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About Women in Progress

Women in Progress (WIP) envisions women in Africa to be economically independent. Our purpose is to reduce the economic inequality of women by helping to significantly increase the revenues and profits of woman-owned businesses. This in turn increases employee wages, generates new jobs and improves the standard of living for women, their families, and the larger community. We believe that helping women gain economic independence is the most effective way to reduce dependence on foreign aid and steadily create a prosperous society.

Women in Progress helps small woman-owned businesses in Africa to access global markets. We enable the economic independence of women by promoting their traditional skills in producing handmade products. We also provide practical hands-on training, personalized technical assistance, and basic computer training to strengthen the capacity of women entrepreneurs to better manage their growing enterprises.

International Voluntary Service Activities

Through a short-term volunteer assignment in Ghana, you will be able to use your professional skills to help others and make a difference in the future of small woman-owned businesses. At the same time, you will give purpose to your time off work.

Although our core focus is on fostering economic independence of women, we are able to make placements in fields such as women's studies, health care, or education in areas that link to the micro economy.

As a volunteer, you will be matched with a woman-owned business where your skill set fills a need and in an area where you express interest. Volunteers generally work in teams (with local staff, and other volunteers) in order to bring a more diversified and complete skill set to each client engagement. You may be assigned to multiple clients, in addition to providing one-on-one support through the Women's Technology Center. Before your departure, you will receive a description of your assigned business and location, the project's objectives and your role on the project.

Being sensitive to the time needed to make some cultural adjustments, Women in Progress offers different positions that correspond with your length of stay. Shorter-term volunteers are normally put in roles where they can add the most value in a short period, such as providing support and training to the woman-owned businesses. Longer-term volunteers are matched with specific businesses based on needed skills and estimated length of project.

Volunteer for Prosperity Opportunities
Number of Opportunities	15
Geographic Regions	Africa
Health & Prosperity Sectors	Economic Growth; Health; Capacity Building; Education; Information & Communication Technology; Women & Youth Empowerment
Types of Opportunities
Average Duration of Projects	2-24 weeks
Volunteer Profile Summary
Although business advancement through technology is a core objective of Women in Progress, starting with basic business principles is critical. Needed skills of volunteers range from implementing the most basic record-keeping systems and marketing concepts to programming applications and setting up a company's network. Therefore, someone who has one or more of the following skills can help! Knows basic office applications Possesses excellent writing skills Understands the inner-workings of a business Constructed and taught a training class Uses email Can research on the Internet Created a web page or application Experienced in network integration Programmed or integrated client/server applications Provided end-user support Even more important than business or technology experience is having the following characteristics: Patience Flexibility Sense of humor High motivation Energy Enthusiasm Spirit of adventure Desire to learn The experience level of volunteers varies greatly, from professionals just starting out to retired professionals: Mid-Career & Retired Professionals assist businesses in a strategic planning capacity. These volunteers may have the opportunity to organize many micro businesses into larger, more competitive cooperative entities. Young Professionals gain a different perspective on running a business. These volunteers help women entrepreneurs in a business and technology capacity and possibly explore international trade opportunities.