Opportunity International by the numbers in 2023

GOAL OF THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE:
$250,000 (over three years: 2023-2025)

This will provide access for 600 female small-business owners in Uganda to receive 2 loan cycles a year, which equals 1,200 total loans yearly. Over the course of 3 years, we will be able to provide access to capital for 1,800 women entrepreneurs, equaling 3,600 loans.

THE NEED
For far too long, women and girls worldwide have been held back from reaching their full potential. Legal, social, cultural, and economic inequalities disproportionately exclude women from full and equal participation in their communities and economies.

In Uganda, many female entrepreneurs are ready to scale their business but cannot access capital due to lack of collateral and high market interest rates. This class of underbanked yet high-potential businesswomen is often overlooked and underfunded.

THE SOLUTIONS
The African Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (TAWEEI) addresses systemic economic barriers for women entrepreneurs. Helping women overcome these challenges is vital not only to ending poverty, but for driving economic growth worldwide. The overarching goal is to help scale women-owned/women-run micro, small and medium sized enterprises (W-MSMEs) increase incomes, create and sustain jobs and stimulate inclusive economic growth on the continent of Africa through access to capital.

That's where Opportunity International steps in with our three-pronged model of training, financial resources, and support:

• Training: We help women learn financial literacy and skills such as how to budget, invest loans, and create financial plans for sustainable growth. For women farmers, we teach technical skills like how and when to plant seed, apply fertilizer, or set up an irrigation system. 
• Financial Resources: We deliver tailored financial services appropriate and accessible for women who may have been marginalized. 
• Support: With the help of their local Trust Group peers, women often find their voice and reach their full potential.

Clients often receive their first loan through a Trust Group — a group of 10 to 30 entrepreneurs who meet to share personal and business advice, receive financial training, and vote on loan-related topics. Trust Groups ensure one another's loans, which builds a safety net through peer guarantees and creates a community based on collective success. As a result, Trust Group members encourage and support one another as they build their businesses and support their families.

Opportunity International’s proven approach of customized training, individualized financial products, and support from peers and field staff enables women in Uganda succeed. The typical business profile is micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that are engaged in agribusiness, food processing, trade, textile and garments, education, manufacturing, construction, tourism and services, and technology sectors. Ugandan women can lead the way in job creation and reduction of extreme poverty; they are building sustainable livelihoods for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Many of the women who receive loans work as smallholder farmers. Like our work in microenterprise, Opportunity International’s work in Agriculture Finance provides training, access to financial services, and group support to the people we serve. Smallholder famers learn financial literacy, business management, and best ag practices including climate resilient regenerative agriculture principles.

There is increasing recognition that low-income communities are being disproportionately affected by climate change while being the least able to build resilience. Opportunity’s climate resilience strategy takes a client-centric approach targeting climate adaptationmeasures over mitigation, focusing on offsetting the causes of the climate crises. We are supporting climate finance initiatives at financial institution partners and supporting regenerative agriculture practices among smallholder farmers, including minimizing soil disturbance, maximizing crop diversity, crop cover, living roots year-round, and integrating livestock.

If you want to learn more about The African Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (TAWEEI) or join the African Women’s Economic Empowerment Trust Group, please contact the TAWEEI founder, La’Kerri Jackson at 470-277-4416 or [email protected].