In a shop at the bustling Potou Market, Thiama Diaw holds court behind the counter while tailors measure customers for new dresses. Bolts of West African prints and Bollywood-inspired silks with sequins are passed, unrolled, measured, and cut. The sewing machine hums outside the door.

While her assistants tend to customers, Thiama describes how the women’s business associations work. By pooling their profits, group members can take out loans. Some re-invest in their businesses, which range from cultivating hibiscus to producing cookstoves. Others pay for school fees and home improvements. In addition to providing access to capital, many women’s associations also offer training in farming techniques, nutrition, money management, and other valuable skills. It is often repeated that members find a strong sense of solidarity and empowerment from working and learning together.

Promote gender equality and empower women

Millennium Development Goals

Well-stocked pharmacy in the Millennium Villages of Potou (Senegal).

This is the case across the Millennium Villages Project, where women’s business associations and cooperatives are giving a boost to individuals, their families, and their communities. In Tiby (Mali), a women’s cooperative grows melons along the banks of the Tibybas Canal, and the profits replenish their revolving fund. A basket-weaving cooperative in Mayange (Rwanda) has helped women replace the roofs of their homes and buy school supplies for their children. And in Mwandama (Malawi), a group of women runs a cooperative cassava bakery. These are only a few examples.