1. Women First Thoric Cederström International Relief & Development International Food Aid Conference Kansas City, Missouri April 16, 2008

2. Summary  Brief history of the program  Program description  Involvement of the private sector  Women First and Global Sustainable Business  Next steps

3. Brief History  Based on Unilever’s Shakti program implemented in India  In partnership with Unilever and with the support of CIDA, started in Inhambane province in August 2005  In October 2006 started in Zambezia province with the support of USAID

4. Program Description: The problem – the opportunity  Distributors of basic consumption products cover urban and peri-urban areas  Rural areas are served by middlemen, who create oligopolies with high profit margins  Women First creates a distribution network of basic consumption products in rural areas turning women into successful entrepreneurs.

5. Start Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 … Training and provision of start- up kit of basic consumption products to 3 women that start to sell in their community Monitoring: Each woman reinvests her profit to her business Monitoring: Women that exceed the predetermined limit of weekly sales return the value of the start up kit and keep the profit. They receive a 2 nd kit of products of higher value than the start-up kit. Monitoring: Each woman reinvests her profit to her business System of prizes for: System of prizes for: - Seller of the month - Graduation Door-to-door sales Division of communities into market zones for each seller 3 new women receive a start- up kit Monitoring: Each woman reinvests her profit to her business Program Description: The scheme

6. Training through mocking sales and monitoring sessions Program Description

7. Graduates that have exceeded $64 in weekly sales with their prizes (bicycles) Descrição do Programa

8. Program Description Results 2 districts 16 groups 167 sellers

9. Private sector involvement  Private sector sees opportunity to expand rural network of sales  Expansion of partnerships:  Unilever (Knorr brand, Detergents, Soap)  Africom (Rice, pasta)  Açucar Nacional (Sugar)  777 (Batteries, stationary, clothes)  Matuel Comercial (Agricultural Inputs)  OneCell (Public cell-phones)  WISHH

10. Global Sustainable Business  Field Assessment  Viability study for the set-up of a distribution company based on Women First network

11. Global Sustainable Business  Viability study currently being implemented by Deloitte  Opportunity: Monthly sales exceeding $100,000  Limitations: Fleet management, distances, road conditions.

12. Next Steps Milange Morrumbala Mopeia Gúruè Alto Molócuè Namarroi Ile Lugela Mocuba Maganja da Costa Nicoadal a Namacur ra Cidade de Quelimane Inhassunge Gilé Pebane Chinde 10 5 5 5 5 5 5  Investment in the creation of 4 distribution lines over the next 3 years and hand over to a distribution company  Training and networking of 1,100 entrepreneurs.

13. Thank you