Women in Small Enterprise Quarterly Report: July-September 2014
Countless women around the world are building successful small businesses. But the odds against women entrepreneurs in many developing countries can be staggering. Often, they face limited access to credit and property, household obligations that consume their waking hours, and cultural standards that discriminate against them.
Oxfam’s Women in Small Enterprise (WISE) initiative starts with a systemic understanding of these barriers and attracts partners with expertise in the areas of financial services, women’s rights, advocacy, and entrepreneurship to develop a multidisciplinary collaboration to support women in overcoming these challenges. WISE follows Oxfam’s belief in people’s power to change their lives. Through WISE, Oxfam serves in its traditional role of supporting collaboration between the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and government leaders. This report highlights the key accomplishments of WISE from July to September 2014.