Boosting capacity building of Southern women entrepreneurs on trade, market access

WDF-H Chairperson M. Piyaseeli (left) and USAID PARTNER project Chief of Party Malith Gunasekara exchange the Letter of Cooperation to officially launch a capacity building program for women entrepreneurs 

• Key initiative by Hambantota Women’s Development Federation and USAID PARTNER project 

The Women’s Development Federation of Hambantota has recently signed a Letter of Cooperation with the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure and Revenue (PARTNER) project to increase the trade and market access capabilities of women entrepreneurs.

The capacity building program will support up to 30 women-owned micro and small enterprises in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka with training and coaching on business development, leadership skills, and accessing export markets. 

USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman said: “The US and Sri Lanka share a vision of prosperity that includes the participation of women-owned businesses in export markets. This agreement brings us one step closer to that vision.”

Following the signing of the agreement, Women’s Development Federation Chairperson M. Piyaseeli said: “We are glad to enter into a partnership with the USAID PARTNER project to build the capacity of women-led micro and small enterprises in the southern region. This is an important milestone for our organisation, as we are exploring opportunities to extend our services to women entrepreneurs, building upon our decades of experience in livelihood assistance and micro-finance support for women.”

The Women’s Development Federation of Hambantota offers financial and non-financial services to empower women and their families in Hambantota and Moneragala districts. It has over 70,000 members and has operated for over 30 years.

USAID’s PARTNER project is a five-year initiative that helps to minimise bottlenecks to trade, as well as strengthen foreign direct investment and small businesses and associations to promote a vibrant private sector in Sri Lanka. This project is part of the longstanding partnership between the American and Sri Lankan people to support self-reliance and promote a healthy, educated, and employed population.