When disaster strikes, it’s usually up to women to rebuild the necessities of daily life. For many, setting up business in conflict zones is a trading reality. Women with international experience are reaching out with innovative business models to build new skills, seek new orders and create hope for women displaced by war.

By using innovative new materials, African women are competing in the popular ethical fashion market around the world.

Global corporations are learning that buying from businesses owned by women is vital for economic growth. Initiatives like WEConnect International are providing the essential link.

By producing and exporting shea butter to The Body Shop, an enterprising collective in northern Ghana is improving conditions for women and their communities. An ITC initiative in Mali shows similar potential through government strategy.

An Ethiopian woman entrepreneur links poor weavers with rich traditions to wealthy, culture-seeking buyers.

Traditionally in Ethiopia, men weave and women spin. Muya also trains women as weavers, to help them gain financial independence.

A Côte d’Ivoire food company’s contracts with aid agencies has provided jobs and income for local communities. ITC’s buyer-seller meetings for the aid sector played a part.

A fair-trade luxury label shows Ethiopia’s export capacity in finished leather goods.

Wiped out by the Khmer Rouge, the ancient Cambodian tradition of women weaving and wearing silk is enjoying a renaissance.

Through exports, businesswomen in developing countries are creating a better future for themselves, their employees and their communities.

Access to global markets is critical to the economic security of many of the world’s poor working in the informal sector. According to SEWA, in India, this sector includes home-based workers, vendors, manual labourers and service providers; it accounts for up to 70% of gross domestic product and over 40% of exports; of the total workforce, 93% operate within the informal sector, and 60% of these are women.

Interview with Tembeka Nkamba-Van Wyk, Talking Beads Academy

A South African businesswoman spotted an opportunity when she noticed that local craft traditions were disappearing, while tourists were seeking locally-made handicrafts. In capitalizing on the opportunity, she has created an export business employing thousands of women in rural areas, and has invested in their communities by providing training and medical care.

Interview with Gisèle Yitamben, ASAFE

In Cameroon, ASAFE, a national organization of women entrepreneurs, is helping businesswomen to overcome economic and social vulnerability by providing business training, establishing contacts with other networks and designing export strategies for its members.

Interview with Sulo Shrestha-Shah, Lotus Holdings

A successful businesswoman boosts business exports in Nepal by starting an investment company built on the principle of corporate social responsibility.