Project profile — Supporting women micro-entrepreneurs to improve women’s economic empowerment

• Philippines (100.00%)

• Business And Other Services: Business support services and institutions (25010) (30.00%)
• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development:
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (40.00%)
Agro-industries (32161) (10.00%)
Textiles, leather and substitutes (32163) (10.00%)
• General Environmental Protection: Environmental policy and administrative management (41010) (10.00%)

• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Trade development (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)

This initiative seeks to assist women micro-entrepreneurs in food, clothing, and home-style sectors to successfully and sustainably grow their businesses. The project aims to help women entrepreneurs enhance their products and improve their productivity, marketing, and compliance with safety and business regulations and standards. It also aims to help them connect to domestic and global markets. The project works with key national government agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Science and Technology, and the private sector, to make business development programs and services more environmentally sustainable and responsive to the needs of women entrepreneurs. This initiative expects to benefit approximately 831 women entrepreneurs in the Philippines.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved competitiveness and sustainability of women’s micro enterprises; and (2) improved enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment..

Results achieved at the end of the project (June 2022) include: (1) 485 women micro-entrepreneurs had increased their sales by at least 30%; (2) 549 women micro-entrepreneurs reported increased in asset size; (3) 778 women micro-entrepreneurs implemented environmentally sustainable management practices; (4) 381 women micro-entrepreneurs increased their export competitiveness; (5) 341 women micro-entrepreneurs doubled their production on priority products; (6) 557 women micro-entrepreneurs expanded their market to include institutional buyers; (7) 618 women micro-entrepreneurs available programs and services of government and private sector partners; (8) 737 women micro-entrepreneurs have a high level of confidence in managing their respective businesses; (9) participants rated at least 19 programs, activities and projects of government and private sector partners as either gender-sensitive or gender responsive; (10) tapped 21 champions in government’s economic clusters and small and medium enterprise development councils to advocate for increased support towards women micro-entrepreneurs; and (11) government partners passed 15 national and regional policies supporting women micro-entrepreneurs.

• Proactive disclosure