Empowering Women through Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Morocco

The purpose of the project is to economically empower rural women in Morocco’s Marrakesh-Safi region. The project seeks to increase women’s decision-making power over their businesses, to improve business development support services’ responsiveness to gender equality issues, and to engage communities in supporting women’s rights and breaking down gender stereotypes (in public and private spheres) related to women’s entrepreneurship. The project seeks to ensure that women have genuine, full control over the assets, technologies, finances and benefits of their economic activities and that gender stereotypes are significantly reduced and eliminated in the rural communities of the Marrakesh-Safi region. Project activities include the following: (1) implementing perennial and inclusive groups of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) for marginalized women, and providing these women with training to foster their personal development and promote more efficient financial management; (2) guiding women-led cooperatives in developing ties with financial institutions and credit sources so they can implement their business plans; (3) training business support institutions and civil society organizations to support women-led businesses and to use dialogue instruments to reduce the gender-related barriers facing women’s entrepreneurship; and (4) training targeted households so that tasks are divided fairly and there is greater acceptance of women’s involvement in economic matters.