Business Expansion Initiative for Women's Employment

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Mission Afghanistan is pleased to announce an open competition for eligible organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to support the Business Expansion Initiative for Women's Employment. This initiative seeks to address the persistent gender gap in the Afghan workforce by empowering businesses to hire more women in sectors where they are permitted to work through strategic business expansion initiatives. The project aims to equip businesses with the necessary tools and support to embrace gender-inclusive practices, thereby creating more job opportunities for women and fostering economic growth. This initiative aims to support women in Afghanistan who face significant challenges and barriers to economic progress, including limited access to employment opportunities, capital, financial services, and education. It seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Empowerment through Business Expansion: Supporting women to start and expand their own businesses, join other women-led enterprises, or acquire the skills necessary to participate in women-led enterprises.
• Gender-Inclusive Practices: Promoting gender-inclusive policies and practices within businesses to improve access to employment opportunities and financial resources for women.
• Economic Growth: Contributing to economic growth by maintaining the visibility of women in the workforce and economy and recognizing women's contributions to economic development.

PDS seeks proposals for this initiative addressing one or more of the following areas to help women's employment in Afghanistan:

• Training Programs for Businesses: Developing and implementing targeted training programs for businesses that commit to gender inclusive employment practices, focusing on areas such as inclusive leadership, diversity and inclusion practices, and gender-sensitive management.
• Mentorship, Apprenticeship, and Resource Support: Establishing structured mentorship and apprenticeship programs, providing business skills training, business expansion planning support, and offering resources such as toolkits and case studies.
• Acceleration and Expansion Planning Assistance: Offering tailored support to businesses in developing strategic expansion plans, including market analysis, financial modeling, business process analysis, human resources planning, and labor force development planning.
• Access to Capital: Facilitating access to capital for businesses that commit to gender inclusive employment practices, to include liaising with potential investors, entrepreneurs, collaborators, and industry partners, and providing networking opportunities with these resources for target businesses.
• Access to Markets: Facilitating relationships for businesses to access new domestic and international markets as they scale and grow.
• Awareness and Advocacy: Providing resources and training to business leaders that support them to start or continue efforts to advocate within their communities for gender-inclusive business practices.
• Community Engagement: Actively engaging with local communities to ensure that the benefits of business expansion are inclusive and contribute meaningfully to women's labor force participation and community development.