In order to combat the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, HOPE’87 initiated, with the financial support of its partner, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, this multi-country project to combat the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova, Burkina Faso and Pakistan. The project was launched in July 2021 and has been completed in Burkina Faso in June 2023!
The aim was to strengthen the resilience of 100 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ougadougou, active in the agri-food, catering, services, mechanics, sewing, masonry, crafts, hairdressing, accommodation, construction, decoration, events, secretarial and other sectors.
As a result, the project focused on building the technical capacity of the founders of the identified new SMEs, through training in key areas of business management, such as business unit management, marketing strategies through the creation of a commercial website or a presence on social networks, effective management of production costs and the autonomous development of budget plans, business plans and the opening of a bank account. In addition, SMEs have been trained in COVID-19 prevention measures and risk management, and have been introduced to environmental management standards.
All these measures have helped to improve SMEs’ ability to withstand shocks and have enabled them to manage the risks associated with their activities, take preventive measures against COVID 19, improve their economic performance and gain access to support organisations.
