Two representatives from IIRR participated in the 2021-2022 Stimulating Entrepreneurship and Business Growth Program led by the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). This strategic collaboration aims to bolster support for women entrepreneurs and foster economic empowerment within rural communities.
AVPN and Pioneers Post recently released an immersive feature describing the program and highlighting insights from participants, including Acting Director for IIRR Regional Center for Asia, Emilita Monville Oro. In her video comments, she expressed her enthusiasm for the program and emphasized its potential to transform IIRR’s approach to training and capacity-building activities for community-based women enterprises.
“This program will really influence how we provide our training and capacity-building activities to community-based women enterprises,” she stated.
Through AVPN’s program, IIRR seeks to integrate the valuable insights gained into its existing programs, ensuring that community-based organizations receive the necessary tools to level up their business processes. Oro acknowledged the challenges faced by women-led enterprises, stating, “Some of these organizations really need capacity-building activities and guidance for them to put systems in place.” She further emphasized the need for resource connections and partnerships with key organizations that can provide essential support.
“We envision that our CBOs, which are comprised of women, will be able to level up in terms of business processes. With some help and lessons we have learned from this program, our CBOs will be empowered and achieve the economic security and resilience they have been longing for,” Oro explained.
Highlighting the broader work of IIRR, Oro stated, “We work with communities to develop innovative yet practical solutions to rural poverty. We help the most vulnerable, like women, children, youth, and smallholder farmers. We empower them, we build their capacities, we organize them so they themselves can take part in their development.”
The participation of IIRR in the Stimulating Entrepreneurship and Business Growth Program reflects its commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs and fostering sustainable development within marginalized communities. IIRR aims to create lasting economic stability and resilience for community-based organizations by leveraging the program’s resources and learnings.
Read more about this innovative initiative and listen to Ms. Oro’s remarks here
