Canadian Co-operative Association

Published purpose

The project aims to enhance the economic prosperity of women in Ukraine, particularly those internally displaced and living in target regions. The project focuses on women with disabilities and women living in rural or peri-urban areas struggling with economic survival, meeting basic needs for their families, and facing increased vulnerability to poverty. It works to assist beneficiaries in finding employment within existing garment production enterprises. The project also supports them in creating sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families through entrepreneurship in the garment sector. The garment sector is a key sector that identifies employment gaps and opportunities for women’s leadership. In response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, certain project activities were adapted to address new immediate needs and protect previous development gains. Canada’s development partners in Ukraine pivoted project activities to respond to the evolving context in several ways, such as providing emergency supplies, equipment and services, mental health, transportation and accommodation. The beneficiaries, scope, expected results and geographic location of project activities may changed from the original description. Project activities include: (1) delivering access to employment training activities, including vocational and workplace integration training; (2) providing tailored capacity-building support to women looking to establish new micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and women who own or manage existing MSMEs in the garment industry; (3) establishing a loan fund to be used by primary credit unions in the target regions to provide loans to cooperatives and MSMEs members; and (4) supporting garment co-operatives through strategic planning workshops, business plan development, and identifying sustainable and environmentally responsible growth opportunities