Creating Great Women in Partnership with ECHOsi
02.21.2013 – In the 21st century women can now be seen working side by side with men no matter the task. From simple jobs like farming to discovering the cure for cancer, women can be successful too.
The collaboration between Philippine Commission on Women-GREAT Women Project and EHCOsi (Enabling Communities with Hope and Opportunities Sustainable Initiatives) has developed a mutual partnership promoting social enterprise which develops small business that can help grow sustainable women-led livelihoods and economically empower women.
An official release post-press launch would give details of the upcoming products that would not only promote individual hard working women but also help the growing economy:
A new brand of specialty products made by local community women will soon be available in leading concept stores, mall outlets and labels of renowned Philippine designers.
GREAT Women brand is a new and distinct brand of up-scale food products, lifestyle goods and homeopathic care products manufactured by women micro- entrepreneurs throughout the country. The brand was derived from the GREAT Women Project, a governance and capacity development project of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) that aims to promote and support a gender-responsive enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment, particularly those in micro-enterprises.
PCW forged partnership with the Enabling Communities with Hope and Opportunities Sustainable Initiatives (ECHOSI) Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes products of local enterprise groups; and converged with national and local governments to support product development and widen market opportunities for women.
Various women’s products from project sites of Ifugao, Metro Naga, Quezon, Bohol, Iloilo, Leyte, PALMA+PB Alliance in North Cotabato and Davao del Sur were selected to be part of the brand. Previously, women food products needed improvements with regard to taste, texture, nutritional components, design and packaging, label, production processes involved and overall marketability while non-food products on functionality, relevance to fashion trends, form and overall quality.
Through the design clinics supported by the GREAT Women Project, women micro-entrepreneurs received technical advice and mentoring on value-adding for products, developing new product collection, managing the micro-enterprise, strengthening production capacities, proper packaging and labeling, and assistance with food and nutrition requirements and technologies.
With GREAT Women brand products breaking through new markets, it is expected that employment and income opportunities will be heightened for women micro-entrepreneurs and their communities.
GREAT Women products will initially be sold exclusively to all ECHOStore retail stores, Tesoro’s outlets and shops in March 2013. A product catalog may soon be downloaded for PCW’s website at: www.pcw.gov.ph
Source: Marc Cerbo
