Raise Capital & Expand Access
ACCESS • CAPITAL • SYSTEMS
We remove barriers so market women can access the tools to grow.
SMWF expands access to finance, market infrastructure, cold-chain storage, and value-add hubs—equipping women to grow stable incomes, reduce losses, and build resilient businesses.
Raise Capital & Expand Access Focus Areas
Five connected programs • One systems approach
Small Business Grants & Loans
Access to finance to strengthen women-led businesses
Revolving loans paired with financial literacy, mentoring, and monitoring so women can scale steadily and safely.
Safer, Cleaner Markets
Decent, sanitary workplaces aligned with ILO commitments
Upgrading stalls, drainage, water, lighting, and waste systems for safer, cleaner markets.
Processing & Value-Add Hubs
From fresh to shelf-ready
Hygienic processing, packaging, and preservation that extend shelf life and grow margins for market women.
FreshKeep: Cold Chain Hubs
Clean, reliable cold storage for market women
Solar-powered cooling that reduces food loss, extends shelf life, and stabilizes women’s income.
Regional Scope & Outcomes
West & East Africa • Systems that scale
Where we work: West Africa (Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire) and East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania).
What success looks like:
- Increased municipal and national budget allocations for markets and childcare.
- Stronger policy capacity among women leaders and market associations.
- Thriving women in food systems through finance, training, and infrastructure.
- Digital inclusion for literacy, health, and payments.
- Waste-to-energy and solar pilots powering cold chains and markets.
Join us in building markets that build women.
Your partnership expands finance, skills, childcare, clean markets, and policy voice for thousands of traders.