Empowering women is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and the country as a whole. One way to empower women is to provide decent work opportunities and support for a viable business enterprise.

Women needs to be empowered to promote their sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.
Twenty-seven 27 women entrepreneurs from the barangay of Pedro sa Baculio (Bolo-bolo) participated on a three-day Training on Women in Agripreneurship in support to Gender and Development (GAD) on July 28-31, 2021 held at ATI-RTC X Training Hall, El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental in partnership with the City Agriculture Office (CAO) of El Salvador City. Some of the participants are graduates of SL-FFS on Vegetable Production conducted by the CAO and started in engaging into small business.

In her inspirational message, Center Director Maria Lydia Echavez encouraged the participants to really listen and participate, since “bisag asa ka mag training, naa gyud kay matun-an” (wherever you are trained, you will have something to learn), she said.

The training aims is designed to capacitate women entrepreneurs in terms of the right mindset and entrepreneurial strategies and techniques in order to become successful in their chosen enterprise.
Ms. Charri Fe Laurente, one of the participants said, with the training she learned that it is important to be “ma deskarte” when in business. She also learned time management, and that when one business is already good, find other sources of income and don’t focus only one, diversify. Hence she is planning to cook viand and desserts, which she can also together with her current business of selling beauty products.

Two of the speakers were successful women agripreneurs and learning sites for agriculture of (LSA), Ms. Dioselyn Manaran, from Veranda Farms and Ms. Queenie Notario of Queensland Herbs & Farm Tourism. The participants should also be up to date of the current trends in marketing, hence Ms. Leslie Ann Cara, Instructor I of Rizal Technological University and a mentor of the Go Negosyo KAMMP also discussed Digital Marketing. With reports from Ms. Moisa Niña C. Paglinawan