Terms of Reference

Value Chain Analysis

1 Background

iDE is an international NGO with over 30 years of experience in designing and delivering market-based anti-poverty programs in 11 countries. We are a world leader in making markets work for the poor as well as the longest established market development specialist NGO in Bangladesh. iDE believes that markets can be a powerful force for improving smallholder prosperity by creating income and livelihood opportunities for poor rural households. iDE Bangladesh currently has eight projects in agricultural markets, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and access to finance with a focus on women’s economic empowerment and climate-smart technologies.

2. Programme Overview:

The Women’s Economic Empowerment through Strengthening Market Systems (WEESMS) programme is a five-year (2016-2021) initiative funded by the Embassy of Sweden, designed to increase women’s participation in the labour market in rural and peri-urban Bangladesh, with a significant focus on reducing gender inequality in the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. The
programme is being implemented through a partnership of iDE Bangladesh and The Asia Foundation across nine districts under the Khulna and Rangpur divisions of Bangladesh. During its inception phase, the programme conducted thorough market research to narrow down its focus from over hundreds of industries to specifically the sub-sectors of home textiles and jute diversified products, and, processed and packaged foods as an entry point.

The three outcomes of the WEESMS programme are:

Outcome 1: Increased number of women entrepreneurs and the growth of women-oriented/ led businesses (SMEs) in target sectors
Outcome 2: Improved women’s access to formal and informal productive employment opportunities in target sectors
Outcome 3 : Increased retention rates of women in the labour market in target sectors

The programme is being implemented in 12 Upazilas in 8 districts under 2 divisions in the three sectors mentioned above. The following table details the additional 8 sectors that have been shortlisted by the programme during the Inception Phase.

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