The cooperation not only enabled us to benefit from country-specific know-how, but also from experience in gender equality. These benefits have been indispensable in strengthening our supply chain.
Current challenges
Companies can act at different levels to promote the equal participation of women, while simultaneously harnessing new business opportunities.
- Increasing the employment and income opportunities of female employees
A low level of formal and vocational education and training leads to a greater risk of unemployment and low income. Practical initial and continuing training measures at companies can significantly improve women’s employability and enhance their income opportunities. At the same time, the companies themselves benefit from better trained staff. Projects supported through develoPPP not only support women in their respective occupations but also help them to branch out into new careers, for instance in the IT sector. - Strengthening the role of women as entrepreneurs and leaders
Women often find it as difficult to access capital as it is to climb the management ladder. This not only cements gender-specific roles and limits women’s access to resources, but also leads to a substantial loss in innovative and economic potential. Through develoPPP-funded projects, for example, employees receive access to gender-based advisory and awareness-raising services and female entrepreneurs are supported with growing their business. - Development-related services geared to everyday aspects of women’s lives
A stronger focus on female target groups is particularly important in the health sector. The many challenges and risks faced by women and girls with regard to their sexual and reproductive health, for example, are exacerbated by stigmatisation, shame and structural discrimination. develoPPP-backed cooperation arrangements provide support, for example, through education and awareness-raising measures on sexually transmitted diseases and by facilitating access to health care services and contraceptives.
Development partnerships in the field of gender equality
KENYA: Gender equality in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Gender inequality is an ongoing problem in East African SMEs, which is also reflected in the low number of female entrepreneurs. Impact investor AlphaMundi Group Ltd. has joined hands with DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH in setting up gender-sensitive systems and structures and involving women in business processes. The measures are intended to strengthen women’s participation in the labour market, give them better long-term prospects as entrepreneurs or managers and mobilise more capital from the private sector.
TANZANIA: Health protection and sexual self-determination
In Tanzania it is hoped that an innovative contraceptive – the female condom – will help to curb sexually transmitted diseases. Through awareness-raising and counselling, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH worked with the Female Health Company (FHC) to remove any stigmas associated with the contraceptive and advocate sexual self-determination for women. By the end of the project, 99 public health institutions and 60 other distribution stations were providing advice on the topic and distributing condoms. FHC tapped into new marketing channels and successfully expanded its business activities to include the Tanzanian market.
BURUNDI: Medical care systems for pregnant women and children
Maternal and infant mortality rates are very high in Burundi. One reason for this is that many women fail to attend the prescribed antenatal and postnatal check-ups and to receive vaccinations. In a pilot project with DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, ICT company Soft Center S.A. is trialling the development of an innovative electronic health service, which aims to reach at least 20,000 pregnant women and their pre-school children. The women receive online reminders to attend obligatory antenatal check-ups and to have their children vaccinated in accordance with the WHO guidelines in order to prevent diseases and reduce mortality rates.
INDIA: Support for ‘Women in Business’ in a post-COVID-19 world
In a strategic initiative with SEWA Bank Ltd., the Frankfurt School and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH are pursuing an approach specifically geared to female Indian entrepreneurs in a world post COVID-19. ‘Women in Business’ is a comprehensive strategy that addresses the multidimensional obstacles faced by female owners of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The overall aim is to increase the financial activities and business skills of 2,000 trained female entrepreneurs and to reach 5,000 female entrepreneurs through online training courses.
BANGLADESH: Improving women’s rights along the textile supply chain
Swedish textile company Lindex AB worked with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to mainstream gender aspects in the corporate strategy and HR management of textile suppliers in Bangladesh. In this context, they cooperated not only with the suppliers themselves, but also with industry and employer associations, the Bangladesh Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Bangladesh Ministry of Commerce, trade unions and the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles. The guidelines drafted during this process were incorporated into a toolbox that can be used at international level. A community-led women’s café was also set up, where employees receive advice and further training on labour law issues.
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