EventsKnowledge Series

Building for Impact: Resilience and Growth for Women-Led Care Businesses

Tuesday, 15 September 2026

9:00 -10:00 am ET 

Watch Recording

Women entrepreneurs are redefining the care economy by pioneering essential services that address the growing global demand for child, elderly, and disability care. The economic potential is immense: targeted investments in the care economy could generate up to 299 million jobs globally by 2035. Yet scaling these businesses sustainably requires more than financing—it demands strong operational foundations, quality service delivery, and enabling regulatory environments. In many markets, formal standards and support systems remain absent or nascent, leaving care businesses to navigate complex risks largely on their own. This webinar explores what it takes to build care businesses that are not only financially viable, but also resilient, trusted, and positioned for long-term growth and impact.

Drawing on operational experience and emerging knowledge, this session will explore how to strengthen business models in the care sector, and the role of financial intermediaries in supporting women-owned and women-led SMEs (WSMEs). The session will feature three presentations: a review of the latest evidence on what works to support and scale care businesses (Innovations for Poverty Action); a practical tool on safeguarding frameworks (Invest in Childcare Initiative, World Bank); and an exploration of care as critical climate infrastructure (DCED/Kore Global). Participants will also have the opportunity to hear about ongoing We-Fi projects focused on the care economy and learn more about the work being undertaken in this area.

Speakers

Invest in Childcare Initiative, World Bank

Frances Beaton-Day

Frances Beaton-Day has been working with the World Bank’s Early Learning Partnership (ELP) team since 2016. She is the co-Team Lead for the Invest in Childcare initiative, which supports World Bank country teams and governments to make more and better-quality investments in childcare, and the co-author of the World Bank flagship report on childcare, Better Jobs and Brighter Futures: Investing in Childcare to Build Human Capital. Fran has supported the design and implementation of childcare and early learning programs in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, India and Bhutan and provides ongoing technical assistance to a range of country teams implementing childcare activities. Prior to joining the ELP team, Fran worked on education programs and public private partnerships at Save the Children Australia and Ark. She started her career as a management consultant, spending four years at the Boston Consulting Group in London before moving into the international development sector.
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Sarah Kabay

Sarah Kabay is the Director for IPA's Education sector program. She holds a PhD in International Development Education from New York University. Before beginning her doctoral program, she worked with IPA for five years in Uganda, where she managed the implementation and evaluation of a primary school savings program and worked in a variety of roles from 2008-2013. Her research focuses on early childhood and basic education. As an education researcher, she uses mixed methods and interdisciplinary research approaches and is particularly interested in the integration of qualitative research into randomized evaluations. Across different projects she serves as an internal PI, provides technical support to IPA's Policy and Right-Fit Evidence teams, and directs Education Sector initiatives.
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Martha Melesse

Martha Melesse is a Senior Program Specialist at Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) where her work focuses on policies and innovations that promote inclusive and sustainable economies. She oversees action research aimed at catalyzing transformative change to advance gender equality in the world of work. As a research scientist with over 20 years of experience, she has developed and led IDRC’s work on youth employment, women’s economic empowerment, and care economy, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. She leads the Scaling Care Innovations in Africa flagship initiative. She holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK

Kate Cooper

Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi)

Felicia Siegrist

Felicia Siegrist is a Senior Knowledge Officer at the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) Secretariat, housed in the World Bank. She leads We-Fi’s research, knowledge and learning work, shaping evidence-based approaches to promote women’s entrepreneurship in emerging markets. With expertise in entrepreneurship, gender, and finance, she has initiated and led multiple research and knowledge initiatives at We-Fi. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Felicia served as a Mercator Fellow for International Affairs and worked across Africa and Latin America, including at a venture capital fund in Senegal, a social enterprise in Kenya, and an NGO in Brazil. She is also the co-founder of Kusuka, a social enterprise that empowers women artisans in East and West Africa. Felicia studied in St. Gallen, Barcelona, and Madrid and holds a master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School.

9:00 – 9:05AM   Welcoming Remarks by Felicia Siegrist, Research & Knowledge Lead, We-Fi

9:05 – 9:10AM  Opening Remarks by Kate Cooper, Women’s Economic Empowerment Advisor, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom

9:10 – 9:40AM   Presentations

  • Sarah Kabay, Education Program Director, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
  • Frances Beaton-Day, Technical Co-Lead, Invest in Childcare Initiative, World Bank 
  • Martha Melesse, Senior Program Specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

9:40 – 9:50 AM   Discussion with We-Fi’s Implementing Partners

9:50 – 10:00 AM   Q&A

 

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