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Business Linkages Among Women Living in Rural Area.. (Business Women)
Business Linkages Among Women Living in Rural Areas
(Business Women)
Start date: Feb 28, 2013,
End date: Feb 27, 2014
PROJECT
FINISHED
Women living in rural areas face numerous difficulties which force them to assume underprivileged positions within the community, restricting their possibilities for full development, particularly in the sphere of economy. Therefore, this project has two overall objectives- economic empowerment and cooperation of rural women entrepreneurs and enhancing business opportunities for unemployed rural women. The project aims to bring rural women from both sides of the border together, through trainings, cooperation events and web portal, to acquire new skills, develop their businesses, cooperate, make contacts and exchange ideas by means of intense cultural and economic interaction, which will make them more economically independent and resourceful, create new job openings, diversify products and services, ensure greater quality of life, and influence sustainable economic, cultural and social growth of the entire cross-border region, while minimizing the isolating effects of the border. The project will directly target women entrepreneurs who are in need of further capacity building and women that are unemployed. 80 women will go through two types of trainings (ICT and management), while at least 150 business profiles/entrepreneur profiles of rural women will be included on the web portal. All activities will be tailored to suit the needs of women living in rural areas, which will be identified within initial research and analysis phase. Implementation of those activities will improve the economic position of rural women, reduce stereotyping and discrimination, reduce unemployment rate and lead to economic and social development of the region, and will promote cross-border cooperation among women living on both sides of the border Achievements: Women living in rural areas face numerous obstacles, which force them to assume underprivileged position within the community, thus restricting their opportunities for full development, particularly in the economic sphere. In order to address and solve these issues, this project identified two overall objectives: economic empowerment and cooperation among rural women entrepreneurs, and enhancement of business opportunities for unemployed rural women. The project aimed to bring together rural women from both sides of the border. Through trainings, intense and frequent cooperation events, and a web portal, the women have acquired new skills, developed their businesses, made new contacts, and exchanged ideas and experiences. As a result, rural women have learned how to diversify and promote their products and services, explore income opportunities for the rural population and effectively use and maintain the network of rural women entrepreneurs. Ultimately, these resourceful and hard-working women have become more economically independent and, utilising their knowledge and skills, they have improved their own lives and the lives of their families and communities.