- Type(s)
- Market Access & Internationalization
- Countries(s)
- Myanmar
Founded in November 2014, the Yangon Business Network is an informal group that aims “to connect high-level Myanmar business owners and entrepreneurs from a vast range of industries and fields.” The group meets at the Strand Hotel in Yangon around once a month and facilitates opportunities for owners and managers of local and foreign enterprises to become acquainted and learn from one another. Discussions are oriented toward sharing information about business challenges and considering ways in which local companies and foreign investors may collaborate in the future. In the six months since it was established, around 200 people, many of them women, enlisted as participants in the network.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Myanmar
Established in 2008, AWN’s work is oriented toward the educational and entrepreneurial development of Chin women in the Chin State and beyond. Working with the Community Agency for Rural Development (CAD), a formal cooperative, the group mobilizes women to undertake work that will bolster their place in their communities, including through development of microenterprises. AWN has formed about 185 groups of women, consisting of 15 members each, who received both small loans and training from CAD. Training addresses such topics as food-processing, capacity-building, and management.
- Type(s)
- Policy & Regulation
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
The Lao secured transactions registry, established in late 2013, enables businesses and individuals “to pledge movable assets such as equipment, crops, livestock or future income as collateral for loans, expanding loan opportunities for the micro, small and medium enterprises that comprise more than 90 percent of the country’s private sector.” The web-based system opened with the express goal of improving access to finance for smaller businesses, particularly those lacking land or buildings to serve as security for loans.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
PADETC is a local organization that promotes eco-friendly technologies and helps micro-enterprises enhance education and provide income-generating activities. The group’s areas of focus include: capacity building for organizations; service delivery through learning centers and networks; and leadership and advocacy, including for Hmong minority women. PADETC is active in agricultural and participatory community development in the rural areas of Lao PDR, and was officially established in late 1996 under the Department of Private Education of the Ministry of Education as an independent Training Center.
- Type(s)
- Market Access & Internationalization
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
The Lao Handicraft Association operates in Vientiane and is a member of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Offices of the LHA are located in five provinces, including Luang Prabhang, Xiengkhouang, Houaphan, Savannakhet and Champasak. project entitled “Lao Women’s Economic Empowerment through the Handcrafted Textile Industry.” Lao women play a significant role in developing and sustaining the national hand-woven textile industry. Textile handicrafts of Laos are made in various economic contexts ranging from home-based activity, self-employment and local cooperatives to small business enterprises.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
Luang Prabang-based Ma Té Sai sources products from groups in villages all over Laos and the shop enables them to sell those products to the tourist market. Ma Té Sai means “where is it from?” in Lao. The firm aims to source handicrafts and agricultural products from across the country, with the aim of providing access to markets and a sustainable income.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
Luang Prabang-based Ock Pop Tok is a social enterprise working primarily in the field of textiles, handicrafts and design. Ock Pop Tok, meaning “east meets west,” was established in 2000 by a Lao weaver and an English photographer. Ock Pop Tok aims to advance the artistic, cultural and social development of Lao artisans and increase the appreciation of Lao’s diverse textiles and communities through educational activities. They aim to empower women through creating and seeking market opportunities for their products and promote the export of Lao textiles. Working in conjunction with The Lao National Tourism Administration, development agencies, and the Lao Women’s Union, Ock Pop Tok trains artisans from remote areas in dye and weaving skills, product design and business-related skills.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
Lao Disabled Women’s Development Centre provides vocational training to disabled women in sewing, weaving and handicraft and has a network of alumni that they assist in the startup of small businesses in their villages.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development, Market Access & Internationalization
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
Women in Laos is a non-governmental organization that seeks to help single mothers achieve autonomy. The organization offers one-on-one mentoring and support through trained Lao woman social workers, participation in support groups and trainings, small grants according to each woman’s needs, and access to income generation and employment opportunities.
- Type(s)
- Human Capital Development
- Countries(s)
- Lao PDR
The state-run LWU is tasked with responding to women’s development needs across all levels of public administration, from the village level to the central government. The LWU’s offices include the Lao Women Development Department, which promotes and supports women’s livelihoods. The LWU supports a loose network of approximately 3100 women’s “savings groups.” These groups include a lending component, serve almost 200,000 people, and, according to 2013 figures maintained by the LWU, holds up to $22 million USD.
