Models for Supporting Women’s Micro-enterprise Development: Best Practices and Guidelines

This report represents cumulative findings as of Phase III of a four-part project designed to support micro-enterprise growth through collaboration and international trade linkages in the APEC region. The project focuses particularly on meeting the needs of women micro-entrepreneurs in urban, rural and indigenous communities.

Based on multi-sectoral consultations (held in Viet Nam at the 2006 WLN Meeting and SME Working Group Meeting) with representatives from several APEC economies, the research team concluded that the most relevant business development models for micro-enterprises were the Facilitator, Catalogue Distribution and Public Sector Policies and Program models.

The main findings of the workshops confirmed that women’s micro-enterprises face multiple challenges related to the size of their businesses, the location of their businesses, the nature of their products, various types of gender discrimination, and the dual role of women as family providers and caregivers in most APEC economies. The consultations highlighted a particular need for programs that address these challenges in specific ways:

• Result in actual trade activity and trading partnerships
• Focus on assisting small producers in finding and accessing opportunities to promote products, especially those made by indigenous women
• Foster collaboration between the private and civil society sectors, with the public sector playing a critical facilitation role as a cross-sector coordinator
• Provide a continuum of services that take into account the different stages of growth of micro-enterprises and the gender issues involved
• Recognize the need for and impact of networking
• Facilitate product pooling at the local, regional, and economy-wide levels, and provide access to product pooling venues
• Increase access to expertise in product design, business development advice and training, information on potential markets, market information and new technologies, and product distribution
• Provide legal and professional advice
• Address intellectual property issues and their impact on indigenous women
• Make links with affordable credit programs

The feasibility studies also confirmed that targeted supports for women-owned micro-enterprises need to meet minimum product, producer and program criteria. Through the consultations and feasibility studies, the research team developed and refined these criteria and formulated specific guidelines and recommendations for micro-enterprise support programs. The criteria, guidelines and recommendations are set out in Part III of this report. They require careful review and analysis to ensure a successful micro-enterprise development and support program.

Download a copy of this APEC publication here (PDF, 516KB).

Models for Women’s Micro-enterprise Development:  Best Practices and Guidelines  (March 2008)

Francine Whiteduck, Whiteduck Resources Inc
with
Andrina Lever, Lever Enterprises

Project Overseer:   Dana Peebles,  Kartini International Consulting Inc

FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION (APEC) SECRETARIAT
35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119616
Tel: (65) 6775-6012 Fax: (65) 6775-6013
Email: info [at] apec [dot] org
Website:  www.apec.org

© 2008 APEC Secretariat
APEC publication #208-SM-01.1