System Innovation for Women’s Economic Empowerment (SIWEE) is a pioneering, collaborative action learning oriented initiative, designed to catalyse and facilitate transformational change for women’s economic empowerment. Fundamental to SIWEE’s value proposition is that, it aims to take a systemic approach to structural issues best addressed by a coalition of multiple actors, recognising that single actors have been unsuccessful in resolving the complex challenges of effecting real transformations in Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) on their own.
Its ultimate end-goal is to develop solutions tailored and relevant to resolving complex and systemic social challenges and barriers
It is distinct in that it seeks to and requires the engagement of multiple players with the power to affect the different parts of the system for which a solution is required/ ‘solution system’. Outcomes focused, outputs aim at developing solutions that are ‘fit for purpose’ and will make a real difference when implemented for Women Farmers in target communities within 3 value chains (Cocoa, Shea and Sorghum).
SIWEE works on two main workstreams seeking to systemic challenges.
Priority areas of intervention are ‘Women access to finance’ and ‘Education and advocacy’ with social norms as a cross cutting theme. It has been established that women are the most limited in accessing credit and financial service by gender wise analysis of access to financial services. Limited access to collateral capital especially landed assets, high interest rates, acute shortage of financial institutions in rural locations among others are some of the contributory factors limiting access. Also, women lack or have inadequate financial literacy or knowledge of financial products which limits their ability to access financial services.
