Women Economic Empowerment

Women Economic Empowerment

MIS uses women economic empowerment as an entry mechanism for all its interventions. To ensure this Community Based Micro Financing and community based development models are used. MIS uses SHG, VSLA and SACCO approaches depending on the geographical, social and economic situations of the target areas. This helps our targets to get an easy access to financial services so as to run small and micro income generating activities. More or less the groups provide three financial products namely saving, credit/loan and social fund/insurance. During program design MIS determines the suitable and applicable development models. However, to create sustainability and scalability networking and linkage mechanisms are currently used. SACCOs are organized in to unions, SHG and VSLAs are networked to larger clusters and federations. On the other hand the groups are liked to Micro Financial Institutions (MFIs) and Banks to ensure financial Inclusion.

Beyond the above services targets got different continuous trainings and supports. Regarding trainings Basic Business Skill Training (BBST), Financial Literacy, Financial management and book keeping, life skills training and leadership training are the vital once. Business Development Service (BDS), inspection, Auditing, expertise supports are the major services provided to our targets.

MISE had implemented four projects in Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) in Benshangul gumuz. We had used SACCO model in two projects and VSLA model in the rest two models which were mainly in remote rural districts. Accordingly, 10 SACCOs with around 10,000 total members and 25 VSLAs and three clusters with total of more than 9,825 members. These targets and their family are currently getting access to saving and credit, insurance and IGAs supports. Based on the impact assessments made empowerment, livelihood diversification, gender equality and social capital had increased in the targeted districts.