The Women for Women (W4W) project was implemented by CARE Ethiopia and its implementing partner, Mission for Community Development Program (MCDP), with the financial support from the H&M Foundation. The project was implemented for three years (February 2015-September 2018) and mainly targeted economically active but poor women in three sub-cities of Addis Ababa: Arada, Lideta and Kirkos. The project had an objective of empowering women entrepreneurs and women workers from low-income urban communities in Ethiopia to reach their full potential.

The evaluation result revealed that the project targeted appropriate group and made significant changes in the lives of women through its interventions on skill development, creating access to financial services, and facilitating market linkages, among others. Accordingly, the project has contributed to diversification and expansion of business activities of beneficiaries and enabled them to enjoy moderate net earnings. Through organizing women in to 182 VSLAs and 6 SACCOs, linking them to Addis Saving and Credit Institute and Addis Capital Goods Finance S.C., and preparing business plan competitions and granting capital for winners, the project has played a key role to improve women’s access to formal and informal financial services. This enable women to double their working capital after the project, increase their income and asset holding of the household, and improve their culture and level of saving.