Supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

"SUPPORTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSIN AGRICULTURE 2012 - 2015

Volume 7 / September / 2014

In this edition:

NEWSLETTER

Completion of the Business Course in Mitrovica North Women from the Serbian and Bosnian Communities

June, 2014From February - May, 2014 in four municipalities of Mitrovica North (Zubin Potok, Leposavic, Zvean and the Bosnian neighborhood) 119 women entre-preneurs in agriculture from the Serbian and Bosnian communities divided into four groups successfully completed the nine steps of the business course How to start a successful business. Each group of woman and young girls in agricul-ture that participated in the business course had as a purpose to increase their managing capacities and indentifying ideas based on concrete resources, products they cultivate, the trading activity they develop and their interest to start and expand their business. As a result during this period women and young girls beneficiaries of the project Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture 2012-2015 (with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark) beside the group business plans they also compiled 96 individual business plans based on the unique ideas of women entrepreneurs for a period of four months in Mitrovica North.

The SHE-ERA staff is continuously supporting these groups from the Serbian and Bosnian community through monitoring, advice, and providing information on realizing their business plans through international and local developing partners. Also, SHE-ERA is working on creating a value chain between: suppliers-producers-collection points-processors to the client (market). The interest of women and young girls from Mitrovica North including its four municipalities and all communities, to become beneficiaries of SHE-ERAs programs is increasing on a daily basis and so far we have 600 interested women from the Serbian, Bosnian and Albanian communities.

At the moment they sell their products at supermarkets such as ETC, and other key locations in the city of Peja, however now they intend to expand their market in other cities as well. As a collaboration result between SHE-ERA and NGO Zana from Klina, Qendresa and Arbresha have made a new investment after being beneficiaries of a 5x16 m greenhouse from the Embassy of the United States in Pristina where they are going to grow vegetables such as peppers, tomato and lettuce.

Examples of good practices of women entrepreneurs in the region of Mitrovica and Peja

June, 2014- Arbresha dhe Qndresa Shala - Arbresha and Qendresa Shala from the village of Loxha (Peja region) have grown strawberries since 2007. Their family owns 70 Ar. of land which yields around 10,000 kg. of strawberries and gener-ates a good annual profit. Currently, 4 family members of the Shala family and 7 employees are engaged in the growing process of strawberries, this way increasing managing capacities for women from this village and simultaneously increasing the number of people employed. After attending the one-month training How to start a successful business, Qendresa and Arbresha have decided to expand their business for 30 Ar. more, consequently leading to an increase in production. They claim that the business course offered by SHE-ERA within the project Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture 2012-2015 has empowered them by providing the necessary motivation to think from an entrepreneurial perspective.

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- Completion of the Business Course in Mitrovica North Women from the Serbian and Bosnian Communities.- Examples of good practices of women entr- epreneurs in the region of Mitrovica and Peja. - Results achieved during the monitoring peri- od in the region of: Gjakova, Gjilan and Mitro- vica Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture - The Ambassadors of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Embassy of Netherlands and the Albanian Embassy in Kosovo visited SHE-ERA.- Field Day on Industrial Tomato production.- Meeting for cooperation with USAID repres- entatives.- The launch of the new TEB J.S.C. and the Cooperation Agreement between SHE-ERA and TEB Bank.

Results achieved during the monitoring period in the region of: Gjakova, Gjilan and Mitrovica Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture

June, 2014

According to the new monitoring and data-base methodology which we are applying, SHE-ERA updates its data with concrete and proper results in measuring the indicator and the progress of the groups of women entrepre-neurs from our offered services. Monitoring is carried out on a permanent basis in four regions included in the project: Gjakova, Peja, Gjilan and Mitrovica by collecting actual data on their achieved results after the training and the needs and problems women face. The data below represent the period January August, 2014 with concrete results on the activities of women entrepreneurs in agriculture.

The Ambassadors of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Embassy of Netherlands and the Albanian Embassy in Kosovo visited SHE-ERA

July, 2014Womens Business Association SHE-ERA had the honor of welcoming at the Gjakova office for a visit the ambassadors: Mr. Jan Braathu from the Royal Norwegian Embassy , Z. Robert Bosch from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Mr. Qemal Minxhozi from the Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Pristina and Tessa van Ravenzwaaij, the Development aid assistant at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands who were welcomed by the executive director, Mrs. Mirlinda Kusari-Purrini and the entire SHE-ERA staff. Mrs.Kusari Purrini informed the Ambassadors on the 15 years of experience and SHE-ERAs activities in the entire territory of Kosovo. The Ambassadors were also updated on the achievements during this period and on the challenges and needs of women entrepreneurs in the Republic of Kosovo. The visit proceeded in the village of Bec (municipality of Gjakova) where the ambasadors met with the group of women entrepreneurs beneficiaries of SHE-ERA, and had an

opportunity to closely observe their work, challenges they face and heard their needs to further develop their businesses. The amba-sadors expressed their willingness to cooperate with SHE-ERA on developing projects so women farmers in Kosovo can continue being beneficiaries.

in the region of Mitrovica, and intends to expand in the future in other regions of Kosovo. The case of Ganimete Abazi proves that women from the rural areas do not lack economic empowerment and decision making initiatives. Gradually, the role and position of women in Kosovo has experienced notable progress, states Mrs.Abazi and the SHE-ERA staff is one of the key supporters and witnesses to this positive change.

- Ganimete Abazi - Having goats as livestock and processing goat milk is one of rarest farming activities in Kosovo. Ganimete Abazi from the village of Kutllovc in Mitrovica, who was one of the beneficiaries of the one-month training offered by SHE-ERA within the project Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture 2012-2015 has a total of 300 goats including baby goats. For six years she has been selling baby goats and processing goat milk and other milk products such as: Goat milk (1/1l), Milk Cream (4/1kg.), Kumsht & Hirra (tertiary product) (1/1.5l.) and Butter (10/1kg). The amount of investment in her business was 42,000 a grant her family received from the European Union through the IADK office where she also benefited material for stalls, milking equipment, lactofreezer, etj while her personal investment was 12,000. In addition, for three years in a row Mrs.Abazi receives subsidies of 10 per goat from the MFARD. Her business is quiet profitable, including the revenues from the sale of baby goats for 50 - 60. The current market includes 5 selling points

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ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION IN NUMERICAL VALUE Women trained ( January June 2014 ) 191

Number of prepared business plans 155 ( January June 2014 )

Number of monitored women 293 ( January June 2014 )

Registereed businesses 13 ( January June 2014 )

Financed and Self-Financed Businesses 293 ( January June 2014 )

Link to finance ( January June 2014 ) 26

Technical advice in agriculture 23 ( January June 2014 )

Women who became members during the 72 first six months of 2014

DATABASE: MONITORING RESULTS JANUARY AUGUST, 2014

Field Day on Industrial Tomato production

July, 2014

This event organized by the collection center Agro Celina (within the project supported by Swisscontact), the supplier of Business Inputs Jonathan and the Womens Business Association SHE-ERA. The objective of this event was to inform and demonstrate this pilot project for industrial tomato cultivation, the sapling of which is significantly productive (yielding up to 120 fruits) and bring high profits with low production costs. During the meeting was highlited the importance of cultivating this vegetable, which plays an important role in the working industry of other countries in the region. By cultivating this product locally the import rates will considerably decrease and the export opportunities will increase.

Meeting for cooperation with USAID representatives

August, 2014

USAID representatives visited SHE-ERA where they met with the Executive Director, Mrs.Mirlinda Kusari-Purrini to discuss cooperation opportunities to support women entrepreneurs through technical advice and trajnings for business development and expansion. During the meeting, representatives from USAID offered their office in Mitrovica North to SHE-ERA and the Womens Association from Zvean Santa Maria and a partnerships between the two associations is expected to strengthen interethnic collaboration between women in entrepreneurs in Kosovo and setting up links to the market. Also, SHE-ERA has been selected to participate in the new 3-year program innitiated by USAID Advancing Kosovo Together to increase the capacities of organizations dealing with gender issues. Mrs.Kusari-Purrini congratulated this initiative and expressed her willingness for future cooperation.

The launch of the new TEB J.S.C. and the Cooperation Agreement between SHE-ERA and TEB Bank

August, 2014

At the Jakova Innovation Center was launched the new program Women in Business for supporting womens start-up businesses. This program will be realized by Womens Business Association (SHE-ERA) and Girisim Training & Consultancy Center. Mr.Ayhan Albeyoglu, TEB Banks Chief Executive Officer and Mrs. Mirlinda Kusari-Purrini, SHE-ERAs Executive Director signed the mutual Cooperation Memorandum for the activities of women entrepreneurs in business.

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THE LINK FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN AGRICULTURE

SHE-ERA has converted its internet web page into an effective tool through which will enable its mem-bers to promote their work and to set up collaborations with different local and international actors, the business community, development partners and networking among the SHE-ERA members and women entrepreneurs from other countries. In the web page has been created the database of SHE-ERA mem-bers (http://she-era.org/~sheera/?page_id=17) and for Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture (http://she-era.org/~sheera/?page_id=18) where are included the data of women farmers which are updated monthly. Through this link, women in agriculture will greatly benefit toward the project realization process, and their entrepreneurial capacities as women entrepreneurs will be emphasized through access with cooperation opportunities with local programs and international agencies focused on women economic empowerment.

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SHE-ERA STAFF:

1. Mirlinda Kusari Purrini Executive Director2. Ardiana Qela Project manager3. Ymrane Nura - Finance adiministrator 4. Edita Axhemi Training Co-ordinator 5. Marigona Stavileci Training Assistant 6. Kosovare Sahatqija IT Assitant7. Sevdije Hoxha Expert in agriculture8. Dafina Zhaveli Project Assistant9. Bujar Haxhibeqiri Driver & Logistics10. Sabrie Jagxhiu Zhubi Training Assistant (The Region of Mitrovica)

SHE-ERA BOARB MEMBERS:

1. Xheraldina Vula Board Chair2. Prof. Dr. Justina Shiroka Pula3. Dr. Lulzim Cela4. Luljeta Vuniqi5. Burbuqe Berisha

SENIOR ADVISER FOR ECONOMIC AND GENDER ISSUES:Glynis Long

Jocelyne Talbot

WOMENS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION SHE-ERAStr.Ismail Qemali n0.9 (arshia e Jupave)

Tel: +381 (0) 390 323 194Fax: +381 (0) 390 323 194

Web: she-era.orgEmail: wsheera@gmail.com

Fcb: www.facebook.com/WBA.SHEERA

HONORARY MEMBER:

Naxhije Buqinca

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