Mott MacDonald | Business Partnerships for Global Goals (BP4GG) | Business Partnerships as a Force for Good Learning Series | Learning Brief #2
Business Partnerships for Global Goals COVID-19 Vulnerable Supply Chain Facility
Business Partnerships as a Force for Good Learning Series International Women’s Day Learning Brief #2 March 2021 Beneficiaries using a Kiosk at a Wellbeing Centre © CAREcarnations International Flower farm worker harvesting © Karen Smith BP4GG
Business Partnerships as a Force for Good: Empowering Women during the Pandemic – 3 Emerging Lessons
About the Programme Business Partnerships for Global Goals (BP4GG) is an FCDO programme which partners with businesses and not-for-profit organisations to test and scale shared value business initiatives that contribute to the Global Goals. The programme is addressing challenges from COVID-19, with a focus on the most disadvantaged people. This includes women across garments and agricultural supply chains to improve their access to incomes, jobs, and markets in 7 countries in Africa and Asia. Managed by Mott MacDonald, within a few months of the start, the Programme’s Vulnerable Supply Chains Facility has reached over 200,000 most vulnerable people in the supply chains with benefits, half of them being women.
COVID-19 and the related lockdowns in 2020 and beyond impacted supply chains adversely. The agriculture and garments sectors are two that were hardest hit, and which also employ large numbers of women. We know from experience that women are impacted more from constraints faced by the private sector. The situation is further exacerbated during situations of emergency and crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence collected by the Business Partnerships for Global Goals programme funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) shows that in the case of the pandemic, women are impacted disproportionately more than their male counterparts. Not only do they face challenges of reduced incomes, lost jobs, and food insecurity, but they also face additional challenges such as balancing work and childcare, and facing gender-based violence and abuse.
Mott MacDonald | Business Partnerships for Global Goals (BP4GG) | Business Partnerships as a Force for Good Learning Series | Learning Brief #2
How can women be empowered during the pandemic? Three lessons are emerging. 1. Design interventions with women in the front of mind. To address these challenges, a key lesson we learn is to design interventions with women in the front of mind from the very beginning, and not as an afterthought. How are the challenges impacting women adversely and how can these be addressed is the preferred line of inquiry right from project design and throughout implementation, as well as in monitoring, evaluation and learning. Equally important is to check in with benefiting women regularly as initiatives are deployed, to ensure the intended outcomes are being realised, and that activities can be adapted accordingly to achieve greatest positive impact for women. 2. Plan interventions that cover the transition from recovery to resilience. Connected with the above is the key lesson that in the case of the pandemic, it is important to design projects that have aspects of immediate support with an eye on the longer term to help women transition from recovery to resilience. Providing immediate relief through cash transfers, health packages, and food relief is important, but it is equally important to provide the skills, the training, and the means that can enable women to diversify their incomes, employ climate smart agriculture practices, learn about operational health and safety, or become more rights aware. 3. Build on existing partnerships for faster, wider and deeper impact for women. In cases where partnerships exist and trust has been established, using those relationships as stepping stones and building blocks for a high impact project is really effective. Organisations with close supplier relationships and/or boots-on-the-ground in the target countries enables stronger uptake. In the case of a pandemic, time is of the essence and providing the right solution at the right time to those who need it most at a time when they need it most is critical. Hence existing partnerships can provide a solid foundation for faster, deeper and wider impact; reaching more women with more impactful, lasting results and catalytically help increase women’s voice and agency.
Flower worker harvesting roses © Karen Smith BP4GG
Mott MacDonald | Business Partnerships for Global Goals (BP4GG) | Business Partnerships as a Force for Good Learning Series | Learning Brief #2
There is no one size that fits all. Staying flexible, responsive and adaptive to an everchanging context against the backdrop of the pandemic can help enhance impact for women, including through increased voice and agency. The sum total of a partnership is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Within a few months, the Business Partnerships for Global Goals programme has demonstrated how business partnerships are working as a force for good by empowering women, creating shared value, and enabling women to transition beyond recovery toward resilience in the context of the pandemic. 112,845 women have now benefitted from digital financial inclusion, health services, Personal Protective Equipment, COVID-19 awareness and stigma training, rights and gender based violence awareness, and climate resilience – all by leveraging the reach and influence of the business partnerships.
Beneficiary accessing services at a Wellbeing Centre © CARE International
Relief Distribution © GoodWeave International
Panda Flower Farm, Kenya. © Fairtrade