ABOUT US - WE Act Cambodia

WE Act OVERVIEW

Women Entrepreneurs Act “WE Act” is a Pact-led project that supports young women entrepreneurs to strengthen their skills, business linkages, and participation with relevant associations. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact in collaboration with diverse local organizations and companies, this five-year project is focusing on urban-based micro, small and medium businesses owned by young women in Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap and two additional urban centers soon to be selected

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Young women entrepreneurs access the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to succeed in the marketplace (or labour force).

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Cambodian citizens especially youth engage constructively in dialogue around socio-economic issues related to their businesses, their families, communities and nation. It is to enable meaningful voice of multi-stakeholder dialogues and support decision-making processes.

OUR APPROACH

Empowerment

Empowering young women is at the core of WE Act and cuts across all of our work. We believe women are empowered when they have access to resources that enable them to have viable choices in their lives, they have personal agency to define their goals and to act on them, and they realize achievements that are aligned with their chosen goals. This is WE Act’s ultimate objective.

Resources enhance women’s ability to make choices, and include a range of different material, human and social resources that they may draw on in pursuit of their goals. Accessing appropriate resources is a precondition for empowerment. For young women entrepreneurs, this includes information, skills building, financing, social capital and the physical assets that make enterprises viable.

Agency is a woman’s capacity to define her own life choices and to act on those choices. Agency is the process of empowerment, and for young women entrepreneurs this includes the ability to use their voice, participate, influence, and ultimately to take ownership of decisions that impact their life opportunities.

Achievements are the outcomes of choice, otherwise seen as living the life one wants to live. For young women entrepreneurs, this may be increased incomes or healthier and more prosperous families.

WHAT WE DO

Informed by robust conceptual frameworks, a systems-thinking approach, and findings from research with a wide range of entrepreneurs, youth leaders, and systems actors in Cambodia, we undertake the following to unlock the potential of young women entrepreneurs and youth leaders in Cambodia in six focus areas:

1. Responsive Business Networks

We will partner with and support existing business networks working to help young women entrepreneurs build their personal networks and grow their businesses sustainably. We’ll focus on networks that are creating inclusive and accessible space and services that enable young women to exercise personal agency to influence network decision making and to access ongoing mentorship that meets their unique needs.

2. Business Skills Building

We will work with organizations and institutions that provide demand-driven technical assistance and regular, quality and sustained business training programs to young women entrepreneurs. We’re interested in the technical side, including support for quality business planning, as well as in ‘so skills,’ so that young women have the confidence needed to pursue their life choices.

3. Reduce Barriers to Appropriate Forms of Capital

Financial capital is critical for business success, but only if it is the right capital that is accessed and managed in responsible and strategic ways. We will work with institutions that are helping to make financing for entrepreneurs accessible and appropriate for their circumstances. We’ll support those that make information about financing available and easy to understand, as well as those that help women to increase their financial literacy so they can better manage their business and personal finances.

4. Participation in Policy Formulation and Government Leadership

We will work with institutions, big and small, that are engaging with policy makers to support a more business friendly environment – one that enables and encourages young women to succeed in pursuing their goals. We will support initiatives that help government to understand where they can improve delivery of information and services that are responsive to the needs of young women entrepreneurs. Linked to this, we will support legal service providers that ensure young women are able to navigate a complex legal and regulatory environment.

5. Appropriate Engagement Platforms

We will support efforts to enable meaningful engagement between young women and key decision-makers in government, civil society, and the private sector. We know this will require shaking things up a bit, so we will work with non-traditional engagement platforms and mechanisms, and we will support civic leaders that are organizing constructive approaches to affect change through issue-based advocacy.

6. Changing Social Norms

Underlying everything we do is the recognition that young Cambodian women are living, working and dreaming in a society where widely held norms and expectations restrict their ability to choose certain paths. We will strive to address restrictive social norms, as deeply entrenched as they may be. This will include promoting family support for young women and showcasing positive role models that women can look to for inspiration and motivation.

Explore opportunities to become an implementing partner of WE Act.

WE Act TEAM

We are a team of problem-solvers, who are driven by our passion for supporting young Cambodians to reach their fullest potential. Collectively, we bring a broad range of experiences and skills that have been built over many years of working in Cambodia and beyond.