AFIA DEI Index
is the First of Its Kind
The Marlow Team of We Are Marlow
Meet AFIA
AFIA DEI Index
was
designed by a dedicated team at
The Forum, in collaboration with a Working Group of funders, diverse entrepreneur groups,
women’s enterprise organizations and DEI and Reconciliation experts with lived experience.
What Does AFIA Mean?
AFIA (pronounced a-FEE-ya) is the name given to the Akan peoples of Ghana for women born on a Friday and signifies that they will achieve vitality and wealth.
This name is popular as well in Muslim, Arabic, Australian and French cultures. The name honours the broad cultural heritage of Canada’s diverse women entrepreneurs.
We also use the name as an acronym:
AFIA = Accelerating Financial Inclusion and Access to business capital for women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs, especially BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+.
top row, l-r: Dr. Julie Durnan ND, Founder and CEO of Ginger Desk and Faaiza Ramji, Founder of Field Notes
bottom row, l-r: Darcy Boucher-Luca, Founder and President of Bowda Creative Communications and Bilan Hassan, Founder of Unparalleled Beauty
An Initiative of The Forum
The Forum is a Canadian charity that energizes, educates, mentors, and connects self-identified women entrepreneurs to be wildly successful, promoting strengthened economies and thriving communities.
The Forum has supported over 14,000 women entrepreneurs since 2002 and remains committed to making sure that self-identified women entrepreneurs have the tools and support they need for success. Our educational programs, mentorships, and deeply collaborative, connected community are all focused on helping our community achieve big goals in business.
The Forum’s one and only mission is to help Canadian self-identifying women entrepreneurs access the resources and community they need to thrive in business and bring their visions to life.
Sponsor Programming & Resources
Our sponsors are our lifeline. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to create the dynamic, engaging, and highly relevant programming we do for women entrepreneurs. When you become a Forum sponsor, you get to access an extraordinary community and support the advancement of women making moves in business all across Canada.
Caron Morgan, Founder & CEO of Birdy’s Daughter
Approximately 42% of new women-owned businesses are created and owned by Black women.
Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada, 2021
Examining barriers to entrepreneurship, Black women entrepreneurs face difficulties in accessing start-up capital and tend to use unconventional funding sources to finance their businesses.
Harvey, A. 2005. Becoming entrepreneurs: Intersections of race, class, and gender at the Black beauty salon. Gender & Society, 19(6), 789–808
