Women's Economic Empowerment

In East Africa, formal employment opportunities are often scarce, and entrepreneurship presents a path toward economic independence for many young women and men. TechnoServe is helping small shop owners in Kenya, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire become more profitable by connecting them with the knowledge, training, and tools they need to become successful retailers.

Cristina Manfre, TechnoServe's Global Gender Director, discusses three priorities for improving the resilience of women farmers and entrepreneurs during the recovery from COVID-19.

Being a mother is hard work no matter where you live. From raising a family to running a business or managing a farm, mothers around the world juggle many responsibilities. This Mother’s Day, TechnoServe celebrates the hardworking women who overcome a range of challenges as they try to provide a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. In our previous story on N. Mangamma, a small-scale farmer in India, she was learning how to supplement her income and improve her family’s nutrition by planting kitchen gardens. Find out how she is doing now, eight months later.

Cait Nordehn joined TechnoServe in January 2021 as our new global gender advisor. In this Q&A, she answers questions about her background, what drew her to TechnoServe, and what aspect of her work she is most passionate about.