MWEC was designed by infoDev, a global partnership program at the World Bank, with donor funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the government of Finland, to support women entrepreneurs in Lao PDR expand their businesses. The project was predicated on a theory of chance that posited that entrepreneurs learn best from their peers, sharing practical experiences and lessons to improve confidence, risk taking, and management skills. In Lao PDR, the program featured peer learning with a focus on market assessments and marketing; resource management and budgeting; time management and lifestyle choices; financial benchmarking; network and joint venture formation; financing; and quality development. Program participants reported that networking was one of the most important benefits of the program.