Programme 12

Women's Support Programme

Skills, enterprise, health, protection, education, and leadership support that enable women and girls to thrive.

Overview

Women play a central role in families, local economies, education, care, culture, and community leadership. Despite this contribution, many women and girls continue to face unequal access to education, healthcare, finance, property, safe employment, leadership opportunities, and protection from violence.

Beyond Despair's Women's Support Programme is designed to expand choice, strengthen independence, and protect dignity. It brings together economic empowerment, education, health information, mentoring, leadership, safeguarding, and access to appropriate support services.

We work with women's groups, educators, healthcare professionals, businesses, traditional and community leaders, counsellors, social services, and partner organisations. Women and girls are involved in defining their priorities so that assistance reflects their lived experiences.

Objectives

Increase women's access to skills, income opportunities, and enterprise support

Promote the health, education, confidence, and leadership of women and girls

Improve access to safe and appropriate support for women experiencing abuse or crisis

Encourage women's meaningful participation in household, economic, and community decisions

Core activities

Provide vocational and employability training linked to local opportunities

Support women entrepreneurs with business planning, financial literacy, mentoring, market access, and small grants where resources allow

Promote maternal health, reproductive-health information, mental wellbeing, and appropriate referrals

Deliver leadership, confidence, rights-awareness, and personal-development workshops

Support survivors of domestic violence through safe referral pathways, counselling partnerships, and awareness activities

Promote girls' education with materials, mentorship, advocacy, and family engagement

Create opportunities for women to participate in community leadership, peacebuilding, and development planning

Delivery approach

Safety, dignity, confidentiality, and informed choice guide the programme. Beyond Despair does not pressure survivors to disclose their experiences publicly or resolve abuse through unsafe informal mediation. Safeguarding concerns are handled through appropriate referral and professional support.

Economic activities are connected to realistic local opportunities. Training may be combined with mentoring, market access, financial education, peer networks, and follow-up so that women can apply what they learn and build stronger foundations for independence.

Intended outcomes

Women gain practical skills, income pathways, and financial confidence

Girls receive stronger support to remain in education

Women access health, counselling, and protection services more safely

Female-led enterprises become more stable and market-ready

Women participate more actively in leadership and community decisions

Why support matters

Women often carry major responsibilities while having less access to resources, protection, and decision-making power. Supporting this programme helps women and girls overcome barriers, strengthen their independence, and create safer futures for themselves and their families.

Stand with women and girls as they build safer, healthier, and more independent lives.

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