Rural Women Micro Enterprise Cooperative Development
When EDGF went to construct a safe drinking water project in Ntungfe, they met with the village desperate and marginalised poor, who do not have access to financial services, and so depend on men in the community for supplies. Women are typically viewed in the community as farm hands. The women had created a potato cooperative as a link to their farming activities. This project aims at empowering the women to achieved their long desired goal of improved livelihoods.

Enterprise Development & Governance Facility (EDGF) has been registered since July 2009 and stated in their application to UCF that their:

• Mission is: Facilitating improved livelihoods and sustainable communities through emerging technologies and innovative skills;
• Vision is: Meeting the needs of the “poorest of the poor”, the hungry and the oppressed in ways that help them help themselves to be fed and free from hunger and economic ignorance.
• Aims are: To empower the vulnerable poor with occupational skills for self and sustainable communities.

EDGF’s Rural Women Micro Enterprise Cooperative Development Project is designed to:

1. re-enforce and activate a women’s potato cooperative by retraining 40 women cooperative
   Members, accompanied by monthly cooperative /farming systems education for 12 months
2. provide seed grant-revolving credits to 12 of the trained women, with monthly coaching and mentoring for 12 months

EDGF do not just provide the training and seed money for the women and walk away. They are aware that successful enterprises are born of ongoing support and guidance as well as shared experience and community.

To that end, EDGF will run a one-day Micro Credit Farmer Cooperative Development Training Workshop. This involves 5 volunteers, each giving 90 minutes training for 40 potato cooperative women of Ntungfe, subsequently, volunteers will be alternating once a month to go out for monthly education sessions.

Outcomes of this training:

• 40 women potato cooperative women trained and practicing skills acquired
• Women’s Potato Cooperative reactivated and functioning, with monthly cooperative education for a year
• 12 women receive revolving credits and practicing skills and savings to build up the cooperative fund – 12 new micro businesses set up
• Women’s potato cooperative is in place and functioning – a centre for mobilising poor women
• Village women solidarity based on cooperative principle of “All for each, and Each for All”, uniting for self and community development

UCF was pleased to approve this EDGF project for the women of Ntungfe which is due to begin on 10 March 2016. The grant amount was $2,000 AUD.