Women Empowerment in Farming, Rural Tourism and Crafts

Period of implementation of the project:

2019 – 2021

Challenge:

The main tasks of the project are:

to assist women in rural area in developing their own businesses as a source of income and self-realization;
to support them in making it financially profitable by finding partners to buy their products and services;
to train them how to cooperate into cluster and work together for mutual benefits;
to teach women joint work and cross-sales with other regions of Belarus.

As for possible challenges it’s very often when women doubt, have fear which prevents them from realizing their potential. While drafting the project, we wanted it to be multifunctional, flexible and simple. At the same time, it should be tailored to each unique woman’s needs and expectations

Solution:

The project is implemented in three phases over a 18-month period

Phase 1 – Preparation, Procurement, Coordination:

Announcement of the project in the mass media
Organizing a kick-off meeting
Obtaining equipment for trainings
Creation of a specialized webpage

Phase 2 – Competition, Trainings, Individual Mentoring, Consultations:

Organizing collecting participants’ business ideas
Organizing 10 educational trainings and at least 10 webinars on fundraising, promotion, business-planning, creative economy, etc. for all participants of the project
Selecting best business ideas among received applications
Organizing mentoring for 50 best ideas
Organizing a study visit to Grodno region to share experience while communicating with successful self-employed women in rural areas in Belarus
Obtaining equipment and materials for 50 participants-winners to help them establish their own businesses

Phase 3 – Presenting the main results of the Project, Project evaluation:

Organizing the final conference in Brest with pitch-presentations of the best cases
Presentation of the Orsha region best cases
Organizing participation in two regional festivals to create venue for selling products and services of new SMEs
Creating awareness campaign in media about women entrepreneurship in farming, rural tourism and crafts
Establishing a database of participants and experts of the project as well as other local activists (craftsmen, eco farmers etc.) from Brest region (at least 600 people)
Creating Belarusian Resource Center run

Results:

For the present moment the following results have been achieved within the project:

10 face-to-face trainings and 12 webinars have already been organized for over 500 women on creative economy, legal regulation, promotion, fundraising, cooperation, business-planning, organic farming, ecological tourism, sustainable tourist products, storytelling, social media, market promotion etc.;
50 business ideas proposed by women have been financially supported and special equipment was bought to help them maintain their businesses at early stage;
new businesses will get experience in working with authorities and institutions and form strong partnerships with them in the job creation process. Local municipalities will benefit from unemployment decline and budget growth generated by created SMEs.;
the project has important social impact, as it aims at raising competences of women in Belarus by educating them on financial and agricultural aspects;
a wide audience will learn about the project and new start-ups created through the media campaign, as well as through participating in the final conference.
short promo-videos and 1 movie about successful women entrepreneurs are planned till the end of the year and will be shared through Internet resources, as well as the brochures with best practices to be issued and disseminated at the final conference.

The project is planned to be scaled up in 2021: the geography will be expanded to the Grodno region.

Category: Prosperity

Company: Coca-Cola HBC Belarus Унитарное предприятие “Кока-Кола Бевриджиз Белоруссия“

About the company:

Coca-Cola HBC Belarus, a part of Coca-Cola HBC group – one of the largest bottlers of brands of The Coca-Cola Company. Corporate responsibility and sustainability is an indispensable part of our culture.