More and Better Jobs for Women in Estonia (1999 - 2002)During its transition period Estonia experienced dramatic increases in unemployment which impacted particularly severely on women. In this context, the Government of Estonia approached the ILO for assistance in developing a National Plan of Action for More and Better Jobs for Women. With financial support from the Government of Finland, implementation began in January 1999 with a series of gender sensitization and awareness-raising seminars to build the capacity of local policy- makers and planners to better implement policies promoting women’s employment. A pilot project in two of the poorest rural counties, Valga and Viljandi, generated widespread local support. Women’s organizations worked closely with the local development authorities, trade unions and business groups to promote the economic revitalization of rural areas. Equipped with the training provided by an international expert, women identified viable opportunities for employment creation and enterprise development, such as rural tourism and alternative agricultural products. To translate these potentials into actual opportunities, more than 400 women participated in skills and business development programmes. A small micro-credit component was implemented to enable the women to take the next step and start their own enterprises. The local women’s active participation made them feel they “own” the project and this contributed to enhancing their self-confidence and empowerment. Regular dialogue between the network of women’s organizations and the local authorities gave women a stronger voice in their community’s development. Under the project targeted interventions were extended to other poor counties and special attention given to especially vulnerable groups, such as older women workers and ethnic Russian speaking groups. Voices of Women Entrepreneurs from the Project: After attending the ILO training courses Ave established a microbusiness (a self-employed person producing exclusive patchwork quilts, and lace). She participated in e-commerce training in Lithuania after which she ran a course for other Valga women. She was involved in the national mentoring programme thanks to which she developed successful business contacts with Finland. She now sells the quilts in Finland and Japan. Items of lace produced by her are becoming increasingly popular. Ave participates in an internet marketplace of Danish-St Petersburg and Estonian businesswomen. She says: “now I feel I’m the boss of my life and I have achieved this thanks to the ILO programme. I’m financially independent, I’m an equal partner now to my husband, I like the feeling so much. A real big difference for me was the course on self-confidence building; this immensely boosted by self-esteem! I registered my business (becoming a self-employed person in 2000). I wrote a business plan applying for a loan to start producing patchwork quilts. Driven by the need for income security I opted for paid employment in parallel to my business operation. It was in Valgamaa Turism. Having my home in Tõrva I had to commute for 1.5 years. But – being in the same building with Handicrafts Incubator I started to extensively network with handicraft makers; and could participate in the marketing training and developed confidence in my business. A real big change came when I my candidature was suggested by the ILO programme coordinator for an international contact seminar involving Finnish businesswomen. Thanks to it I got to know Finnish entrepreneurs and developed good contacts with a Finnish businesswoman who has a special store in Helsinki selling all sorts of equipment for patch-working. Now I have my patchwork quilts on sale there and also displayed in the store’s window. The contacts developed further and I now have a business partner in Finland thanks to whom I sent the first consignment of exclusive quilts to Japan. I often go to Finland nowadays and my friends keep asking: haven’t you grown apart with your husband because you’re so often away, abroad … I gave it a lot of thought and came to the conclusion that it’s just on the contrary – our relationship has entered a new phase and that’s all; I have stopped being a dependent, only a mother to my children and have grown into a true partner being financially independent, disposing of my own money, having my own opinion of things, but deep in my heart I basically the same. I think my independence is something that my husband may find a little bit difficult to put up with or get used to initially, but ultimately – it’s a win-win situation with lots of benefits for each and everybody in our family. And I know it”. Rita was trained in social work and dealt with disabled persons. Rita became a self-employed person in 2001. The rug-weaving business she has now is built on skills she got through self-study. She has participated extensively in marketing training, is board member of the NGO Valga Handicrafts Cellar and an excellent networker and helps other Valga women with marketing. Her items are on display also on the Handicraft Cellar’s web-site. She says: “I started networking with Handicraft Incubator members, participated in study tours within the ILO programme have proved – you can survive on handicrafts. I have to admit though, that it is not easy to explore the market alone, to test the selling techniques and get ideas for new designs and flexible pricing arrangements, to develop wider contacts. This I really did thanks to the ILO programme. I am particularly happy I could participate in the study tour to Finland together with the Estonian Folk Art and Crafts Union; and in the Frankfurt (Oder) trade fair. The ILO programme courses were extremely inspirational, I have a clear overview of the Estonian and to a certain extent foreign handicrafts markets; I developed extensive contacts with handicraft producers throughout the country. This I could not have done without the ILO. And we have the NGO Handicrafts Cellar (where we engage in joint selling activities helping many women improve their income opportunities. Being in search of new designs, materials and styles, I am particularly happy that the ILO programme helped initiate cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Arts. They first came to Valga county, and then in a study tour the Estonian Academy of Art’s textile workshops I was asked to start producing original fabrics for them. The cooperation is already under way; this is a big challenge for me and good learning opportunity. The ILO programme showed me how important it is for women to join their marketing efforts to reach wider markets. That is very difficult to do alone. It further helped enhance my business skills and strengthen my business. I have so many orders now I’m fully booked for months ahead. This fall I’m going to have more looms up; may-be even have my studio up and courses available right in the farm I live in. Thanks to ILO contacts I was also visited by Swedes this May and they invited me to do workshops in Sweden on rug-weaving. My work is appreciated and this inspires me to go on.” Aliise now runs a 16-bed holiday farm in a small place in Valga county and does it successfully. Thanks to ILO programme courses, she became a registered business-owner (self-employed person). She changed her career as a teacher to a career in business. She offers a range of services: accommodation, canoeing, nature trips, angling. She has an equal proportion of local and foreign clients, the annual number of visitors being around 1500. She says: “the ILO programme provided me easy access to information and training. I have widely disseminated the materials I got from courses to other women and used them for writing projects. I got two unemployment women from my village to ILO programme courses. Furthermore, I developed confidence to run in municipal elections. My plans include adding fish (trout) raising to my lines of business; I’d further like to deal with things I did in the Social Welfare Institution, may-be establish and NGO for that; I know what is needed for my community and its development. Life has to go on in the countryside.” Elina is Finnish, but came to Estonia after marrying an Estonian. Having lived here for eight years she considers Estonia her home. Elina was an active participants in the ILO programme, and attended the business start-up course in April 2002 and marketing courses. After the courses she established a private limited company in July 2002, and provides employment for two men. She says: “I heard about the ILO programme’s business courses (April 2002). I joined, because I had given some thought to setting up my own business, but my knowlewdge was so limited, I needed to learn badly. The ILO programme was immensely valuable for me. It helped boost my self-confidence, taught me business skills and gave me the opportunity to get out of home. I have always had friends in the village, a circle of people I socialised with, but really no one to talk about business. In the business course I met lots of women with the same interests as me, I could discuss business with them, share my concerns – it was just terrific! I liked very much the first day with the psychologist and the methods she used to integrate us into a close circle of friends that I keep communicating with and rely on when seeking help, contacts, etc. All this helped me to go on with my life. In July 2002, I established a company, Avisto Ltd and employed two men. Initially I had to borrow money from my acquaintances to buy equipment (second-hand), but I have already managed to pay it back. I’m very happy I have my dedicated staff who I can pay really decent wages and who I know are committed to their work. They help me in the warehouse, cut the metal etc, but as to the administration, accounting, general management – I do all myself. This is a source of joy for me, satisfaction from my work and the feeling of security that it gives me, a certain sense of pride. I have the markets in Viljandi and also neighbouring counties. Winter is not a busy season for a roofing business, but we survived last year. Flexibility is what I like, it helps me take care of my children.” Randi and Mare form a team, they always came together to the courses and sat next to each other. Randi and Mare have complementary skills which help them run handicrafts production: Randi’s more of a supplier; Mare provides designs and patterns, they employ 5 local women who produce sweaters; marketing they do together locally, nationally and also internationally (Japan). Both of them also knit. Randi and Mare provide employment to other local women. They both attended the business start-up and all other courses in Viljandi county. Before joining the ILO programme Koidu was a long-term unemployed living in a village in Valga county. In the transition period she lost her job as school cook. She is 47, divorced, has partially lost her work capacity due to chronic diseases. Koidu was a very active participant in the ILO programme from the very start. Koidu is now a registered self-employed person, a handicraft maker; member and doll-mummy of Võru county-based Forest Fairy’s Family Park (joins 9 local holiday farms) (she’s portrayed in the Park’s web-site. She is an active networker. Koidu cooperates with women-run clothing businesses in Valga where she gets raw materials (left-overs) cheap; and today already provides income opportunities for other local women selling their handicraft production. Helle lives in a small village close to Latvian border. She was an active participant in the ILO programme that she joined in 2000 and is now a microcredit group member. Helle has a raspberry and strawberry-growing business, established in 2002. In the winter time she provides sewing services and makes patchwork quilts. Becoming a self-employed persons means a big change in her life, a whole new career. She is keen on learning and never missed the chance to attend courses; being confined to home walls before, she has now developed into an active networker and a much more self-confident person. She says: “after the ILO programme came to my life, a whole new world opened up for me. Possibilities to learn, make new contacts, participate in contact seminars and study tours. What I liked particularly was that women could meet several times, that’s the best way to develop trust-based relations which are so important for business. I had great trust in the ILO programme and therefore, when I was offered the possibility to join the microcredit group by Valga County Business Information Centre I said yes. I decided to register myself as self-employed, it’s like a microbusiness, and started realising my plans on the 10,000-kroon microcredit. I expanded the plantation (1 ha today) and happily, this year it’s going to be a great crop. It’s important for me to feel you have other women around supporting you, I mean my microcredit group members and also the contacts I made. Since microcredit group members have complementary businesses, i.e. cafes, canteens and me a berry-grower, I have the market right at my hand; I supply them with berries. I can sell part of the production also locally. I had good selling opportunities in the contact seminar in Tallinn, and was even offered to supply frozen berries to a Tallinn-based Finnish-owned restaurant. So, my next step would be thinking of freezing equipment. |