GBF’s Work with Women
Thousands of poor women operate on the margins of the global economic system. The Grassroots Business Fund (GBF) strives to economically engage women by investing in enterprises that are strategically positioned to expand economic opportunities for women.
To invest in women is not only the right thing to do; it’s a smart thing to do. Women in the economic sector represent a great resource that is left largely unused. A common trend worldwide shows that as the number of women who engage in their country’s economic sector grows, corruption decreases. Women also tend to spend their additional income in the household and family, by investing in education, health, nutrition, and the greater community.
Lotus Pond and VillageWorks, both based in Cambodia, are examples of recent GBF investments that economically empower women. By connecting small female artisans to large buyers, both companies provide these women artisans with access to a market, enabling them to earn a sustainable income. These companies also help them improve the quality and design of their products to meet the standards of global buyers. In Lotus Pond’s case, GBF engaged Traidcraft, a U.K.-based fair trade organization, to provide marketing, financial literacy, and administration training to the artisans producing goods for the company.
With GBF investments, Lotus Pond and VillageWorks have helped a total of 1,167 artisans sell their products to date. These artisans in turn, have supported over 5,000 people in their households and rural communities. Lotus Pond and VillageWorks are two of the 25 enterprises that GBF supports throughout three continents. These enterprises have impacted over 300,000 beneficiaries, including Veang Jan, below:
Beneficiary Snapshot
 Name: Veang Jan, Baray District, Cambodia
Job Description: Pattern and Sample Maker, Trainer, and Quality Control Monitor
Ten years ago, Veang heard about VillageWorks from a friend and subsequently started working for the company. Prior to this, she helped farm a small plot of land and sold melon, cigarettes, beans, and nuts a large distance from her home village in the Baray District of Cambodia. Since working with VillageWorks, Veang has generated income to help sustain herself. “From my income in VillageWorks I have saved money to buy land for farming and raising pigs," she says.
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