Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa
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Economic Empowerment of Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Women in the Horn of Africa Time Frame: 2008-2010 Funder: Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Danida) Geographic Area: Western and Southern Uganda Project DescriptionThis Danish Foreign Ministry (DANIDA) funded programme aims to empower women economically by equipping them with new skills and information, increasing their access to finance and increasing their participation in business networks. It will work in Somaliland as well as in Eastern Sudan There will be a total of 400 women who will be direct beneficiaries in Uganda and will receive business skills training. In Uganda, most of the existin  g women’s groups have 10 to 20 members. A few have memberships of 30 to 40. The project will, therefore, serve 20 or more groups. Selected women’s groups will receive exotic goat stock and sewing machines.Where women are able to increase their incomes, we would expect other household members, particularly children, to benefit, given that women spend a high proportion of new incomes within the household in welfare-enhancing ways. PENHA will provide these groups with business skills training, and training in the management of organizations, helping the women to become more “bankable”. PENHA will also link these women’s groups up with microfinance providers and with wider business networks. It will be important, also, to link women’s groups up with each other – one way of increasing bargaining power and access to markets. In addition, it is intended to organise visits to women’s groups in the other countries in the Horn where this project is being developed. Overall Objectives 1. To equip women with the skills, knowledge and self confidence needed to undertake new enterprises, or expand existing ones 2. To increase women's access to finance and markets 3. To advocate for positive micro-finance policies vis-à-vis women in pastoral areas as well as equitable access to credit. 4. To strengthen women’s participation in local and national business networks, and promote the exchange of ideas across the Horn of Africa region. Activities Initial activities have included: * Community consultations and identification of women’s groups: women’s groups selected from four “Cattle Corridor” districts - Masaka, Sembabule, Mbarara and Kabale. * Carrying out a baseline study encompassing an analysis of local economic development prospects and marketing channels for (new) products, the identification of promising new demand-driven income-generating activities and a PRA/needs assessment with beneficiaries. A copy of the baseline study can be downloaded by clicking here. (521 kb) The position of pastoralist women in Uganda has been recorded in a photographic essay which can be downloaded here. (2,342 kb) (Because of the size of the file, a fast connection is needed.) * In February 2010, a Business Skills workshop was held for 40 pastoralist women from Western Uganda. About 20 women's groups sent two women each to the workshop with those attending having the responsibility of training their colleagues when they got back. The women were given training in basic record keeping, how to price their products and sales techniques. A major aspect was the support the women gave to each other. Progress so far * Local authorities have been briefed on programme goals and their support has been secured. * Training design and approach has been agreed with facilitators * Local microfinance institutions have been identified and officers of some institutions will participate in training workshops. * Plans for a study tour, involving a group of women from Somaliland and Sudan to Uganda have been developed. * Business Skills Training workshops are set to go ahead across the Western Cattle Corridor in July 2009. Multistakeholder meetings will then be held to discuss the results of baseline studies and marketing chain analyses. |
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Mission and Objectives
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