Women in Ethiopia say that the results of the Women For Women project are “personal satisfaction and joy.” Find out why.
We usually talk about economic empowerment programming in terms of dollars: income and loans. While Women for Women had those impacts, that’s not what the women valued most. 62% of women said what they valued was “personal satisfaction and joy” because they could make decisions.
Women weren’t the only ones who changed. Men like Fikeru—married to Masresha Nigussie, said his main takeaway was: “Get rid of your pride. Support your wife and take on some tasks.”
Masresha notices the difference: “My husband supports me in everything. He is one of the reasons behind my business success. He can replace me and handle most of the tasks I do. There is no division of labor in our family.” Read Fikeru and Masresha's story
Women For Women: Opportunities for Women in Enterprise Development in Ethiopia worked from 2015-2018 with $1.7 million in support from the H&M Conscious Foundation. The partnered with the Mission for Community Development Program to reach 8,656 people.
What did we accomplish?
- Women graduated out of poverty: There was 53% increase in women who were earning more than $1.90 a day. 89% of women say that their incomes increased.
- Women have a stronger financial position: 78% of women said they diversified their financial resources. This includes women being more than twice as likely to own their own business, having 5 times higher value in their assets, and more than twice as much working capital.
- Women are more likely to participate in decisions: 97% of women said the project increased their ability to make decisions.
- Self-confidence went up: 96% of women say the project contributed to their personal capacity and confidence.
- Women got access to capital: 120 women got formal loans, worth $92,600 collectively. That’s an average loan size of $771.
How did we get there?
- Help women organize: The project worked with 182 VSLAs and 6 Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SAACOs) to reach more than 5,000 members.
- Connect to government strategies: The project aligned with government offices to build plans and implement them. The project reached 7% of the number of people the government of Ethiopia planned to reach in Addis Ababa with business development.
- Focus on business skills: The project trained 5,000 women on business skills, helped 650 women-led businesses improve their services, profits, and customer base, and held a business plan competition to give grants to winners.
- Engage men: The project worked with 3,565 men on the importance of doing housework and childcare so women had time to work in businesses.
- Get creative: The project used talk shows, films, and TV spots to raise awareness about running a successful business.
Want to learn more?
Check out the evaluation, project approach, and impact stories.