Women Entrepreneurs and BDS (the work of various agencies), 2003

Description
To date, there is very little literature on how gender issues relate to BDS market development. However, a few programs that target women entrepreneurs are experimenting with more market oriented approaches to the provision of BDS. The documents posted here mainly focus on subsidized services for women entrepreneurs but also describe efforts to move towards developing private sector business services for women entrepreneurs.

The Small Enterprise Development in Upper Egypt (SMEDUP) Project, co-funded by CIDA and the Government of Egypt and implemented by the Foundation for International Training and the Government of Egypt Social Fund for Development, was established in 1996 to improve economic conditions for marginalized population groups. The attached paper summarizes the project approach and the presentation describes how the project has incorporated gender objectives through its structure and activities.

"See How They Grow: Business Development Services for Women's Business Growth" by Simel Esim for the International Center for Research on Women and funded by the Ford Foundation discusses women entrepreneurs' need for various types of business services and reviews international experience in the provision of those services. It discusses two case studies: the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Sericulture Program and the Independent Business Enrichment Center (IBEC) Enterprise Training Program in South Africa.

Commonwealth Secretariat / ILO Globalization and Gender Brief - Small and Medium Enterprise Development, discusses program elements that are important for fully including women within SME development programs.



Associated Activities and Documents
Market Assessment
»	ILO Surveys on Women in Small Enterprise in Africa, 2003