International Development Grant

Integration of Women Producers into Effective Markets

Project Number: CA-3-A033372001

Status: Closed

Country/Region:

Pakistan 100.00%

Maximum Contribution: $6,852,083.00

Start Date: December 06, 2007

End Date: June 28, 2013

Duration: 5.6 years

Project Description

The goal of this project is to empower women in hard-to-reach rural areas increase their household incomes and build the capacity of Pakistani institutions to facilitate women's access to viable markets with appropriate products. The project aims to provide homebound and isolated rural women with sustainable market linkages product information quality control skills development improved market supplies and other support that enables them to access growing and dynamic markets with the products demanded by contemporary consumers. To achieve the above the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) works with Pakistani civil society organizations and district governments that are already working on income generation with poor rural women producers to develop their capacity to undertake successful market development programming. MEDA expects to provide technical assistance and training on collaborative value chain analysis and program design to ensure sustainable market development approaches that effectively integrate women and provide them with a fair return on their labour.

Progress & Results Achieved

Results achieved as of the end of the project (June 2013) include: (1) increased household incomes of almost 20 000 small-scale women entrepreneurs by up to 144 percent surpassing the project target; (2) increased profits for women sales agents in each of the project's four sub-sectors (embellished fabric glass bangles seedlings and fresh milk); and (3) increased participation of women in community-based savings groups allowing them to save small amounts of money for them to invest or to meet the needs of their families. These results have contributed to empowering women in hard-to-reach rural areas

Key Information

Executing Agency:
Mennonite Economic DevelopmentAssociates of Canada

Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada

Program:
OGM Indo-Pacific

Last Modified:
September 19, 2025

Development Classifications

DAC Sector:

Democratic participation and civil society 30%
Business support services and institutions 50%
Cottage industries and handicrafts 20%

Aid Type: Donor country personnel

Collaboration: Bilateral

Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation

Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP

Policy Markers
Level 2 Gender equality
Level 1 Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting)
Major Funding (>$1M)
Budget Breakdown
2007-04-01 to 2008-03-31 $6,852,083 CAD
Geographic Information
000";Budget Type:Original;Start Date:2008-04-01;End Date:2009-03-31;Value Date:2007-12-06;Value:"$1
Reference ID: 600