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Project Title: Support for the Reactivation and Establishment of
Micro and Small Women and Youth Enterprises (WED and YED) with Entrepreneurial
and Technical Training using e-Learning Support
Project Site
Bam Region, Kerman Province, Iran
Implementing Agencies
Provincial and Local governments, Bam Municipality, NGOs
in the Bam region
Executing Agency
UNIDO/HWA
Estimated Cost
US$ 258,500 (including programme support cost)
Funding Sources and Project Partners
Funds managed by UNIDO HQ
Funds locally managed by the TVTO office in Kerman
Rural Cooperation Organization of Iran (RCOI): US$ 15,000,
Magfa ITDC US$ 10,000; Provincial/Governor?s Office of Kerman US$ 100,000
(20,000 for training and 80,000 for Micro credit facilitation to entrepreneurs).
UNIDO Seed Money allocation to be requested in 2007: US$50,000
Estimated Starting date
December 2005
Duration
24 months
Project completion date (expected)
December 2007
<%=pgTitle%> <%=pgContent%>A Trust Fund
Agreement (TFA) was signed on 12 and 15 December 2005 between UNIDO and
Hilfswerk Austria, for the joint implementation of
the Integrated Programme-related Project in Bam, Kerman Province, Iran.
A
project website has been constructed for regular updating. This website should
be a powerful communication and information tool for networking with those
partners working on the project and those who are interested in getting
information on the project status. This website will be managed and regularly
updated by Magfa ITDC.
Background of the Project
This project is prepared to support
Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Development (WED/YED), which is a component of
the Integrated Programme for Iran. It is to assist in the rehabilitation of
earthquake affected communities and vulnerable population groups (Women/Youth).
This proposal is also contributing to the UN /Government of Iran Strategy for
the new Bam. The project is intended to reduce the vulnerability of the
municipality of Bam and its adjoining villages, especially the marginalized
sections of society, women and youth entrepreneurs, and to enhance their
capacity to cope with the consequences of the earthquake that struck this area
on 26th December 2003. Vulnerability is determined by a wide range of factors
among which people?s access to assets, productive activities & employment
opportunities rank high. It can be considerably reduced by promoting and
implementing livelihood development strategies.
Following the massive
earthquake in the Bam region/Kerman province, which has left an enormous pocket
of poverty, a request for assistance has been made by the Government of Iran and
UN agencies which participated in the Flash Appeal. The impact of the earthquake
has left deep scars on different sectors of the local economy and the worst hit
are the agriculture and horticulture sectors that were at the centre of Bam?s
development.
During 2003, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
(MOLSA) trained 3,000 people from Bam at its centres located at the Technical
and Vocational Training Organization (TVTO) and provided them with access to
small loans to set up small businesses. Several of these small businesses have
been destroyed by the earthquake and suffered large-scale damage. The emphasis
on the development strategy for Bam, within the framework of UNDAF and
collaboration with the NGO communities, is to facilitate sustainable
reconstruction that reduces the risk exposure, and maximizes on the development
gains.
The project will, amongst other actions, establish a training and
services? program, both via direct training, and through interactive e-Learning
using computers and networking, for women and youth who are active
entrepreneurs, for those whose entrepreneurial activities were stopped by the
earthquake and for those who wish to be entrepreneurs and who demonstrate the
determination to progress. The programmes will be supported by a Pilot
Demonstration Centre, established to provide demonstrations of production
processes and technologies and to allow hands on training of the entrepreneurs
and selected personnel. Business Development Services (BDS) will provide
administrative assistance, advice and other similar support. Networks of
entrepreneurs and community clusters will be encouraged and organized in order
to obtain the benefits of interchange of information and other group activities.
Finally, mechanisms will be established to assist the entrepreneurs to acquire
complete and practical knowledge and understanding of the markets and where
possible, to extend their sales outside of their locality. These actions will
be guided by market surveys that will be designed to identify products and
services that are under-represented in the market, and especially, those that
are urgently required by the community for the reconstruction and
rehabilitation.
Overall and immediate objective of the project:
The
developmental objective is to enable the traumatized population of Bam,
particularly the most vulnerable groups, women and youth, to regain
self-confidence, and to increase their level of employment and income, through
their reintegration as entrepreneurs into the earthquake-affected region. This
will support the recovery of livelihoods, the promotion of gender equality and
empowerment of the vulnerable sections of communities for poverty reduction.
To substantially increase and improve the number of MSEs producing goods and
services operated by women and young persons, and set up new enterprises owned
and managed by these entrepreneurs to support those dispossessed by the
earthquake. The project will provide them, through WED/YED training and
e-Learning facilitation, with skills and knowledge necessary to take advantage
of the business opportunities in priority sub-sectors, in line with market
demands.
To provide support to those WE/YE, with more advanced entrepreneurial and
the technical programs, continuous learning opportunities for skills development
and cost-effective programs through an extremely versatile interactive
e-Learning system as part of business development support services, accessible
to all.
National/Regional counterparts:
Technical and Vocational
Training Organization (TVTO) of the Iranian Labour Ministry (MOLSA), NGOs
located in Bam, Government and Provincial Authorities, Ministries, Private
sector involved in rebuilding Bam affected communities, UNESCO, Magfa IT
Development Centre
