The “She Knows” project supports the economic inclusion of women in rural areas of Serbia

“She Knows” is a four-year project by USAID and Impact Hub that works on improving the economic inclusion of women in Serbia by increasing their potential for employment, encouraging self-employment and independent business. The project also supports the establishment of policies and practices aimed at reducing barriers to women’s participation in the economy and gender biases in the workplace.
The activities will primarily focus on women from rural areas, especially those who are unemployed, not undergoing training programs, or have insufficient professional qualifications.

Milica Prazić, manager for regulatory affairs and education at USAID, says that the “She Knows” project should last for four years and initially includes women from the Jablanica and Pcinja districts.
“The focus will be on women who are not educated and who need a boost to join the labor market, but also those who are taking the first steps towards starting a business,” explains Prazić for Euronews Serbia.
In the first phase, it is planned for them to go through a series of lectures and workshops that will help them acquire knowledge and skills to be competitive in the labor market, as well as mentorship and networking with companies.

Source: Euronews TV

“I come from the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia, and we are one of the partners on this project. Among other things, one of our tasks will be to connect successful women from the business world, especially large and multinational companies operating in Serbia, with women from rural areas and to transfer knowledge through mentoring and coaching,” explains our interlocutor.
She believes that the biggest problem is that in rural areas there are not as many employment opportunities as in larger centers and that actions like this are important for bridging the gap, but also the cultural barrier due to prejudices that women do not belong in the business world.

After the first phase of training and mentoring is completed, it is planned to further monitor their progress. The main advice for women, says Prazić, is that everything is possible.
“They should not be afraid of boundaries – they just need to have enough self-confidence, believe in themselves, work, and find support in their environment that will give them the wind at their backs to become what they have always dreamed of,” concludes our interlocutor.