Program of women empowerment in Mediterranean region (2006-2016)

Giving Mediterranean women the means of enterprise

Since 2006, we have been working with our partners in the Mediterranean (Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon and Tunisia) to provide training and advice to women benefiting from micro-credits, in order to help them better manage their economic activity.

The FEM project (Femmes Entrepreneuses en Méditeracute;e) first made it possible to d’identify promising business sectors in each target country, and to ascertain the needs. Non-financial support services, such as training in business management and accounting, have helped to build the capacity of women wishing to develop their own micro-enterprises. At the same time, we also ran awareness-raising sessions to ensure that they were aware of their rights (health, education, etc.) and could assert them.

3 forums (Tunis – 2006, Cairo – 2007 and Casablanca - 2008) were held in succession, enabling 200 female micro-entrepreneurs to meet up, share experiences and forge business relationships. This networking proved to be very successful, which led us to organize in 2008, this time in Strasbourg, the first Euro-Mediterranean fair for women micro-entrepreneurs.

The following year, a group of women micro-entrepreneurs were accompanied in the creation of a fair trade textile cooperative. Thus grouped together within a single legal entity, the women had greater production capacity and could mobilize sufficient resources to professionalize their activity.

<p style="text:text:</p> <p style=" color:#008080;"="">professionalize their activity.

On the strength of its women's entrepreneurship projects in the Mediterranean, we decided in 2011 to pursue our actions in this direction with our partners as part of the projet GEPE (Genre et Economies Pluri’Elles). The aim was to provide unemployed women with training in sectors traditionally reserved for men (telephony, mechanics, construction, etc.). A major awareness-raising campaign on gender stereotypes has been necessary among the local community and businesses.

Subsequently, our work with women micro-entrepreneurs continued as part of the projet SAWA (Supportive Action for Women of Arabic world) launched in 2013. The awareness-raising objective was now focused on local institutions and private players (companies) whom we wanted to involve more. We also worked to raise their awareness, encouraging them to improve their access to credit;and training, and to strengthen women's representation in decision-making processes at the economic level.

Throughout these different phases of action, we support local associations in strengthening their skills and capabilities through training, changes in practices, individualized coaching.

Having become a veritable programme d’émancipation des femmes en Méditerran;e over time, our actions continue today with the projet COOPAEM.