Women for Women International - small Grant Project "Advancing Rural Women’s Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Inclusion".

Three Grants, One Shared Goal: Supporting Entrepreneurship Among Rural Women

Entrepreneurship for women from rural areas is not just an opportunity to earn — it is a path toward economic independence and staying in one's own community. It was from precisely this idea that Strong Woman, Strong Business – Entrepreneurial Bootcamp was developed and successfully concluded in Zenica by the Association Women for Women International, within the project "Advancing Entrepreneurship of Rural Women and Local Economic Inclusion."

After two months of intensive training, individual mentorship, and business plan development, 15 participants pitched their business ideas at the end of July this year. The program attracted nearly a hundred interested women across Zenica-Doboj Canton, through five organized info sessions. Three entrepreneurs, whose business ideas were assessed as the strongest based on market potential and quality of presentation, will receive grants - total of 12,600 KM:

✔️ Sumeja Nadžak (Zenica) – 5,000 KM for the "Stari sjaj" craft business, which restores furniture, produces textile items, and renovates car interiors, contributing to the preservation of valuable items through sustainable restoration.

✔️ Amerisa Husić (Rujnica, Zavidovići) – 5,000 KM for Bekoo Farm, the first regenerative farm in this area. After living in Belgium, Amerisa returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina with her husband and three children to develop sustainable agriculture and the production of healthy food.

✔️ Šejla Hibić (Putovići, Zenica) – 2,600 KM for "Slatka Priča," a business producing traditional cakes and pastries. Šejla holds the recognition for the best hurmašica (date cake) in Central Bosnia Canton.

Support does not end with the grant — all three entrepreneurs will continue through an individual mentorship program providing expert assistance with business registration, business development, marketing, and market entry.
The final presentation was attended by Almir Tanović, Senior Program Officer and Employment Policy Advisor at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who congratulated the participants on their hard work and encouraged them to continue developing their business ideas.
"From the first workshop to the final presentations, we saw enormous progress in every participant. The women developed strong business plans, gained new knowledge, and — most importantly — gained the added confidence to turn their ideas into real businesses," said Seida Sarić, Director of the Association Women for Women International, noting that the program's greatest value lies precisely in the transformation the participants achieved over the past two months.