We believe that income generation is a basic need as much as food is. IGA (income generation activities) fulfil two main needs of the human being; the physical need (the income to survive); and the psychological need (the feeling of satisfaction and the feeling of being useful). IGA gives an individual a feeling of self-respect.

According to the International Labour Organization, productive people have a better sense of accomplishment, a greater awareness of their capabilities and a bigger capacity to overcome threats. Unproductive people are frustrated, insecure and incapable of
dreaming a better situation than their actual one.

FEM International recognizes this situation and aims to provide the tools needed to overcome this barrier and to guarantee a smooth transition of a successful IGA into a profitable business. For these reasons our structure is based on the following three basic functions:

1. Provide business instruction and management assistance through our Basic Business Training Program (BBIP program) to fulfil the lack of business and management training.
2. Provide an international channel of distribution through our Go-Op initiative to fulfil the lack of identified markets to sell a product/service.
3. Provide a financial assistance program for our entrepreneurs, mostly funded and managed by their own savings through our Micro Credit Program (MCP) to fulfil the lack of personal and general financial resources to start or to grow an existing initiative.

Women Empowerment Programs

1) BBIP-Basic Business Instruction Program:

BBIP has proven itself as a fun and interactive set of business manuals, games and activities, especially designed for the grass-root level that empowers, builds self-esteem and confidence through the instruction of a very basic set of basic business skills. With a culturally sensitive approach that understands social dynamics, our program uses elements of inner beliefs and community interaction, to facilitate the learning process.

The Basic Business Instruction Program (BBIP) is divided in 4 main modules:

• Module 1: Learning cooperative and self-help group techniques (B.B.S.).
• Module 2: Learning the basics of business planning (B.B.P.).
• Module 3: Learning alternative marketing and financing strategies, and an introduction to micro-credits and loan circles.
• Module 4: Leaning the basic of ethical markets and promoting fair trade practices.

Do you want to know more about the BBIP program? Please feel free to contact us.

2) GO-OP Project

The Go-op Project stands for Girls out of Poverty, and is an initiative that supports women in their attempt to achieve sustainable livelihoods. The program pursues two main objectives:

1. To bring awareness of ethical and sustainable practices and the impact that they have for women producers in developing countries, consumers here and there and their community as a whole.
2. To promote the products made by our affiliated women around the globe. (See our catalogue)

Go-Op AWARENESS EVENTS

To comply with this objective, Go-Op co-organizes cultural and artistic events to connect women and advocate causes for women worldwide. Among the most popular events we have are:

ModEthik is a fair trade and ethical fashion show that seeks to bring awareness of the positive impacts of ethical and fair trade practices in the fashion industry. It further promotes sustainable organizations from Quebec and from abroad Learn more

5-7 Etik’s is a local style of entertaining in Montreal, whereby we hope to use these events to have fun meeting people, make sales and raise awareness about the initiative of Femmes Ethiques. Join our mailing list to be invited to the next one! Or email us at events-and-activites@feminternational.org to learn how to host one, how to get involved or simply to get more information.

See Pictures of our Last “le 5-7Etik! (coming soon)

MEM (Montreal Ethical Market) is a rolling exposition through different venues of the Province of Quebec. Coming soon!

Go-Op BOUTIQUE

Currently Go-Op has 2 kinds of affiliates Go-Op Ethical Artisans and Go-Op Fair Trade Artisans.

The Go-Op Ethical Artisans

Go-Op artisans come from small businesses, cooperatives, family business or independent artist workshops, all created and managed by women. They have an ethical and socially responsible approach and are committed to help less privileged women by volunteering part of their time to promote women empowerment practices and by donating a percentage (in variants but the minimal commitment is 10%) of their Go-Op proceeds to FEM International.

Ethical also means that they promote environmental and socially fair conditions in both their production and their commercialization process. They are further taking concrete steps to guarantee transparency and fair standards in their economical activity through receiving training in social responsibility and ethical practices (BBIP) and by incorporating these practices into their initiatives.

Go-Op Fair Trade Artisans

These are women led and managed cooperatives that have Fair Trade Certification (either IFAT or the FLO label), or are in the process for getting it.

Fair Trade recognized organizations fulfill and implement the following principles:

• Demonstrate commitment and implementation of sustainable practices that protects the environment.
• Demonstrate commitment with the community, by creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers.
• Democratic and transparent decision making process within the organization.
• They respect, enforce and guarantee a sustainable income for their members Basic Principles of Fair Trade.
• And they guarantee healthy and safe working conditions for their members.

Check International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) for more information

3) Micro Credit Program (MCP)

The Micro Credit Program is the latter stage of our project, which will establish independence and further influence empowerment of the local people and their initiatives.

The micro-credit program aims to help communities produce and self-manage the tools and their financial resources they need to become successful. Savings Training classes (within BBIP) and Self Help Saving Groups will complement this program.

For more information please contact us.

International Volunteer Programs

To fulfil our mission abroad we need your support. We encourage you to play an active role by sharing an experience of a life-time.

Requirements:

• Volunteers can be individuals of all cultures and nationalities
• All educational backgrounds are welcome, though for specific programs some basics in business or income generation experience may be required.
• Minimum age to participate is 18 years old and there is no maximum age!!
• Creativity, resourcefulness and passion to make of this world a fair one are valuable if not essential assets.
• Volunteers can join our group for as little as 3 weeks and up to three months. The choice is yours and depends also on the project taking place.

Where you can volunteer:

We have options in India, Colombia and Thailand. However this year we are promoting our Thailand program. Note that we will start volunteer recruitment to join a BBIP/Go- Op project in Thailand in 2007 in mid March.

Overall Description of BBIP International Volunteers:

As an international volunteer you will have the opportunity to help us in the deliverable of our fun and interactive basic business training program BBIP. It is truly a simple and inspiring combination of manuals, games and activities that will give you an experience of a life-time, while helping women around the globe.

You can be a liaison in our training programs, help us in the designing of tools, teaching material, English classes, basic marketing techniques, be a monitor of a fun class, gather data and create reports and more depending on your interest, experience and our needs we can customize and maximize your experience, and consequently the recipients of your well used time.

Calendar of Programs

***New Start Dates 2007*** (modified 13APR07)

For more detailed information about fees associated, specific dates and possibilities please email us as info@feminternational.org with your questions and concerns.