The WWBI is an initiative that engages young women in the age group 20-39 years in Waterford, St. Catherine, to i) improve their economic opportunities through capacity building in business development, and ii) improve knowledge and skills to mitigate against Gender Based Violence (GBV) and resolve conflict. The essence of the project is to enhance the social, economic wellbeing of women in Waterford and by extension the wider Waterford community. It is expected to serve a dual role: development of coping mechanisms and knowledge base in Gender Based Violence while boosting the economic capabilities of women to better improve their independence and provide increased life options.
The project is supported by the European Union through the Rise Life Management Services Civil Society Boost Initiative 2. The Association is partnering with the National Family Planning Board, Eve for Life, Children’s First Agency and Jamaica AIDS Support for Life to implement the project.
Funding allows the Association to engage a projected 100 women in the age group 25-39 years in a series of 2-day workshops in SRHR and GBV. A subset of this group will receive training in business development and subsequent mentoring to enable them to develop business plans and implement those plans.