EmpowerHER

About this project

High poverty in rural areas in Côte d’Ivoire drives various social issues. Despite efforts from the private and public sector and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, gender inequality and child labour remain key issues on the development agenda. Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) are increasingly seen as promising interventions to contribute to a Living Income and child well-being of resource-poor households in rural areas. Key elements for the success of VSLAs include ease of implementation and access for members without complicated terms or registration procedures. ETG has embedded the VSLA approach in its core sustainability strategy. However, the informal nature of VSLAs is also a limiting factor. Loans taken through VSLAs may cover small farm expenses or school fees during periods of low income but are insufficient for larger entrepreneurial investments. One strategy to increase the social and economic impact of VSLAs is to include them in the formal financial sector and give members access to financial products, including larger amounts of loans, and reduce the risk for Micro Finance Institutes (MFIs).The EmpowHer project is a partnership between ETG and Beyond Beans & Microfinance institute Advans and targets VSLA's in the cocoa farming communities. In phase A of the project a thorough financial assessment of the selected VSLAs was conducted to assess their credit score. At the same time, Community-based organisations (CBO's) assessed the organis…

Published by

Netherlands Enterprise Agency · Government

Countries

Côte d’Ivoire

Sectors

School feedingAgricultural development

Focus

Trade development · Also contributes

Funded by

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Implemented by

Beyond Beans ci, Export Trading Corporation Côte d’Ivoire SARL, ETG Commodities B.V.

Accountable

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Published by Netherlands Enterprise Agency to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 3 Jun 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: NL-KVK-27378529-SSF24S004.

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