Supporting Women’s Business Registration to Strengthen Economic Independence
At Sisterhood, we believe that genuine women's empowerment requires not only awareness of their rights but also access to economic resources, market opportunities, and institutional support.
Ensuring women’s economic independence means more than simply creating opportunities for them to earn an income. It also requires providing them with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities necessary to establish and develop their own businesses and make independent economic decisions. With this objective in mind, Sisterhood implemented a support programme to assist women engaged in self-employment in registering their businesses.
The women who participated in this programme were selected from among those involved in the Anang Manang Pola, a community market initiative operating in the Gin Thota area.
The Anang Manang Pola provides market opportunities for rural women who produce goods at home, engage in sewing and handicrafts, and operate various small-scale businesses. One of its key objectives is to bring the labour and creativity of women, often confined to their homes, into a wider marketplace. Through this initiative, women have opportunities to reach customers, market their products, and receive economic value for their labour.
To further strengthen the businesses of women participating in this market, Sisterhood selected fifteen women and encouraged them to register their businesses with the relevant Divisional Secretariat.
Under this programme, the women received guidance on the business registration process, the necessary application forms, and assistance in completing those forms accurately. Support was also provided to prepare the supporting documents required for registration.
Even a small-scale business has the potential to grow into a formal enterprise. However, many women miss out on such opportunities because of a lack of information, limited understanding of administrative procedures, and difficulties accessing institutional services. An important objective of this programme was to reduce these barriers and provide women with the support they need to move forward.
At Sisterhood, we believe that genuine women's empowerment requires not only awareness of their rights but also access to economic resources, market opportunities, and institutional support.
This programme represents another step in our ongoing efforts to advance women's economic freedom and independence. Our goal is to create an enabling environment in which women can develop their own businesses, recognise the value of their labour, and make independent economic decisions.
Women's economic independence is an essential foundation for securing their freedom, dignity, and equality in society.
