Business Group Formation Empowering Women and Men in Developing Communities

This manual helps trainers to promote group formation as a way to empower women and men in low income communities. It is designed for use in workshops to facilitate the process of group formation and development for joint production, business and/or social activities, such as buying raw materials together, sharing business premises, joint marketing and mutual assistance in coping with family emergencies.

The manual is based on a participatory learning approach which aims to enhance the trainees’ – members or potential members of informal business groups – capacity to set up, manage and strengthen their groups. It consists of two parts: a user guide explaining how to use this manual as part of an effective group formation strategy and a series of sessions for use during training. The latter cover a range of topics on the technical aspects of business group formation, as well as on core work and life skills such as working together and problem solving.