This project support 50 disadvantaged women from Roma community self employed whom are hardest impacted during the pandemic. Main women-led businesses are second hand clothes trade and tailoring. While facing lack of income to provide for their families, access to support and loans - this project will provide second hand clothes packages, textile for tailoring and mentoring to diversify trade products in order to respond to PostCOVID19 shift in market demand.
COVID19 pandemic lockdown in Albania suspended the economic activity and self employed Roma women living in Tirana who trade second hand clothes are among the hardest hit. Closure of markets resulted in less demand and buyers. As such, these women could not sell the winter stock creating for them economic hardship. In this situation, they face barriers to access support and loan, there is an increased rate of domestic violence cases and deteriorated women economic and social status.
Provide season adapted used clothes for the Roma women entrepreneurs to enable their return to the market and enhance the economic recovery of their business, improve family incomes, strengthen their economic independence, reduce family violence. Moreover, the mentoring to diversify trading products and adapt fast to the new economic dynamics of the post Covid-19 emergency will improve their selling, competitiveness and resilience.
The project will elevate economic recovery of 50 women-led business, which will improve it self-sustainability. The economic empowerment of Roma women will improve the balance of power visa a vis Roma men within the family and sustain children education which needs a long term subsidy from family budget. The improved economic status of Roma women will restore also their leadership role at community level.
