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2009-09-25
ROLE OF USAID AND OUR CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS UPLIFTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SRI LANKA.
Chairperson Mrs. Weerakoon, members of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for inviting me here this afternoon to speak at your annual general meeting. It is exciting to be in a room full of women entrepreneurs and business executives.
Someone once wrote, “Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.”
I agree.
Women are a significant economic entrepreneurial force whose contributions to local, national and global economies are far reaching. Women produce, consume, manage businesses and households, earn income, hire labor, borrow and save, and provide a range of services for businesses and workers. Throughout the developing world, women are vital economic players, representing a larger percentage of the workforce than ever before. Over 800 million women are economically active worldwide, undertaking critical roles in industry, agriculture, manufacturing, and services, and as producers, traders, and owners and operators of micro- and small-enterprises.
However, limited access to physical and financial resources, insufficient market knowledge, lack of skills and an absence of labor-saving technologies constrain the ability of women to be effective partners in economic growth. Supporting projects and programs that expand women's economic opportunities is good development practice that will yield economic gains for women, households, and the economy.
Women’s small enterprises face challenges accessing opportunities due to market saturation, limited access to credit, and economies of scale. An increase in women entering the workforce or losing jobs in the formal economy often leads to a concomitant increase in informal micro-enterprises, which increases competition, and can depress earnings as markets quickly become saturated. These difficulties not only stunt the growth of women small enterprises, but they affect their profitability.
Beyond the aforementioned challenges, women entrepreneurs also cite other reasons for lack of profitability such as lack of technological literacy, lack of role models and mentors, lack of industry and market knowledge, and reluctance to participate in networking.
Talking now about my organization, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), I want to mention that USAID has worked for over 53 years in Sri Lanka helping to improve the lives of people through a variety of activities. The effectiveness of USAID is directly linked to its ability to recognize and address the gender-related issues that are holding back progress. Sri Lanka is no exception, and I would like to share today some examples of what USAID is doing to promote gender equity.
In Sri Lanka, USAID supports women’s participation in economic development in two ways.
First, USAID is enhancing job skills to help increase economic opportunities for women.
Second, USAID strengthens women entrepreneurs through supporting existing small-scale businesses and developing new business opportunities.
USAID has worked with many women’s business organizations over the years, including the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce. It has provided training to increase the capacity of women entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them, sending many women to international conferences and workshops. Meeting other women entrepreneurs from around the world has helped Sri Lankan women gain new skills and experiences, which they have brought home to share with their colleagues.
For example, in 2001, USAID sent more than 15 successful women entrepreneurs to participate in a global women’s summit in Hong Kong. Perhaps some of you here today have participated in these training opportunities. I hope that you not only found the experiences rewarding, but that you have passed along your knowledge to other women entrepreneurs, especially young women.
Today, USAID is supporting several projects that directly improve job skills training for youth. For example, we are providing information technology or IT skills training to 500 youth from the North and the East to help them gain the skills they need to get good jobs. At present, about 43% of the students are young women. The number is impressive, and it suggests that with the right support, young women are eager to enter the computer and IT field, traditionally considered to be a male-dominated sector.
USAID partnered with Brandix Lanka Limited to train 600 workers for the new Brandix factory in Punani, western Batticaloa District. Most of these workers are women and quite young, without the job skills needed for them to get a good paying job in their communities. As a result of this partnership, these young women are earning three times the local salary and many are the only wage earner in their family.
Let me give you another example of how USAID helped one young woman become an entrepreneur.
A USAID project which strengthens linkages between fruit and vegetable producers in the East and new markets in Sri Lanka worked with a farmer society in Kebethilgollawa in North Central Province to find new markets for their products. Within this farmer society, a group of about 20 women formed their own sub-group and the leader of this smaller group is Sunethra.
Sunethra received technical skills and business basics training through USAID and Keells Groceries to supply mangoes directly to the supermarket. Through this new training, Sunethra has learned to become an entrepreneur and increased her income by four times. She purchases mangoes from her women colleagues at a higher rate than they received before and delivers the produce to the collection center for final sale to Keells. Sunethra is a success story and goes to show what women can accomplish if given the right opportunities
I am encouraged by the drive and ambition of women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Whenever women are given opportunities to increase their jobs skills training and employability, start new ventures, or expand existing businesses, Sri Lankan women seize that chance with dedication and hard work.
I am aware that there are many challenges still to be overcome and commend your efforts to increase the participation of women in the Sri Lankan economy.
I wish you success in your business endeavors, and encourage all of you to reach out to young women and new women entrepreneurs. You have much to share with them. When women join together, they are a powerful force for success.
Thank you.
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