Wyndham Hotels Ajman Ink Deal With Evolvin’ Women To Empower Women In Hospitality

Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Ajman, Ramada by Wyndham Beach Hotel Ajman and Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche signed a partnership agreement with Evolvin’ Women, a social enterprise dedicated to the advancement of women in developing areas through skills development in the hospitality sector.

The three Ajman properties are Evolvin’ Women’s first hotel partners in other emirates apart from Dubai. They will provide professional development opportunities to women, and offer them trainings based on their capabilities. As Evolvin’ Women connects unemployed women from Africa to quality education and job opportunities in the UAE, the goal of the partnership is to help empower the women enrolled in Evolvin’ Women’s programme, while enriching their skills and enhancing their future career prospects in the hospitality sector.

As a starting point to the partnership, Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Ajman has recently hired Immaculate Bawah, a woman from Ghana who lost her job in the UAE due to the pandemic. She will start as part of the housekeeping team, with a chance of moving to other hotel departments based on her abilities and interests. The three properties plan to employ more participants enrolled in the Evolvin’ Women programme in the coming months, as travel restrictions due to Covid-19 ease.

Ravi Santiago, cluster general manager of Wyndham hotels Ajman, commented: “Our hotels have been actively involved in different projects that focus on sustainability and altruism. The collaboration with Evolvin’ Women is an excellent way for us to expand our CSR initiatives by placing emphasis on women empowerment. We believe women will continue to play a big role in the success of any organisation and we aim to highlight their contributions to our hotels whilst enhancing their careers.”

He added: “Through this, we recognise that we will be able to help not just one person or family, but an entire community and encourage younger women, especially from developing countries, to aspire for a rewarding career in hospitality.”

Assia Riccio, founder of Evolvin’ Women, said: “We have several success stories from the women that were part of the programme since its launch in 2017, and we thank Wyndham hotels Ajman for allowing us to add more inspiring narratives for Evolvin’ Women, and to create progressive and measurable impact. More hotels and companies are affirming the value of inclusivity and women empowerment in the workplace and we hope to see more businesses on board in the future.”

A social enterprise at heart, Evolvin’ Women is improving the employability of women from developing countries and helping hospitality businesses in the Middle East and Africa embed social responsibility in their business practices. Partnering with a number of governments in developing countries, Evolvin’ Women works to identify specific areas with a high rate of female unemployment, where circumstances have prohibited their access to professional skills development and to full-time job opportunities. The company then works closely with the private sector in the UAE as an incubator for the women to progress and enhance their skills in the hospitality field, helping them find suitable jobs, and even start their own business ventures in their home countries.