Empowering Women in Informal Cross Border Trade in the Great Lakes Region

a) Project background
 Since December 2019, PFTH in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is implementing the Empowering Women in Informal Cross-Border Trade in The Great Lakes Region (EWICBT) project. The project aims to contribute to social economic empowerment of women in cross border trade between DRC and Rwanda.
b) Project general objective
 The overall objective of this project is to contribute to social economic empowerment of women in cross border trade between DRC and Rwanda. This will be achieved through improving their business environment and increasing their income and their social economic welfare.

Specific objectives
 To improve the legal and policy framework for WICBT
 To provide access to legal aid services to WICBT
 To increase WICBT’s access to Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights
 To strengthen the entrepreneurial and financial capacity of WICBT

c) Key target group and area of coverage
 The project targets more than 5,525 women involved in informal cross border trade (WICBT) between DRC and Rwanda on Bukavu/Rusizi & Goma/Rubavu border posts& their husbands who have a start-up capital of less than fifty thousand Rwandan francs (50,000 Frw)

d) Project implementation approaches
 Improved legal services for WICBT, Enhanced prevention and response to gender-based violence & harassment for WICBT, Improved Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights for WICBT, Improved entrepreneurial & financial capacity for WICBT.
 Among the approaches to be used include capacity building of WICBT grouped in cooperatives, financial literacy and linkage, do no harm and human rights-based approaches

e) Key project interventions / activities
 Training of WICBT on advocacy & policy influencing,Training of WICBT on their rights & obligations, Training of WICBT & husbands on gender equality focusing on unpaid care work, Linking WICBT & husbands with SRHR service providers, Production & distribution of compilation of most used CBT laws, procedures & policies, Provision of legal representation before courts, organization of bio-monthly mobile legal aid clinics, Training of WICB on cooperative management, Support in creation of cooperatives, Training local authorities & border officials on women rights & GBV.

f) Project implementing partners :
  Pro-Femmes/TweseHamwe
  iPeace
  Network University