias but a lack of workplace adaptation skills,” Folorunsho-Barry explained.
To address this, the organization offers interview coaching, communication training, and cultural adaptation support.
Folorunsho-Barry emphasized that Nigerian women face similar struggles, including gender bias, caregiving responsibilities, and workplace discrimination. “Many women carry the weight of family responsibilities, and employers hesitate to hire them. We are working to change that narrative by proving that, with the right support, women can thrive,” she said.
She described the organisation as a global movement, not just for immigrant women in Canada, but for all women seeking career success.
Folorunsho-Barry expressed gratitude to her husband for his support and acknowledged her team in Nigeria for their efforts in expanding the initiative. Looking ahead, she hopes to strengthen partnerships with employers and organizations to further increase women’s employment rates.
She encourages women to recognize their potential beyond caregiving roles and to support each other in achieving economic independence.