Meet Amy. She is the president of her women’s collective in Ziguinchor, a town in southern Senegal. She and the other women in her collective produce fruit juices and cordials made from locally sourced products, such as ginger, tamarind and hibiscus.
Our ‘women in business’ project tackled a huge challenge head-on: lack of female land ownership in rural areas of The Gambia. A major focus of the project was to provide women with financial backing to purchase land, empowering them to transform subsistence farming into a sustainable business.
In rural areas of The Gambia, land ownership is almost exclusively reserved for men. Because women have neither the financial capacity nor opportunity to purchase land, it is extremely difficult for them to build viable and successful businesses. This in turn has a knock-on impact on food security, health and education, further perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
In Paraíba, Northeast Brazil, opportunities for livelihoods and business training, particularly for women, are limited. The impact of Covid-19 on local markets was a challenge to many small businesses, which had to adapt to survive.
In Brazil, women face inequalities and additional challenges in setting up businesses. For this reason the practical and emotional support provided by local collective groups, especially during the Covid-19 crisis, has been vital.
