International Development Grant

Women and Youth Entrepreneurs Leading Change

Project Number: CA-3-P005175001

Status: Closed

Country/Region:

West Bank Gaza 100.00%

Maximum Contribution: $10,000,000.00

Start Date: March 28, 2018

End Date: May 31, 2022

Duration: 4.2 years

Project Description

This project seeks to create an enabling entrepreneurship ecosystem for low-income women and youth in West Bank and Gaza. Inspired by the concept of Obader (Arabic for ‘I initiate’) the project aims to reduce structural and social barriers to entrepreneurship while simultaneously working to increase business opportunities for women and youth to successfully start-up sustain manage and grow environmentally conscious and sustainable businesses. Project activities include: (1) designing and delivering a media campaign to raise and challenge perceptions and attitudes towards women’s economic participation entrepreneurship and women in non-traditional enterprises and roles; (2) conducting awareness sessions promoting entrepreneurship; (3) delivering a capacity-building package including training exchange visits and role modelling to women entrepreneurs; and (4) holding networking and information sessions between micro-finance institutions banks business development centres incubators accelerators and youth entrepreneurs.

Expected Results

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) reduced gender-specific barriers to entrepreneurship for women and youth with a particular focus on handicrafts and embroidery food processing and agribusiness and non-traditional enterprises; (2) enhanced agency and business opportunities for women entrepreneurs to successfully establish sustain or grow a sustainable business in embroidery and handicrafts food processing and agribusiness and non-traditional enterprises; and (3) enhanced agency and business opportunities for youth entrepreneurs particularly young women to successfully establish sustain and/or grow a sustainable business.

Progress & Results Achieved

Results achieved as of March 2021 include: (1) reached 58 576 individuals (of whom 31 332 are women and 27 244 men) through social change initiatives designed and implemented to raise awareness on women’s economic rights and access to resources; (2) reached 4 070 259 individuals through the media campaign supporting women’s economic rights promoting women entrepreneurs and discussing gender-based violence; (3) supported 87% of targeted women improved their communication skills which enabled them to establish business relations with various value chain actors to market their products; and (4) 106 beneficiaries (of whom 80 are women 14 are young women and 12 are young men) by the COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative.

Key Information

Executing Agency:
CARE Canada

Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada

Program:
EGM Europe Arctic Middle East and Magh

Last Modified:
September 19, 2025

Development Classifications

DAC Sector:

Democratic participation and civil society 20%
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development 80%

Aid Type: Project-type interventions

Collaboration: Bilateral

Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation

Selection Mechanism:
Call for Proposals

Policy Markers
Level 1 Gender equality
Level 2 Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting)
Level 1 Participatory development and good governance
Level 1 Youth Issues
Major Funding (>$1M)
Budget Breakdown
2017-04-01 to 2018-03-31 $10,000,000 CAD
Geographic Information
107
Reference ID: 900