Myanmar’s largest retail chain, City Mart Holding, participates in various activities that support women entrepreneurs and SMEs generally. In 2012, the company established its Love and Hope Foundation, geared toward aiding four priority areas sectors – Education, Health, Environment and Community. In its agenda for community development, the Foundation focuses on empowering people in the poorest communities “to be self-reliant and independent.” Creating space for organizations or homes to sell their handicrafts at City Mart-operated retail outlets, the Foundation helps women entrepreneurs in particular. Other projects include sponsorship of underprivileged students for vocational training and support for events sponsored by various non-profit groups. As part of its education component, the Foundation focuses on anti-human trafficking awareness, supporting public service announcements throughout the economy via MTV Exit. As part of City Mart’s regular business practices, the company’s network of supermarkets works with local farmers for supply of fresh produce.

An international NGO, Pact has been active in Myanmar since 1997, focusing primarily on healthcare, livelihoods, and community development and working in more than 11,000 villages. In 2012, after Myanmar passed its first law addressing microfinance, Pact formed Pact Global Microfinance for the purpose of expand its services. As of 2015, Pact Global Microfinance serves more than 500,000 borrowers – 99% of them women – throughout Myanmar, through a number of vehicles. For example, Pact’s Myanmar Access to Rural Credit (MARC) program works with nine microfinance institutions to make about 27,000 agricultural loans and nearly 18,000 additional loans specifically targeted to women to let them expand non-agricultural activities or start new enterprises. It covers about 900 villages in the Delta and Dry Zone regions. In addition, through a set of microfinance initiatives, supported by Chevron, Coca-Cola, and USAID, PACT implements a model for savings-led finance that helps women build transparent savings and credit groups and also provides training in financial literacy skills and entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on microenterprises. The approach targets communities with links to markets, including in border areas.

A networking resource for all technology start-ups in Myanmar, Tech in Asia facilitates “meetups” and information sessions for entrepreneurs seeking technology-related knowledge in Yangon. Most of these new businesses are hampered by the poor infrastructure for technology and the high expense of accessing the internet, but there is optimism that these conditions are bound to change. Tech in Asia’s meetups allow entrepreneurs to share experiences and ask questions about emerging technologies and opportunities, including those sponsored by specific software companies. Although most technology start-ups remain dominated by men in Myanmar, women are welcome and encouraged to participate in Tech in Asia events.

Launched on International Women’s Day in 2003, KWEG is oriented toward women’s capacity-building, especially at the grassroots level. KWEG’s initiatives reflect its key priorities: (1) increasing reproductive health knowledge and improving reproductive health care and behavior; (2) increasing women’s participation in society, including through the development of women’s learning centers; (3) empowering women through strengthening their livelihoods, via micro-finance and financial management skills; and (4) capacity-building in the areas of women’s protection and leadership promotion. KWEG works in cooperation with such international organizations including as World Vision, the International Organization for Migration, Save the Children and United Nations agencies. KWEG also has served as Chair of the Women’s Organization Network; a steering committee member of the Gender Equality Network; and a project management board member of Myanmar NGO Network (MNN). KWEG represents the interests of all women in Myanmar in the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT), and in Mekong region anti-trafficking network.