International Development Grant
Empowering women and girls in the informal economy in Honduras
Project Number: CA-3-P005963001
Status: Closed
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $1,701,807.00
Start Date: October 15, 2019
End Date: June 15, 2023
Duration: 3.7 years
Project Description
The project aims to impower women and girls between the ages of 15 and 40 years old working in the informal economy sector and living in the urban and peri-urban areas of the departments of Cortés Atlantida and Francisco Morazan Honduras. The project also works to reduce poverty and increase the well-being of the targeted women thereby strengthening their social and political power. This ultimately contributes to reducing poverty for their families communities and the general population. Project activities include: (1) providing training to approximately 3 000 informal economy workers (of which 80% are women) on their basic rights including the reproductive and sexual rights of women and girls; (2) organizing a three-party seminar to advance legislative bills to better support and protect the women and men working in the informal economy sector; (3) providing leadership and communications training to 2 500 women and girls in the informal economy sector; and (4) providing training to trainers on strategies to empower women and girls of 150 officials from member and affiliated groups of the Federación de Organizaciones de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras del Sector Social de la Economía de Honduras (FOTSSIEH).
Expected Results
The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased dignified decent and productive economic opportunities for approximately 2 500 women and girls working in the informal economy sector in the urban and peri-urban areas of the departments of Cortés Atlántida and Francisco Morazan; and (2) increased empowerment of women and girls and their communities to eliminate violence discrimination and other forms of abuse against women working in the informal economy.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of the end of the project (October 2023) include : (1) 3 500 people nearly 80% of whom were women were reached in the retail handicraft sewing cooking and small-scale farming sectors in the departments of Cortez Francisco Morazan Atlantida and Yoro; (2) 5 initiatives or bills were carried out with the aim of increasing social coverage for women in the informal sector. These included 1 draft bill on women’s safety at work 1 draft bill targeting the social security of workers in the informal economy sector 1 regulation on parity and rotation in the political participation of women and men in electoral processes and 1 draft bill on work for self employed workers (informal sector); (3) 2 942 people received training in entrepreneurship (84% women); (4) 38 labour federation organizations increased their capacity to support economic empowerment initiatives; (5) nearly 2 500 women and girls from the informal economy among others increased their skills and knowledge in entrepreneurship and leadership through union training; (6) 34 women’s entrepreneurship initiatives among others were launched through the signing of agreements with the International Labour Organization (ILO) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the ministry of education of Honduras the vocational training institute the national services for entrepreneurship and small business the secretary of agriculture and livestock and Honduras’ secretariat for women’s affairs. This includes providing assistance to 302 families in the form of technological vouchers for agriculture (fertilizers) and implementing a literacy program for women in the informal sector; (7) 2 400 women participated in training advocacy and awareness-raising activities on the issue of violence against women; (8) created and set up the comprehensive support centre for women in the informal sector; (9) 769 women and girls received free medical psychosocial and legal support services fro
Key Information
Executing Agency:
Alternatives
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Call for Proposals