Economic Empowerment of Military and War Widows
The project aimed to support the women economic empowerment component of Gender Peace Initiative – UN Peace Building Fund project through UNWOMEN in Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi primarily targeting Women Headed Households, especially military widows and war widows.
This initiative supported war and military widows to be independent economically to tackle the issues of sexual bribery and exploitation in broader prospects.
UNW-WEE : ‘Develop and deliver a Training Package on Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Kilinochchi districts of Sri Lanka’
- Conducted a needs assessment and value chain analysis to understand the context, identify business/value chains that Female Headed Housholds (FHH) can be a part of, capacities and challenges for connecting.
- Developed gender sensitive training modules based on the recommendations from the need’s assessment and value chain analysis.
- Trained the FHHs on Product Development, Financial literacy & Business Planning, Marketing and Technology transfer.
- Trained state officials to coach and mentor the project participants and support.
- Mentoring program connected the selected entrepreneurs with business leaders within and outside the district.
- Provided financial and in-kind assistance to selected project participants
- Exposure visit and experience sharing sessions held.
- Monitoring, Evaluation and documenting learning of the initiative.
Understood the challenges and opportunities for military widows (MW) and war widows (WW) to engage in businesses in the districts of Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Killinochchi and strengthen their capacities to support them to engage in viable resilient businesses, thereby empowered military and war widows have sustainable livelihoods, and access social support services with dignity
- Capacitated 480 MW and WW on the enterprise development process (Product Development, Financial Literacy and Business Planning, Marketing and Technology Transfer aspects)
- Provided business expansion grants for 240 MW and WW to expand their SMEs and sustainable livelihood initiatives through a competitive pitching process
- Enhanced the market accessibility for targeted MW and WW by connecting them with value chains and business clusters which are gender sensitive using diversity markers and exchange visits
- Coached and mentored targeted women operated SMEs and sustainable livelihoods to uplift their initiatives to the next level within their region and nationally.
