Locations
Women’s Empowerment for Inclusive Growth (WING)
Background
Women’s Empowerment for Inclusive Growth’ (WING) is a joint programme of UNDP, UN Women, and UNCDF that aims to foster skills that create dignified and formal participation of women as employees and entrepreneurs in local economies, breaking entrenched discriminatory attitudes, norms and stereotypes that created the current inequities in the social, political and economic spheres. With support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the WING programme is being implemented in 10 Upazilas of 5 districts (Manikganj, Thakurgaon, Jashore, Cox’s Bazar and Kurigram) of Bangladesh. WING targets 6,700 direct beneficiaries and 23,460 indirect beneficiaries, of which 80% are women, and 36% are youth. WING is working on creating a progressive local landscape for women to work, drive business and leadership decisions in rural Bangladesh; creating a central and sustainable space for marginalized women and youth in the economy that is supportive of their aspirations as economic and political agents. WING is providing support to ensure women’s participation in the local economy by developing their skills, offering access to the digital market, and facilitating access to financing. This project is strategically contributing to SDG 5, 8, 16 and 17. It aligns with the Government of Bangladesh’s (GOB) efforts to attain gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
Area of Work
- Gender equality & women’s empowerment
- Entrepreneurship skill development
- Small-scale enterprise development, and
- M&E mechanism development and circulated for better implementation of gender-responsive policies Supportive to Women’s Economic Empowerment”.
Significant Achievements
- A total of 406 participants (262 WDF members) were sensitized across three districts (Manikganj, Thakurgaon, Jessore and Kurigram) on 3% GRB allocation from ADP and its utilization through awareness building.
- A total of 3,512 (2,485 women, 13 transgender, five persons with disabilities) entrepreneurs developed market and supply chain linkages supported by their enrolment in the UNDP-convened Anondomela e-commerce platform and digital skills building training.
- WING has ensured access to ICT grants as a result of advocacy initiatives for 135 women (transgender; union digital center; ultra poor women and Anondomela entrepreneurs) entrepreneurs. Each received BDT 50,000: BDT67,50,000 (USD 62,790).
- Existing gender responsive policies reviewed, and M&E mechanism tool is developed and tested out and is being practiced in the project upazillas.
- 2 Studies were completed by individual consultants on Available Financial Resources for Women, National Financial Policies and M&E Mechanism Supportive to Women’s Economic Empowerment.
- Around 100 Women Entrepreneurs participated in last two Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) where they sold their products worth BDT 2,200,000.00 (USD 25,882.35) and BDT 1200000 (USD 12000). It helped them creating local and cross border market linkages
Objective
The project aims to contribute to the improvement of implementation and enforcement of policies supportive to women’s economic empowerment, to enhance women’s participation in local economic development activities; and to support women-led enterprises unlock and access larger volume of domestic capital to expand their economic spaces.
