ILO Tools for Women's Entrepreneurship Development
This tool chart presents all the ILO guides used within the framework of WED. It specifies what it is,for whom, what is does and its objectives.



TOOLS |
For Whom |
What it is |
What it does |
Objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Government units, small enterprise and WED support agencies, Business Development Services (BDS) providers |
A research and policy analysis tool for assessing the supportive mechanisms that exist in a country to assist women entrepreneurs with growth potential. |
Proposes a review of a range of supportive mechanisms, measures and actions that can enhance women entrepreneurs’ growth prospects. |
To identify policy recommendations that could enhance women entrepreneurs’ growth prospects in a country or region. | |
Business support organizations |
A gender self-check to identify improvements in an organization’s operations with respect to the needs of women entrepreneurs. |
Guides facilitators in doing a self-check of one’s own organization, bringing employees and managers together to discuss ideas for improvement in service delivery. |
To improve services that business support organizations provide to both women and men entrepreneurs. | |
Low-income women |
A training tool for low-income women engaged in or wishing to start a small-scale business. |
Taking into account strategic gender-based issues, provides practical information about income-generation and enterprise activities. |
To strengthen basic business and management skills of women entrepreneurs. | |
SME Development practitioners working on Value Chain Analysis (VCA) |
A guide that takes an explicitly gendered approach and applies principles of participatory approaches to VCA. |
Highlights the complex socio-cultural and economic factors involved in value chains to show how gender relations impact on its different parts. |
To improve the effectiveness, equity and outreach of development interventions in the SME sector that use value chain analysis. | |
Women in micro and small enterprises |
A guide for facilitators to use in trade fair training workshops for women entrepreneurs. |
Provides practical guidance in marketing, communications and promotional activities that would enhance access to better quality market opportunities. |
To encourage and support women micro-entrepreneurs’ participation in trade fairs and exhibitions. | |
Women entrepreneurs and organizations |
A guide to assist organizations involved in the promotion of women entrepreneurs through events that highlight their role and contribution in socio-economic development. |
Proposes a series of sequential tasks to successfully organize and implement Month of the Woman Entrepreneur (MOWE) celebrations. |
To build organizations’ capacity to promote the potential and the achievements of women entrepreneurs through Month of the Woman Entrepreneur (MOWE) events. | |
Women Entrepreneurs’ Associations (WEAs) and Small Business Associations (SBAs) |
A training tool designed to build the capacity of WEAs in running and improving their associations. |
A training package that covers different topics on creating a successful WEA and uses practical activities and discussions to create awareness on gender inequality and gender specific issues. |
To assist WEAs and SBAs to run and improve their associations. |
TOOLS |
For Whom |
What it is |
What it does |
Objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Service providers |
A training tool for improving the skills of staff in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) support institutions and projects, enabling them to provide more effective services. |
Provides an introduction to a range of supportive tools and approaches that can benefit women entrepreneurs. |
To build institutional capacity in WED with a focus on business creation, formalization and expansion. | |
Trainers from various organizations interested in supporting micro and small enterprise development |
A training tool for trainers to promote group formation as a way to empower women and men in low income communities. |
Designed to facilitate the process of group formation and development for joint production, business and/or social activates. Based on participatory learning approach and consists of a user guide and a series of training modules. |
The manual promotes group formation as a way to empower women and men in low income communities. | |
Trainers from various organisations interested in increasing the financial literacy of very poor men and women. |
A guide to educate vulnerable groups: mothers of working children, in financial literacy. The manual emphasizes gender equality & follows a participatory adult-learning approach for learners with limited formal education & training. |
The manual helps the targeted groups to better manage their finances. The training aims to make women and men more informed and empowered decision-makers, able to set financial targets and reach them, whether in the household or in a small-scale business. |
♦ Support women & men to make better spending, savings & investment decisions, by creating a family budget & managing debt ♦ Enable parents to reach financial goals without relying on child labour ♦ Expand women’s economic decision-making in a business & household. | |
For trainers in organisations interested in rural development and particularly in empowering women to help themselves & their neighbors. |
Tool to prepare women (and men) to start & manage a self help group. It includes guidelines for trainers, savings book, loan book, individual savings & loan card, cash book & pictures for use in promotional activities. |
This tool helps women and men in organizing themselves into groups of up to 20 members, and to set up the administrative procedures and the internal regulations needed for a saving and loan scheme. |
Intended to assist in the designing and managing of self-help groups as a productive alternative for very poor people to build up some savings and to counter the indebtedness problem. | |
The handbook is designed for agencies interested in setting up a village banking scheme. |
Provides practical details about village banking: how it works & what principles to ensure success. Includes operations, savings & loan policies, management, rules & regulations, gender equality & accounting; details the role of support organizations. |
The main purpose of the handbook is to help improve management at the village level and strengthen the support each bank receives. To guarantee the endurance and success of a village bank, different types of support services are needed after the initial setting up phase, such as technical assistance or auditing. |
The manual promotes village banking as a tool to improve income-generating opportunities. |