EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FAIDA-SEP is a small enterprise promotion project under the SNV Tanzania. It provides support to small farmers by linking them to intermediary agricultural companies for marketing of agricultural produce and promotes development of micro and small enterprises through capacity building of local services providers in Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga regions. Jiendeleze is a project for private sector advocacy in Kondoa, Monduli and Songea. In cooperation with TCCIA it facilitates formation of business information systems and of groups of private companies with common interests in the three districts. Wherever possible Jiendeleze seeks to involve business development service providers in its activities and cooperates with FAIDA SEP. Both projects recognize the fact that they cannot address the alleviation of poverty effectively unless gender is mainstreamed in their programs right from planning, implementation through to monitoring and evaluation stage. To develop appropriate gender mainstreaming strategies knowledge and understanding of the factors which are impediments to women in private sector development is needed. Recent studies of the impact of the business development services have shown that women participate equally at the lower levels of the business support and advocacy programs however at higher levels such as advanced business training and in the market linkage program they are highly under represented. FAIDA SEP in collaboration with Jiendeleze commissioned a study aimed at identifying the specific constraints and opportunities of women in micro enterprises, agro-marketing, and private sector advocacy structures, with the aim to propose strategies to improve their participation in the programs supported by FAIDA SEP and Jiendeleze. Three main approaches were used in data gathering. First, relevant documents were analyzed. Secondly, a questionnaire was used to gather data from individual entrepreneurs. Thirdly, focus group discussions were conducted, with male and female respondents separately to supplement and cross check the data gathered through the questionnaire. Three workshops involving the stakeholders of the three program elements, BDS, Jiendeleze and the FAIDA REA Market Linkage program were held to discuss the findings of the study and recommend strategies to enhance women s involvement in each of the specific programs. The study was conducted in four districts, Monduli, Same, Hanang and Tanga. Out of the 131 people who participated in the survey 35.2% were males while 64.8% were females. Slightly over 50% of the entrepreneurs interviewed operate in the trade sector while about 34% are involved in the agriculture sector. The rest of the entrepreneurs are involved in the manufacturing and production sector. Only about 12% of the enterprises earn over Tshs. 250,000 per month. The majority (60%) earns less than Tshs. 100,000 per month. In the agricultural sector the majority earned less than Tshs 50.000 per month.
Summary of major findings. The findings showed that overall women and men in business are performing quite similar in terms of income earned in the business. However, frequently women have no control how monies earned in their business is used. Often men decide on the use of the proceeds. This is specially prevailing in rural areas. The fact that the men are expected to provide capital or look for credit for women s business, enforces the recognition that men have the right to take decisions on the use of the proceeds. Furthermore, in customary law, when a man pays dowry he obtains the right to use and control resources brought in by the wife. In other cases it was reported that women with independent incomes are being forced to contribute increasingly to household expenditure. Men attempt to shift expenditures for which they were previously responsible onto women who are now earning some income. In addition to the entrepreneurial work, women perform the bulk of household work. Their domestic responsibilities include food production, processing, preparation and storage as well as the provision of fuel and water, sanitation, cleaning the house and laundry. Next to household responsibilities most of the burden of childcare falls upon women and although many women desire to have fewer children such wishes are rarely shared by men who usually want as many children as possible and who are particularly keen to have sons. It is also usually the men who decide on the family size. In case a woman tries to influence this by taking precautions she often does this secretly and at the risk of any reaction by the man at discovery. The study revealed that the first four major obstacles mentioned by business women were 1) Lack of capital, 2) Sexual harassment, 3) Obstruction from the husband and 4) House hold responsibilities. While the first obstacle was mentioned by all entrepreneurs also men equally, the second and third was only mentioned only by women. If calculated together Sexual harassment and obstruction from husband were the most important obstacles to business expansion, as mentioned by female entrepreneurs. Women employ different measures to solve the problems. These could include joining savings and credit women groups, ignoring the insults, reasoning with the husband and flexible opening hours of their businesses, in order to combine them with household duties. Cultural and traditional issues also affects women in business. For example in several areas it was mentioned that women could not own money or be seen in places with other men. It was also noted that although many women appreciate the value of attending both public and social gatherings many are not able to attend because their husbands do not allow them to do so. Social gatherings can more easily be accessed by women than public meetings, including those of TCCIA. Some tribes such as the Iraq and the Maasai have more entrenched customs compared to other tribes. Similarly Islam seems to have more traditions that are limiting factors to enterpreneurship development for women than Christianity, such as severe restrictions on free movement for women.
In many areas customs do not allow women to own fixed asset like land or a house. Even when a woman owns the asset the real control is usually exercised by the husband. The lack of land rights curtails woman s access to other inputs such as collateral based credit. Land rights and ownership is also important for entering into other formal contracts in agriculture such as marketing contracts for sales of produce, used in the market linkage program of FAIDA REA. In general the findings show that barriers for women into business are stronger in rural than in urban areas. The major factor contributing to success of some women entrepreneurs was education levels and training attended, including short term business training. In summary factors affecting negatively the performance of female entrepreneurs include: 1. Decision making on resources, influenced by power relations between men and women, skewed in favor of men who mostly control the use of resources and income 2. Decision on family size which is usually large as favored by and also decided on by men 3. The heavy work load for women including household duties and childcare for large families, which limits time to be spend on business and also on other public events. 4. Cultural barriers, especially in rural areas such as limited freedom to attend meetings, travel or move independently 5. Ownership of resources, influenced by traditional laws. 6. Sexual harassment and obstructions by husbands were cited to be among the major problems faced by female entrepreneurs. It was mentioned several times by men that they feel threatened by successful women, or they feel jealous when a women is moving around and has the possibility to meet other men. Summary of recommendations: The strategic workshops organized with staff of the three programs were used to develop strategies leading to improved gender balance in the programs. Research findings were used as an input to strategy development. Strategies relevant for all three programs were: 1. Focus on empowerment of women which includes enhanced assertiveness to deal with mayor obstacles and increased confidence in decision making on resources and use of proceeds. 2. Develop activities to sensitize both sexes on power imbalances, ownership rights and the heavy workload of women. It was suggested that progressive men / influential leaders could be used in awareness raising campaigns targeting both men and women.
3. Positive role models for women in business as well as successful women organizations and groups, should be identified and emphasized in trainings, campaigns etc. 4. Collaboration with expertise organizations on human rights, sexual rights should be established for development of training materials and awareness raising programs. More detailed strategies per program element were developed for Business Development Services, Private Sector Advocacy and the Market Linkage Program. Strategies for Business Development Services Business Development Services is seen as the broad range of training and advisory service to entrepreneurs to assist them to enhance their business. FAIDA SEP is assisting local BDS providers to develop products, including gender sensitive products, mostly for small and micro entrepreneurs. The following recommendations should enhance gender in the BDS service packages: 1. Gender modules should be incorporated in all training modules including Business awareness training, and other business trainings. This can include gender biased case studies and role models for training. 2. Gender sensitization training should also include men, and special modules for gender sensitization of men can be developed. Progressive men as positive role models. Influential leaders in the community can be identified to sensitize men and generate discussions on property ownership and the role of women in the community. 3. BDS providers could be involved in encouraging formation of women economic groups which could also be used as pressure groups for lobbying and advocating for women rights. Special modules for such groups can be developed on women rights, in collaboration with organizations like Women Legal Aid Center [WLAC], Tanzania Media Women s Association [TAMWA]. 4. BDS providers could assist women economic groups that will among other activities lobby for labor saving basic services such as day care centers, water availability, health services etc. 5. Special training for women groups to run saving and credit schemes can be developed. 6. Specific modules of interest for women with growing businesses could be developed on leadership and management, assertiveness and confidence building, specific experiences of successful business women, public speaking building self confidence and increase decision making abilities. 7. Study tours, exchange visits and participation in trade fairs should be arranged to enhance business skills picked during training. It appears that many business women like such events and it is an acceptable way of being exposed, since it is usually organized with many women. 8. Training modules for women could be developed on social marketing or domestic selling [especially for women who are subject to restrictions on movements], and on combining business with reproductive roles, for example by organizing joint labor saving strategies at local level. 9. BDS providers could also develop modules on religious and cultural barriers that will generate debate among the women and encourage them to identify creative solutions, especially in rural areas. 10. In collaboration with organizations like TAMWA lobby with the media to cover stories of successful business women to create role models.
Strategies for Jiendeleze, private sector advocacy program. Jiendeleze is the advocacy program dealing with facilitation of dialogue between the public and the private sector in the district. They collaborate with TCCIA at national level and experience that women are insufficiently participating in local chapters of TCCIA. During the workshop the following strategies were identified towards improvements: 1. TCCIA should identify women economic groups in their respective areas and where there are none facilitate their formation, in collaboration with NGOs and expertise organizations, with the objective of promoting group-based membership for women in TCCIA. Existing informal groups like Rotating savings and credit groups can be encouraged to become a member of TCCIA. 2. TCCIA, with assistance of SNV could identify role model business women who will be sensitized on the values of private sector advocacy. The women can then be used as promoters to sensitize other women through talks and promotion visits. The role models can also be used as resource person in awareness training, provided by BDS, and be encouraged to become members of TCCIA and promote other women to be members as well. 3. TCCIA at the national level should be sensitized on gender issues, referring to the positive intentions on gender reflected in the TCCIA policy. This could assist to mainstream gender approach in TCCIA, and install a gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation system for the national and district chambers. 4. The business community, including TCCIA, should be sensitized on the economic contributions of women to the Tanzanian economy. Data on the economic contribution of female entrepreneurs at the district level and national level should be published in order to create wide awareness on the economic potential of women. 5. Progressive men and influential leaders can be used as change agents for sensitization of men at all levels. 6. Jiendeleze should arrange with BDS providers so that they can include sexual harassment as one of the training modules, and establish methods of discussing the issue in TCCIA. 7. Jiendeleze could facilitate awareness training of women in business including, women empowerment and self-confidence in decision-making, in collaboration with FAIDA SEP and BDS providers 8. TCCIA with support of Jiendeleze could identify by-laws that are a hindrance to the participation of women entrepreneurs in forums like TCCIA, since currently the District Council by-laws are discussed in several districts. 9. TCCIA Monduli should participate in the ongoing efforts by the district council to develop a district council policy on gender. 10. Gender awareness should be one of the criteria for partner selection of district chambers for the Jiendeleze advocacy program. 11. TCCIA should identify the benefits that will accrue to the female entrepreneur by joining the chamber. The benefits should then be publicized, in small and accessible information packages for female entrepreneurs, in other words, TCCIA should market its organization among business women. 12. TCCIA could employ more women in order to reach and mobilize women membership for the chamber. Strategies for the Market Linkage Program.
The market linkage program is implemented by FAIDA REA and links small farmers to agricultural companies for marketing of produce. It is noticed that women are not participating in this program as much as desired and therefore during the workshop the following specific strategies were identified to improve the situation. 1. In their training programs FAIDA REA could create awareness on existing policies and laws on women and children rights by inviting organizations like Women s Legal Aid Center (WLAC), TAMWA as resource persons during training and awareness raising. Existing policies and bylaws on women rights should be included in Business Awareness Training as one of the modules. Also influential personalities and local community leaders could be invited to talk about the issue during trainings and mobilization campaigns. 2. The Market Linkage training/replication manual should include modules on food security; sexual harassment, women rights, gender awareness, gender biased case studies, roleplays, and games. 3. Women group leaders in rural areas should be trained in communication, salesmanship, leadership and negotiation skills to improve their bargaining skills. The market linkage program could work with other organizations in the district who have expertise on gender and stimulate formation of Women Economic Groups for agriculture production were there are none. 4. Such groups could be Supported to lobby with relevant district council authorities so that land can be allocated to them, since constraints to land ownership is a key limiting factor to individual women to participate in the Market linkage approach. 5. Deliberate steps to reduce participation fees for women in awareness and business training for market linkages to increase female participation in the market linkages could be considered as a temporary measure. 6. The staff of FAIDA REA should strive to know/study the cultural values and customs that are constraints to women development in agriculture in each area where the market linkage approach is operational. 7. It appears that the spot market information and linking on the spot, which has less formal procedures involved, appeals more to rural women. Also it often focuses at markets for food crops, therefore, this modality has great potential to encourage women to participate in the marketing program. They could grow more food crops for spot marketing so that they can increase incomes, which often are able to control. They could take advantage especially when they form groups for specific products and can sell them together. 8. The FAIDA REA program should research on new agricultural products of interest for women, special food crops and also some agro-processing facilities of foods. 9. In collaboration with others FAIDA REA could assist the women economic groups to develop and employ household duties sharing strategies that will give them more time to attend to economic activities. Furthermore efforts should be made to introduce labor saving technologies like modern stoves. Women should also be encouraged to lobby for basic social services like water, daycare centers and health services. 10. FAIDA REA could explore ways of increasing women participation in trade fairs and exchange visits, since this seems to be of interest for many rural women. Technical Exchange Visits [TEV] should be arranged and targeted to women with off-farm business e.g. beads, carvings, leather goods and food processing. Link the women to markets for these type of products. 11. Priority of selection of NGOs for Market Linkage replication should be given to the ones with gender sensitive policies. Training of Trainers modules should include gender sensitive materials.
12. For recruitment of new personnel in REA, gender sensitivity could be an important selection criteria. The strategies per program element were prioritized and incorporated in the plans for the coming funding phase. Based on these plans indicators for monitoring and evaluation systems on gender issues for each of the program elements will be established. Women attending a Market Linkage meeting