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Women's Economic Growth
Growth through Engendering Enterprise in ECOWAS Countries (ECOGEE)
Length of Activity: September 2002 - September 2005
Objective: This activity supported West African women's efforts to
overcome barriers to business development and regional trade. It aimed to
open up new opportunities for women to increase their incomes and to make
an even greater contribution to economic growth in West Africa.
Activities: Focus groups were conducted in Nigeria, Niger,
Guinea and Sierra Leone with women who trade across borders, customs and
police officials, bankers and women leaders to discuss barriers and
solutions for operation and expansion of women's regional trade. Also i
ncluded training and public education on business laws and key conventions
(ECOWAS Free Trade Area and the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act).
African Businesswomen's Information Service (ABIS)
Length of Activity: April 12, 2002 - April 11, 2004
Objectives: A study on West African businesswomen in 2000 identified
the lack of understanding of how to use information technology to carry out
market research, find pricing information, and make linkages between businesses
as obstacles to more effective participation by women in cross-border trading.
In partnership with the Leland Initiative, the WID Office funded training of
West African businesswomen in these critical skills including use of email,
marketing on the internet and other practical business applications of
information technology. This training complemented the WID Office's work
with the West Africa Regional Program on facilitating West African women's
participation in regional cross-border trade.
Activities: ABIS trained 45 businesswomen from the West Africa Women's
Business Network and has conducted orientation visits in four countries
(Benin, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone) to organize training tailored to
local businesswomen's needs. ABIS created intra-regional electronic networks
where participants can exchange information on trade leads and other business resources.
NGO Small Grants Program
Length of Activity: September 2000 - November 2002
Objective: The NGO Small Grants Program provided grants of $25,000 or
less to NGOs in 15 developing countries in conjunction with Mission approval
and assistance. In the area of economic growth the areas supported were in
Conservation-based Economic Opportunities for Women, and Women's Working
Conditions. Grants were also awarded in the area of women's legal rights.
(also see Women's Legal Rights).
Activities: In order to ensure the sustainability of the natural
environment and the economic opportunities that it supports, measures are
needed to prevent resource depletion. Linking sustainable harvesting techniques
with income generation activities creates incentives for long-term resource
management. To address this issue 16 small grants were awarded in the area
of Conservation-Based Economic Opportunities in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador,
and Peru.
Under this program 12 small grants were also awarded to NGOs in El Salvador,
Guatemala, and Honduras to address Women's Working Conditions. Women make
up almost 75 percent of the workers in the garment and textile industry
worldwide. Because of the relatively cheap cost of labor in Central America,
many garment and textile manufacturing operations, previously located in
Taiwan and Korea, have moved to the free trade zones.
Although unions are
legal in Central America's free trade zones, those who lead organizing efforts,
along with their families, often face threats, along with the prospect of
being blacklisted and denied future employment. The twelve small grants
focused on activities to improve women's working conditions and to ensure
that worker's rights, and their right to organize, were protected.
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Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:58:23 -0500
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