While this year has challenged all of us in so many ways, it has also allowed us to see how interconnected we all are – no matter who we are or where we’re from. How has COVID-19 affected your life? Take our poll, then meet TechnoServe clients – smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs in the developing world – who are experiencing similar situations.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. In Mozambique, women-owned businesses have been particularly hard-hit by COVID-19. In our previous story on Juliana Mário, a small business owner in Maputo, her sales had decreased by over 50% from the start of the pandemic. Find out how she is doing now, eight months later.
In northern Nigeria, access to markets, financial services, and relevant business training is crucial for women in agribusiness. Peanut processing offers women an opportunity to gain greater control of their resources, grow their income, and invest in their families and businesses.
In Andhra Pradesh, India, women like Nimmaka Varahalamma are working with TechnoServe to gain the skills and confidence they need to successfully lead farmer producer organizations in their communities.
Young women in Uganda can face significant challenges as they seek employment outside of the home. Moureen Nakisozi had always dreamed of becoming a welder but struggled to make that dream a reality without the necessary training. After joining a TechnoServe program, she was matched with a mentor and received the business and technical skills she needed to start her welding career.
In rural Brazil, entrepreneurship offers a pathway out of poverty. Since 2018, TechnoServe, in partnership with Fundação Vale, has been working with communities in the Brumadinho municipality of Minas Gerais, improving livelihoods by helping people create their own businesses.
In Kenya, the COVID-19 crisis has created significant challenges for micro-retailers like Cecilia Njeru. But digital solutions can help entrepreneurs access business training and finance – two resources that can mean the difference between having to close a business and running a successful shop.
While both women and men have had their livelihoods disrupted by COVID-19, longstanding gender inequalities mean that women are more likely to see their quality of life and long-term economic prospects negatively impacted by the crisis. Learn about a few of the ways the pandemic is affecting women’s empowerment and what TechnoServe is doing to respond.
In Kenya, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even harder for entrepreneurs like Jacinta Musyoka to run their businesses. Without working capital, it can be difficult for many micro-retailers to restock their shops, pay rent, and put food on the table for their families. A TechnoServe program is combining financial support with technical advice to help 28,000 entrepreneurs in Kenya keep their micro-enterprises afloat and continue to serve their communities.
In India, women farmers often face challenges accessing the same information, networks, and capital as their male counterparts. TechnoServe is helping women like Rajkumari Akhilesh improve their livelihoods and overcome significant obstacles by starting their own microenterprises.
