Gender and Micro-Enterprise Development Unit

Opportunities for Women is a key Foundation Activity of the Alternative Livelihoods Program-East.  The goal of the activity is to expand the licit economy in this region, and to provide alternative livelihoods to poppy growing.  ALP/E is approaching this goal by creating programs targeting women, and by including women where appropriate in other initiatives.  The Micro-Enterprise Program, implemented by Relief International will provide vocational and business training, in additional to follow-up training to a total of 4,000 women in Nangarhar, Laghman, and Kunar.  In the coming year we will be both expanding this program to more women, and continuing our work with women in the Self Help Groups already established to further increase their market access, business skills, and production capacity.

The Gender and Micro-Enterprise Unit also focuses on mainstreaming gender into the other technical units falls under the Opportunities for Women foundation activity, and will result in increased focus and support for women in the agribusiness, private sector and infrastructure related activities.  Collaboration with the agribusiness team has led to the Eastern Region Women’s Vegetable Initiative to train 2,000 women to provide farmers with plug seedlings.  Women will also be included in the agribusiness poultry initiative, and smallholder livestock program.  The Afghan Women’s Business Association (AWBA) will be a key factor in the ability of the Business Development Center to reach out to women entrepreneurs.

The Micro-Enterprise Program
Formed 82 Self Help Groups (SHG) in Nangarhar in 5 districts; 30 SHGs with 500 women formed in Laghman; and 20 SHGs in Kunar. Self Help Groups (SHG) will be established to help bring together program participants living in a specific location for vocational and business skills training classes.  These SHGs help encourage attendance at workshops, provide a support network to address issues such as market access and start-up capital and bring people of similar business interests together.  It is through these SHGs that the business and vocational skills classes will be implemented.

SHGs in Nangarhar have completed the vocational and business skills cycle.  In Laghman, the vocational training has been completed, and business training is about to commence.  The Kunar SHGs have just finished their vocational training, and the Training of Trainers for business training will commence shortly.

In the coming months, the SHGs will receive additional capacity-building and follow-up training to cement the lessons learned, and increase their ability to grow their businesses.  RI will undertake the next cycle of SHG formation in the fall, expanding the program to an additional 2,000 women.

Women’s Private Sector Initiative
The Afghan Women’s Business Association (AWBA) has been established in the Business Development Center (BDC).  In the next year, ALP/E will work with the AWBA to reach out to women in business in the Eastern region for training and advocacy.  A study on constraints to women in the private sector will identify areas of particular importance to address, and provide recommendations for doing so.

ALP/E will use the results of this study to help AWBA and DoWA create a program to help create a business enabling environment for women.

• The Micro-Enterprise Program, being implemented by Relief International continues to provide vocational training, business training and follow-up support to 4,000 women in Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar.  These efforts will culminate in well trained women who will have direct access to capital through ALP-E strategic financial services partners, as well as networking and real business opportunities through the Eastern Region Business Development Center.
• The forestry nursery program in Laghman and Kunar is providing inputs for women to establish their own home based enterprise of forestry trees to be sold throughout the Eastern Region to potential buyers.  This program will be expanded to include fruit and nut trees in January of 2007.
• Regular interview with women farmers to include in ALP/E’s radio program, which is providing agricultural extension.
• Women are earning wages on the ALP-E cash for work sites by providing food services.