With support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), through the Honduras Agricultural System Support (HASS) program, Glendy has seen her life flourish in ways she never anticipated. And it all started with a family garden.

Before participating in the HASS program, Glendy had to travel almost 14 miles to the nearest town to buy produce. Now, thanks to resources and training she received through HASS, a variety of fresh vegetables are literally at her fingertips. Every morning, she and her family get up early to water and take care of the land. With the daily harvest, Glendy is able to feed her children in a healthier and more sustainable way, significantly improving their quality of life and future.

Before, we had to wait for a car to come to the community once a week to buy vegetables or make a trip to the town. But since I have the family garden, I have fresh vegetables every day.”

Glendy, HASS program participant

In addition to improving her household’s nutrition, Glendy uses the leftover harvest from her garden to earn extra income. She sells the produce to community members and even inspired other women with gardens to follow her example. Together, they created a messaging group that allows them to coordinate sales to meet the area’s demand. With the income generated from these sales, Glendy purchased a variety of seeds to diversify her garden. Now, she grows everything from carrots and tomatoes to cucumbers, onions, green beans and radishes. Profits have also enabled her to cover her children’s school expenses.

Access to resources such as home gardens is especially significant for women, as it opens up new opportunities for entrepreneurship, income generation and family support.

In this sense, Glendy’s leadership and initiative did not go unnoticed. Her commitment and skills led to her selection as a volunteer agricultural collaborator with the HASS program. In this role, she advises and supports other small-scale farmers, ensuring they correctly apply the techniques learned during training. She also provides guidance on crop management, among other tasks.

Glendy says this new role has empowered her and changed the trajectory of what she believes is possible for her life. She is motivated to continue her studies, convinced that education will open up new opportunities and guarantee a better future for her and her family. For Glendy, it’s not just about achieving her own goals but about being an example for her children. She wants them to grow up knowing that, with hard work and dedication, it is possible to change the course of their lives.

“My greatest satisfaction is to hear my children tell me they are proud of what I have achieved,” she says. “Also, thanks to this project, I was able to discover the leader inside me. People in my community now recognize me, and there are other organizations that have approached me to support them.”

Since working as a volunteer agricultural collaborator, Glendy has had the opportunity to manage clean-up campaigns, exchange seeds among the women who have gardens, and inspire others to transform their dreams into achievable realities. Organizations outside of the HASS program have even offered her internships to strengthen her skills as a community leader. Her dedication and success are a prime example of how women — when given the right opportunities and resources — can transform their lives through agricultural work and entrepreneurship.

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India has grown into the fifth largest economy in the world. The growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) indicates the existence of a plethora of opportunities that people can leverage to partake in the economy. Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase in the rate of women’s labor force participation. In 2023, this rate stood at nearly 33% as compared to 27% in 2013.

It is pertinent to pause and reflect where the growth in women’s labor force participation is coming from. Approximately 51% of women entrepreneurs and businesswomen in India earn less than USD 120 per month. Yet the recent Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the government of India reveals an increase in self-employment among working women, despite dwindling average earnings. This trend partly arises from the pandemic-induced income shocks, prompting women to supplement family incomes and highlighting their pivotal role in stabilizing household finances. According to PLFS data from 2021 to 2022, women are much less likely to work then men, but they are more likely to be self-employed than men (60% vs. 51%). Notably, 60% of working women aged 15 to 59 are self-employed, with around 45% operating their own enterprises. This highlights the urgent need for tailored support to businesswomen so that they can sustain their entrepreneurial journeys.

Reducing Gender Barriers to Entrepreneurship

A journey to entrepreneurship is a complex one, and one that requires sufficient investment of effort, time and money. Women, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, face a myriad of sociocultural and material barriers to their economic advancement, including rigid gender norms, limited education and a lack of mentorship.

It is important to recognize that women entrepreneurs are not a homogenous group. Efforts to support them must be tailored to their needs based upon their unique skills and opportunities, and the specific barriers they face. The best approach is to understand the existing systems and structures – formal and informal – and then both work within these systems to support women entrepreneurs and advocate for systemic changes, including by challenging gender norms and barriers. The key aspects of such a model must include:

• Improving women’s business skills through capacity building.
• Formalizing women’s enterprises where appropriate.
• Enhancing access to schemes and policies of the government.
• Increasing access to finance and financial knowledge.
• Introducing technological solutions to increase productive efficiency.
• Enhancing women’s access to value chains and working to make them more gender-responsive.
• Developing and strengthening peer support networks.

These types of interventions require facilitators to invest time in working directly with women while introducing normative and social behavior change strategies. Projects must be tailored to support participants based on their skills, needs and opportunities. While the degree of customization may vary, tailored and segment-specific methodologies have greater potential to meet women where they are and deliver impact.

Swabhimaan: Promoting Entrepreneurship & Boosting Self-Esteem

Project Concern International (PCI) India, which is an independent organization localized by Global Communities, has tackled these challenges with its Swabhimaan project. Swabhimaan, which means self-esteem or self-respect in Hindi, aimed to boost women’s incomes and workforce participation through scalable models. This integrated entrepreneurship initiative has supported 15,000 women from low-income households in urban slums and rural areas to thrive as micro-entrepreneurs. The approach includes three distinct entrepreneurship development models:

1. Assistance to individual women as they enhance their autonomy and build livelihoods, including through training, coaching and seed capital.
2. Enterprise support services for businesses established by the urban poor within the Self-Help Group ecosystem.
3. Leveraging government contracts to enhance the role of rural women collectives in market penetration.

PCI India implemented the Swabhimaan project between October 2022 and March 2024, and we are proud of the following achievements:

• 97% of participants are running fully operational businesses since the start of the intervention.
• 90% of participants increased business revenues and income.
• 30% of enterprises accessed institutional financial support mechanisms.
• 52% of enterprises adopted sound financial practices and improved decision-making.
• 80% of enterprises introduced automation of business processes.
• Women with existing businesses stated that a deeper understanding of business operations coupled with implementation of new accounting practices has enabled them to efficiently manage inventory, reduce wasteful expenditure and re-invest revenues into their businesses.

We have learned that entrepreneurship development requires diverse strategies and engagement with multiple stakeholders. It is not always easy but building entrepreneurial aspirations among women from marginalized and rural communities has the potential to generate local employment, increase economies of scale and improve women’s control over resources. This will subsequently lead to a greater investment in the social indicators of health, nutrition and education. Through these collaborative efforts we are working to bring forward inclusive, democratic and equitable change.

About the Author

Irina Sinha is a Director for Strategic Insights and Systems at PCI India. She has over 25 years of experience in the social development of India, especially in the state of Bihar. Recently, Irina spoke at Global Communities’ event, “Fostering Women’s Entrepreneurship at Every Stage: A Cross-Regional Exchange.”

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As women from Pacate, a small community in the municipality of Santa Barbara, Huehuetenango, Elsa says just the opportunity to earn an income once seemed out of reach. Poverty and inequality run deep in the rural area and drive many to migrate to the city for work – a journey Elsa once undertook herself until the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown restrictions forced her to return home in 2020.

“[That] was one of the most difficult seasons for me,” she confides. “I only managed a few days of work washing clothes or in agriculture.”

According to the 2023 Guatemala Humanitarian Needs Overview, the humanitarian needs of vulnerable people in Guatemala increased in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health crisis substantially impacted livelihoods throughout the country and led to rising prices in food and fuel. Research indicates that people living in poverty are still struggling to recover their pre-pandemic income and working conditions, with agricultural and economic losses disproportionately impacting women, particularly rural women producers. Along with the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate phenomena such as El Nino also have had adverse effects on grain harvests, poverty rates and nutritional risks in communities.

In January 2023, thanks to the arrival of the USAID/BHA-funded Podemos (We Can) project, Elsa saw an opportunity to change her circumstances. She expressed interest in joining Women Empowered (WE), a savings and lending group activity, and immediately became an active participant in the self-named group Mujeres Unidas (United Women). Eventually, she even took on a leadership role in the organization by managing the savings records of each of the members. She also encouraged her 23-year-old daughter, Debora, to join the group.

The mother and daughter’s main motivation for participating in the WE component of the Podemos project was to save enough money to launch a new business together. They had been weaving baskets to earn a modest income but wanted to pursue poultry farming.

“I dreamed of chickens to produce eggs and sell them,” Elsa says. “I thought that with the savings in the group, I could buy my first chickens.”

A month into project implementation, Elsa purchased 10 hens to sell eggs to a neighbor, which sparked her interest in learning more about poultry production management. After requesting and receiving technical assistance from Podemos staff, she felt motivated to expand her brood and borrowed money from her brother to buy another 52 egg-laying hens in August 2023.

“Mrs. Elsa began to deliver two cartons of eggs every 10 days to the local store, who then asked her to deliver more cartons since the demand was greater,” says Jesus Gaspar, a Podemos project technician. “With demand so high and quick success, this led Elsa to consider owning a larger farm.”

Through participation in WE, Elsa and Debora amassed $770 in savings and earned another $645 selling their plastic-woven baskets. By investing a total of $1,415 in their poultry-raising business, the pair grew to owning 265 egg-laying hens that produce an average of 8 to 9 egg cartons a day. Now, Elsa and Debora have expanded their sales to 4 local stores and determine their prices by egg size, earning an average of $5 per carton.

“Now we hope that the profits will be more, and the investment will not be as much as the initial one,” Elsa says. “Now we have our warehouse, and we conduct good production management.”

Although the Podemos project supported Elsa and Debora with their business plan and marketing efforts – helping the duo to create a banner, business cards and profile page on social media – their dedication and commitment to growing their knowledge and skills base is what ultimately helped turn their dream into a reality. Within nine months of their initial investment, they expanded their farm facilities, modernized its management and currently have a net income of $620.

Debora, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship, says it has been invaluable to be able to transfer what she is learning in the classroom to the real-world experience of running a business with her mother.

“For us women, it is very difficult to continue studying. There are not many opportunities in the community,” she says. “I have to travel to the municipality to study, and now I see that my efforts are paying off.”

As Global Communities closes out the Podemos project in Pacate, we leave behind an installed capacity at the community level that has empowered local leaders like Elsa and Debora with the conviction of what they can achieve when given the right resources and support.

“At the beginning, everything seemed like a dream,” Elsa says. “Now, we see that it is possible with the ideas they gave.”

This success story is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Global Communities and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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Over the past five years, SCORE has been working to reduce socioeconomic disparities and strengthen cohesion and resilience among multi-ethnic and multi-religious communities, with a special focus on supporting marginalized women and youth.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to the economic crisis that is currently engulfing Sri Lanka, the program intensified its efforts by working with a select group of women who were severely impacted by these shocks and stressors—from widows and single mothers to women-headed households. While some had micro businesses or entrepreneurships, others were daily wage earners, unemployed or engaged in unpaid domestic work such as home gardening and farming.

“Some, if not most, were not treated with respect or dignity within their household or community, because they were seen as dependents and not as a segment that could bring in an income to their household,” said Avanthi Kottegoda, Head of Program & Learning for SCORE. “With COVID-19 and the economic crisis, they were even more vulnerable, subject to abuse and in dire need of support due to the loss of their spouse’s income or their own earnings.”

To help address these challenges, SCORE provided the women with access to specialized tools, technology and training to start, strengthen and grow new or existing micro-enterprises. Support included market analysis and opportunities for them to develop their business and financial management skills.

“These are all resilient women here. No one said, ‘I can’t’ or ‘No.’ They stood up for themselves let it be COVID-19, the Easter Attacks, the economic crisis — they found alternative ways to move forward and were agile,” said Aranee Devanandan, Manager – Social Capital at Hela Apparel Holdings.

Devanandan was one of several guests at the SCORE Women in Action event, which offered a chance for women entrepreneurs who participated in the program to network with potential buyers, investors and advisors from the government sector. Invitees included representatives from leading supermarket chains and apparel companies as well members from the Industrial Development Board and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. Wasantha Perera, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, was in attendance, in addition to Deepthi Lamahewa, Executive Director of ONUR.

“Four of our members take our products to weekly fairs across the Monaragala District. Now, even the male family members go to the weekly fair and sell our products. We want to go beyond this,” said Ranjani, a member of a women’s collective known as Jayamal Product that produces and sells spices, grains and other products such as flour and jaggery. SCORE provided the collective with the machinery they needed for the production process, along with training to build members’ entrepreneurship skills.

“For example, maintaining books of accounts, and we learned how to work cohesively as a team,” Ranjani said.

Previously, none of the women involved with Jayamal Product had any means of earning an income. Now, Ranjani said she has been able to make approximately 40,000 Sri Lankan Rupees per month and noted benefits that extend past turning a profit.

I feel that life has gotten better in so many ways. That’s the change.”

Ranjani, Jayamal Product Women’s Collective, SCORE participant

“Some of the group members’ husbands did not let them participate in activities previously. One member’s husband didn’t even let her leave the house. Now she comes out and engages with us very happily,” Ranjani shared. “She herself says that she is now able to talk well, that she has strength and that she has standing within her family and within the village. Like that, I feel that life has gotten better in so many ways. That’s the change.”

SCORE Women in Action was another chance for her, members of Jayamal Product and other women entrepreneurs involved in the program to put what they have learned into practice.

“We got an opportunity today,” Ranjani said of the event. “We are meeting a representative from a leading supermarket tomorrow with product samples.”

In June, SCORE facilitated a gap analysis workshop with women micro-entrepreneurs engaged in the textile industry. Workshop findings were shared at SCORE Women in Action to support the Government of Sri Lanka and private sector with making policy-level decisions and investments that could improve both the industry and lives of women micro-entrepreneurs involved in it.

The event also included a session facilitated by Amira Ghaffoor, a woman tech entrepreneur who shared how to use digital technology to grow and enhance micro-enterprises. SCORE program participants like Damayanthi, who runs Uttara Fashion in Monaragala, left determined to apply what they learned and to continue adding to their skill set.

“I was able to gain a lot of knowledge from coming here – how to take the business forward, what I should be doing. It would be good to have more events like this,” she said. “The more knowledge we have, the more we can develop our businesses. After listening to the session on digital technology, I am motivated to use Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms to promote my business.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Damayanthi said her shop Uttara Fashion suffered greatly. With support from SCORE, she was able to acquire sewing machines and other equipment needed to raise the quality and output of her products. Now, she has 10 machines, employs five people, and her confidence has grown alongside her business.

“I can take on orders for any frock design,” Damayanthi said, adding that her daughter has been studying fashion design for the past year to help take the shop to the next level.

According to Jeyathevan Kaarththigeyan, Chief of Party for SCORE, success stories like Damayanthi’s and that of other women entrepreneurs supported by SCORE have laid a strong foundation from which the program plans to build.

“Through economic empowerment, SCORE promotes diverse entrepreneurs to have a sustainable and cohesive environment in the working districts. Through scaling up and networking, we would like to expand this to the entire country,” he said. “In addition to replicating the SCORE models for women engagement in economic empowerment, we would also like to link these entrepreneurs with other successful models to ensure sustainability and promote cohesion.”

The post Catalyzing Success for Sri Lanka’s Women Entrepreneurs through SCORE appeared first on Global Communities.

Education and healthcare are crucial for any young person, but they take on special importance in Zambia, where an estimated 1.3 million orphans and vulnerable children and adolescents (VCA) are infected with, or affected by, HIV.

As a VCA caregiver, Munkombwe is one of many women in her area who has had to grapple with this reality. But thanks to a cooperative savings group supported by the United States Agency for International Development’s Empowered Children and Adolescents Program II (USAID ECAP II) and facilitated by Project Concern Zambia (PCZ), a Global Communities partner, her situation has improved significantly.

Munkombwe is one of 20 women who belong to the Tusekelele women’s savings group, which was formed in May 2022 in the Kalomo District of Zambia’s Southern Province to strengthen the economic status and financial literacy of vulnerable households. All of the participating women are taking care of at least one child or adolescent with HIV or with HIV vulnerabilities, such as having an elevated risk of HIV acquisition, being the child of a female sex worker or being a victim of gender-based violence.

“Tusekelele” means “let’s celebrate” in Tonga, and it’s with that attitude of positivity that the group operates. The women meet weekly to save money; lend money they are saving to each other to help meet the health, social and economic needs of their households; and discuss HIV, sexual and reproductive health, gender and socioeconomic issues affecting them. Specially trained facilitators provide guidance and mentorship on savings principles, basic financial literacy and income generation ideas, as well as guide them through group discussions and connect them to relevant health and livelihood programs in their communities.

Furthermore, USAID ECAP II partnered with First National Bank (FNB) in Zambia to train the women on how to access credit for their income-generating activities and open savings accounts with established financial institutions. PCZ also worked with FNB to create a strategy aimed at linking savings groups’ small businesses to markets.

In early 2023, with USAID ECAP II’s support, the Tusekelele women’s savings group successfully registered as a cooperative and received a grant of 12,000 Zambian kwacha from the Constituency Development Fund, an initiative of the Zambian Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. The women invested the money into their shared chicken-rearing business; the returns from the investment are reinvested into the group’s savings pot and accessed as loans by the members.

The participating women report that the group has had real impact on their economic situations. When they joined, most members simply sold vegetables, but they have since diversified their small business to include other products such as groundnuts, tubers like cassava and sweet potatoes, maize grains, brooms, beans and peas.

“We have learned how to save money, budget, have business ideas as well as encourage each other to live healthier lives,” Munkombwe explained. “I started saving with 20 Zambia kwacha. By the end of the first cycle, I had 1,200 Zambian kwacha, and in the second cycle I now have saved 5,720 Zambian kwacha.”

Munkombwe said she believes her particular business is well on the road to being self-sustaining, thanks to the group. But the positive changes that she has experienced aren’t limited to finances.

“My children can now go to school and remain in school without worrying that they will go to school on an empty stomach, or they will not have transport to go to school and miss school altogether,” she said. “We are now able to access medical services we need and pay for all the drugs we need.”

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