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Introduction:

The Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) project was implemented in conjunction with two other projects undertaken by CECI.

1) The national level component of WEE contributed funds to a multi-donor (Ford Foundation, USAID, CECI) project called the Savings and Credit Development Project (SACRED).

2) The local level component of WEE was implemented alongside the CECI/MARD/SHOPS-2 project (co-funded by CECI and USAID). Both projects operated in the same areas and use the same partner NGOs.

Goal and Purpose:

The Goal of WEE was the economic empowerment of women and the purpose was to increase the access of women to savings and credit services and their involvement in income generating micro--enterprises.

Objectives:

• To identify a set of principles that define ‘best practices' in the promotion, institutionalization and operation of community based SCOs in Nepal ;
• Based on these principles, to elaborate a set of training strategies, curriculum and management tools for the operation of community-based SCOs in Nepal ;
• To test these strategies and materials in a range of institutional and community settings, through agencies actively engaged in the promotion of SCOs, as well as directly through selected self-emerged SCOs
• To contribute to the national process of financial policy reform, with particular emphasis upon the elaboration of legislation addressing the financial intermediation functions of NGOs and SCOs;
• To facilitate networking activities amongst SCOs such that the foundation is laid for the emergence of viable and sustainable organizations.