FIELD OF INTERVENTION: Socio-economic Development, Gender Empowerment
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: Asia, Pakistan, Quetta and Chaghi (Baluchistan) and Manshera
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: The project aims to contribute to the improvement of local entrepreneurship through specific ad hoc initiatives. Main instrument will be the creation of Village Incubators – open spaces playing a central role in the provision of awareness campaigns, local initiatives, vocational training courses, workshops and social services for the local population, in particular for women and girls. The goal is to promote women’s active role in the labour market through the creation of viable, self-sustainable, value-added small/micro enterprises. The VIs adopt an integrated approach to enterprise development through the provision of the following services: orientation, enterprise management and technical training, business planning and counselling, product development and design, marketing and promotion, access to microfinance. The VIs operate as flexible and dynamic service-providers focusing on skills transfer, generation of new business ideas and design of new products. They also actively network with other SMEs development stakeholders and the local community. Another important action is the creation of the Marketing Consortium, leading entity with the specific goal to increase the marketing capacity of local SMEs and the access to international markets for local handicraft production. The Marketing Consortium, through the VIs, will also organise awareness campaigns concerning learning methods, women empowerment, decent work agenda and fight against child labour.
OBJECTIVES: The overall objective is to contribute to reduce poverty through the strengthening of strategic sectors. To this end, the project intends to: ● Contribute to improve quality of life among rural communities in the targeted areas. ● Strengthen the ability of educationally disadvantaged people (especially women and girls). ● Contribute to strengthen the mosaic handicraft sector through the creation of Village Incubators and the provision of vocational training courses. ● Support women’s access to the labor market through the creation and development of women-led enterprises, facilitating access to employment opportunities. ● Contribute to raise the level of international marketing initiatives of Pakistan mosaic and onyx production through the creation and implementation of a Marketing Consortium.
ACTIVITIES:
- Providing human and material resources to the VIs, by selecting national and international staff members, and purchasing and installing furniture and equipment.
- Providing technical assistance in project administration, business incubation/enterprise promotion, marketing and communication, fair trade.
- Organizing workshops and conferences, producing documentation and training materials.
- Organizing awareness campaigns to promote the concept of entrepreneurship among a wider portion of rural women and providing basic education courses to disadvantaged people (especially women and girls).
- Strengthen capacities of social partners and labor administration systems to promote decent work agenda, safety in the workplace, fight against child labour, gender equality.
- Delivering basic and advanced entrepreneurial training programs to rural women concerning product development and design, business planning and counselling, access to credit.
- Providing Marketing services: the VIs – primarily through their marketing officers – will support promotion and distribution of products and services from the targeted micro-enterprises.
- Communication and promotion of the VI-supported businesses through the creation of a ‘corporate image’ for each enterprise including brochures, labels and other advertising tools identified as appropriate by marketing officers and local promoters.
- Selection and training (carried out by the University for Foreigners of Perugia, in cooperation with the Universities of Islamabad and Karachi) of marketing experts in innovation, internationalisation and management of handicraft products.
- Supporting the development/strengthening of institutional mechanism for more competitiveness in the international and national markets.
- Upgrading and establishment of outlets/sales points.
- Identification and establishment of marketing contracts and market linkages to support the mosaic and onyx export channels.
- Participation in trade fairs and exhibitions.
- Creation and legal recognition of the label.
RESULTS:
- Three Village Incubators with self-sustainable business development facilities (village schools, vocational training courses and micro-credit for women), created.
- Increased women’s awareness on entrepreneurship development: 750 new women sensitized on enterprises development (250 in Quetta, 250 in Chaghi, 250 in Manshera).
- Basic education learning methods effectively updated and delivered to the population of selected areas.
- Vocational Training Services package effectively delivered to local craftsmen and craftswomen: 350 artisans trained, 50 enterprises established.
- Increased awareness of local population and stakeholders on workplace safety, decent work and corporate social responsibility.
- 21 advanced marketing experts trained on innovation, internationalization and management of handicraft products.
- Increased marketability of the handicraft products (mosaic and onyx) thanks to the creation of the Marketing Consortium and through enhanced diversification/innovation and integration in recipient markets.
- “Child Labour Free Product” label created.
PARTNERSHIP: Lead applicant: IPALMO. Partners: Progetto Sud, PASDEC (Pakistan Stone Development Company), University for Foreigners of Perugia.
TIME PERIOD/DURATION: 36 months
DONOR: Pakistani – Italian Debt for Development Swap Agreement
