OVERVIEW

Promote is a partnership between the Government of Afghanistan and the United States Agency for International Development to secure the gains made by Afghan women in the past decade while providing a new generation of Afghan women with the leadership skills to make vital contributions to Afghanistan’s development in governance, civil society, and the economy. As the economic and business component of Promote, the Women in the Economy (WIE) activity is key to achieving the objectives of Afghanistan’s Transformation Decade by empowering Afghan women from across the country to gain the skills, voices, and resources to contribute to economic growth, reduce poverty levels, and influence workplace policies in response to the needs of women in the economy.

WIE works in five regional economic zones across Afghanistan, with offices in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kandahar.

ACTIVITIES

• Improve the growth of women-owned businesses and businesses with a workforce of at least 30 percent women.
• Provide training and targeted technical assistance to address business needs; make referrals to business service providers and help female business owners and managers to foster the growth of skilled female employees.
• Partner with local educational, vocational, and technical training providers to offer workplace skills development, career counseling, internships, apprenticeships, and job placement to women aged 18 and older so they can gain work experience and secure new or better positions.
• Encourage private companies to improve the workplace environment for women and expand female staffing.
• Collaborate with other donors and programs to increase women’s access to finance and improve the business enabling environment.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• 20 percent of Promote-supported businesses will move to the next level of enterprise size (for example, from small- to medium-size business).
• 50 percent (or more) of all Promote-supported businesses will increase revenues by more than 40 percent within two years after assistance.
• More than 17,500 women will receive new or better employment (including self-employment).
• More than 12,000 women will receive a 10 percent or greater improvement in wages or income.
• More than 9,500 women participate in activity-supported apprenticeships or internships.
• Three gender-sensitive policies, regulations, or reforms will be developed to assist women in the economy.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• 17 percent of Promote-supported businesses moved to the next level of enterprise (ex., from small to medium-sized businesses).
• 50 percent of all Promote-supported businesses grew by 298 percent within two years of receiving assistance.
• 12,521 women obtained new or better employment.
• Wages or income improved by at least 10 percent for 9,003 women.
• 9,120 women participated in USAID supported apprenticeships or internships.
• Three gender-sensitive policies, regulations, and reforms developed: Women’s Rights, Inheritance, and Ownership adopted by Ministry of Women, National Businesswomen’s Summit Blueprint of Policy Recommendations presented to the honorable C.E. Abdullah Abdullah, and the medical Registration Policy for Female Healthcare Professionals.