Women entrepreneurs undergo orientation on GREAT Women Project II

The participants during the two-day orientation workshop.

As part of the initial activities in the implementation of the Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women) Project II, the DTI VI conducted a two-day roll-out of the Greening the Gender Responsive Value Chain Analysis (GGRVCA).

GIZ Consultant Rita I. Pilarca discusses gender and value chain, and enhancing small and medium enterprises competitiveness through greening strategies. 

DTI IV-A Assistant Regional Director Marcelina S. Alcantara gives an overview of the GREAT Women Project II.

DTI VI OIC-Regional Director Rebecca M. Rascon welcomed the participants and enrollees in the project during the opening day of the orientation workshop at Days Hotel from April 11 to 12, 2016.

The activity was attended by 22 pre-selected women micro, small and medium entrepreneurs from all over Western Visayas, from among the 66 participants coming from representatives of the regional convergence group – DOLE, DA, and DOST – as well as TESDA and BFAR.

The DTI chairs the regional convergence group.

The roll-out focused on improving the competitiveness and sustainability of women’s enterprises, particularly in the food sector, by using the GGRVCA as a tool for planning and implementing interventions for the project.

GIZ consultant and program facilitator Rita I. Pilarta discussed gender and value chain and enhancing SME competitiveness through greening strategies – encouraging entrepreneurs to incorporate greening and gender responsive business practices.

DTI IV-A Assistant Regional Director Marcelina S. Alcantara, on the other hand, gave an overview of the GREAT Women Project II. Alcantara is the National Program Coordinator of the DTI-Project Management Office.

The GREAT Women Project II is provided with technical and financial support by the Canadian International Development Agency for a six-year term from the year 2014 until 2020.

The activity likewise included three break-out sessions for the participants to lay out the value chain mapping analysis, strategic planning measures and, their respective action plans based on their businesses needs and viability of measures.

The GREAT Women Project II is a governance and capacity development project that aims to promote and support a gender-responsive enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment, particularly those in microenterprises.

The project is implemented by the Philippine Commission on Women with the DTI, DOST, DA DOLE and the ECHOSI Foundation Inc., as project partners.