Lessons learnt from around the world

towards female fiscal fluency

Examples1. European Bank for Reconstruction and

Development2. Barli Institute for Rural Women3. Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES)4. World Bank5. Goldman Sachs6. Women in Europe for a common future

EBRD’s experience has shown that there are three important elements to facilitate the economic

empowerment of women

1. Provision of Access to Services

2. Provision of Access to Financial Services

3. Access to Employment Opportunities

1. Access to services•If women have to spend time boiling poor quality water, they lose time to be economically active•If women have no adequate public transport , they cannot go to work or spend large amounts of time not being able to be economically active= provide access to services

2. Access to financial services• EBRD has found access to finance for men is easier than for

women

• What can be done:

• Identify barriers (legal, behavioural, cultural)

• Develop products to address these such as dedicated credit lines for women entrepreneurs

• Help women prepare business plans including route to market, benefit to customer etc

Promote good HR practices for non-discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunitiesReview recruitment practicesso as to facilitate and attractmore women candidates

Enhance women entrepreneurship as they are more likely to employ women

Target traditionally male dominated sectors to include women in the workforce

Women often do not have equal access both to employment and/or equal opportunities in the work place

3. Access to Employment Opportunities

Barli Development Institute for Rural Women

located in the northern part of the city of Indore. - largest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Provide training and practical projects

Training

Personality development

Health and hygiene

Caring for the Environment

Solar cooking and vegetable drying

Curriculum coherent with culture and environment

projectsraise tree nurseries, planting, maintaining and protecting

trees, sources of buying seeds, plants, energy conservationtechniques like composting, vermi-

culture, recycling water & soil, re-use of biodegradable

and other products, i.e.

Solar drying of vegetables and spicesAll surplus vegetables and spices are dried in specially designed low cost solar tunnel driers for use when they are in short supply.They can be easily stored and packaged, so solar technology is being used in the Institute for ensuring food security by providing year-round nutrition for the trainees.

Vocational trainingCutting and Tailoring Fabric work like Block Printing

and BatikHindi Typing and Word

ProcessingEmbroidery and Fabric design Food Processing and Pickle

Making Growing and Marketing

Vegetables Making Herbal Shampoos and

other Household itemsSolar CookingWaste management

For under 18 Dalit rural girls – the most disadvantaged

6 month programmes with full involvement of the community

EBRD fosters entrepreneurship by providing business expertise in addition to

financing

EBRD’s Small Business Support (SBS) team has been helping Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs) since 1993

Over €200m €200m donor funding Over 14,000 projects Run on a not-for-profit basis with donor

funding in 24 countries

Promoting women’s entrepreneurship Supporting companies who manage gender diversity and

support equal opportunities

Tackling challenges faced by women entrepreneurs

Targeting sectors with strong female participation

Upgrading female dominated industries with modern technologies

Creating a support infrastructure, allowing women to fulfil the dual role of family and career

Target women managed and women owned companies

EBRD $£ + Business expertiseHigher points system for companies who are gender champions – procurement and credit

Key support areas1.Projects2.Training3.Access to finance4.Visibility and dissemination5.Mentoring6.Networking7.Business matching

MentoringMatching women entrepreneurs with successful WiB leaders to help them grow their businesses.

NetworkingBuilding strong partnerships with relevant associations, institutions and stakeholders.

Business matchingEnabling enterprise management to explore business matching opportunities and create import/ export partnerships.

Combination of SBS tools form a comprehensive support programme

SBS results and active programmesUp to dateNearly 2,000 WiB projects undertakenFirst WiB programme launched in 2004Over 700 female BAS consultants and 90 active female senior industrial advisors

activeWestern Balkans 2010-2012Ukraine 2012Moldova 2012-2014

change Over 70% of clients increase turnover as they expand their business Over 25% of clients secure financing

portfolioObjective

Type of advice

World Bank findings

• Key areas of intervention =• Infrastructure – enabling women to access

goods, services and markets• Working with young women• Education• Intersection

See Report Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

“Gender inequalities influence the distribution of household tasks, often limiting women’s ability to work outside the home, as well as women’s control over fertility decisions.

In the market, gender inequality is reflected in unequal access to land, credit, and labor markets, and in significantly less access to new production technologies.

In society, gender inequality is expressed as restrictions to women’s participation in civic and political life. Finally, in addition to improving individuals’ lives, increased gender equality can contribute to better aggregate economic performance.

These long-term benefits, of course, come with costs in the short run. Policies to achieve gender equality (for example, introducing quotas in representation in parliament or labor legislation prohibiting discriminatory practices) could have political costs for their proponents when some groups win and some lose. Some policies may also have economic costs that come from unintentionally under- cutting individual incentives in the name of gender equality. These costs are additional to the budgetary expenditures associated with implementing the policies. It is important to keep these short-term trade-offs well in mind in assessing specific policies.

Junior Entrepreneur SchemeTeaches enterprise andentrepreneurship skills to children and youth. Starting from grade seven upwards (age 12+), participants are both empowered into thinking about career development and goal setting, and also taught technical business skills that give them a strong sense of commercial awareness.

The core objective of this course is to teach business. As such, the organisation is a business – a social enterprise. They have coherence between the objectives of the course and the way the network of administrators, tutors and students are managed.

Create a generation of enterprising young people who have strong commercial awareness

• In teaching commercial skills at this stage, young people are given the skills to grow into enterprising and commercially focused adults.

• The JES is studied as a group with a facilitator leading the group discussions, supplemented with practical activities. The JES encourages participants to think practically – the first exercise is to consider baking a cake.

YouthSocial enterpriseSustainable

The Guinean Association for Women’s Burden Alleviating

Set up afield school to pool rural women’s knowledge and skills. They aimed to increase crop yields for the women by training them to master agroecological techniques such as soil fertility and preparation techniques, harvesting and drainage, crop rotation and increasing the use of organic fertilisers and manure. The women also received training in how to negotiate with landowners to obtain cultivation areas.

The original concept of the ‘school yard training’ was designed to help increase rice production through water control and crop rotation. This was developed into training on Agroecologicaltechnology and then replicated through the grassroots groups.

Two cereal banks were created to increase self-sufficiency and Impro ve household food security. The time spent previously on doing agricultural work, the women could now spend in classes.

AIWC has been involved in Rural Energy Technologies (RETs) for many years. They now implement RET’s projects in almost all the Indian states through their 550 branches. The solar energy devices covered range from solar parabolic cookers to lanterns; charging stations and solar heaters and dryers for fruit, vegetables and condiments.

One of the main drawbacks when using solar energy at a local level is the lack of proper knowledge and skills for installation, repair and maintenance of devices which have the potential to change lives. AIWC has devised a training methodology for women (self help groups) and teenagers where they attend a month long training programme. The programme covers how to do an initial survey, installation, maintenance and assembly ofthe devices including solar lanterns, home lighting systems, and the putting together of parabolic cookers.

The general public is informed and educated about these solar devices through Solar Fairs which are regularly organised throughout India. Green technologies are demonstrated, and information provided on how the public can not only minimise the hazards of climate change but also generate income. Solar energy projects are easily replicated to other countries and communities.

All India Women’s Conference – solar panel mechanics

Evania - São paulo, BrazilProfession - Gardening tools“I went in there a woman with initiative, but i came out a businesswoman.”Business overviewMy company started in 1985 and is a mechanic and motorized tool company. We sell all types of tools, from those that are used for weekend hobbies to professional tools used for governments, construction sites and city halls.ChallengesThere are daily obstacles - legislation changes and also the need to modernize our company, to take it to the next level. I needed to have a global vision of the business. I previously had a lot of practice but no theory. Recently, we have been concerned about the ecological matters and we want to turn our company into a sustainable business.In 2010, the annual sales increased by 33%. In 2009 i was able to purchase two cars to improve the sales services.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 women

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative is a five-year investment to provide underserved female entrepreneurs around the world with a business and management education.

The women selected for the program enroll in customized certificate programs ranging from five weeks to six months. Topics covered include marketing, accounting, writing business plans and accessing capital.Students are offered mentoring and post-graduate support by partner institutions, local businesses and the people of Goldman Sachs.

Investing in women is one of the most effective ways to reduce inequality and facilitate inclusive economic growth. 

Fresky Kenya

Ravina Agencies Company transports petroleum products including white oils, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and lubricants. We transport products from Mombasa to Nairobi, Kisumu to Eldoret and Kisumu to Kampala, Uganda.

I established Ravina Agencies in 2004 to take advantage of the huge business potential in transportation of petroleum products. I started with one new truck and was able to obtain a contract from Kenol/Kobil.CHALLENGESMy business challenges include preventing theft by employees, poor security on roads, and corruption. I also frequently have to operate under capacity due to our dependence on one customer.RESULTSI have taken a loan to help finance nine new trucks and have hired 16 new employees. My monthly revenues have increased by 90%. I have expanded my business route to Uganda and added transport of LPG gas cylinders. Recently, I have ordered a gas taker for bulk gas delivery and have diversified my business to include waste management. I have made many significant changes to my business including purchasing insurance to protect my workers and goods, implementing a performance and reward system for employees, and formalizing my accounting systems.

Ibironke Nigeria

NITS Limited is an information communication technology firm involved mainly in software development and web applications. In July 2009, we went into partnership with another company with strengths in software development in order to position INITS to attract higher valued clients

CHALLENGESAfter the partnership, the major challenges we experienced included proper record keeping and mobilizing capital to finance our software development. Unlike website designing, where we received deposits for new contracts, we had to invest our meager resources over a long period of time. As we took on bigger jobs, our working capital requirement also increased. The banks found it difficult to finance our business without collateral.

RESULTSI have learned that expansion must be carefully planned. Even with the best thought out plan, there have been many surprises. I have found that my new network and the support services offered by 10,000 Women have made all the difference between success and failure. Our revenue increased by 40% in one year and has since grown more than 200%. Correspondingly, our staff strength has increased from five to 12. We are completing construction on a new office and the office is quickly becoming the office of our dreams.

Key findings – time to react

necessities• Removal of legal and administrative restrictions

• WiB promotion by national governments

• Increase WiB access to financial intermediation

• Dialogue between international programmes and the relevant stakeholders

demand and challengesPolitical conflicts and economic crisis create a need for the government support for economic growth.At the same time women face common problems caused by poor enforcement of gender equality laws, the traditional values and labour market discrimination.The national development plans should tackle gender inequality, to help women to contribute to economic development.

Sustainability is “the continuation of benefits from a development intervention after major development assistance has been completed”.

conclusion• Economic activity – plays a crucial role in achieving prosperity for all• Should we just integrate more people into the dominant economic order• The way we define and arrange our economy expresses what we value and is

intimately related to our view of equality of women and men• Should we perpetuate competition and conflict or create new ways of business based

on better sources of motivation and economic vitality other than self-interest?• We are inter-dependent and current systems lead to impoverishment of our world and

hardship for the many – especially women • Should we not look at diverse economic arrangements – explored and given space to

develop?• Research shows business women put more back into the community than male

counterparts. Ethical business is 30% more productive. Women can play a part in creating a new economics.

• Let us use the opportunity today to investigate such possibilities = To achieve• Collective prosperity• Community well-being• Environmental sustainability