The Project entitled “Invest For the Future” was launched by the US State Department as a three-year program to improve the economic situation for women in Southern and Eastern Europe and Eurasia through regional entrepreneurship training for women business owners.

Invest for the Future targeted to improve economic opportunities for women by: facilitating access of Southern and Eastern European and Eurasian women to business training, tools and resources, mentors, and professional organizations; creating networks among individuals committed to improving the economic opportunities for women in Europe; equipping Southern and Eastern European and Eurasian women with the tools necessary to effect positive change in their home economies, including small grants, educational exchanges, and ongoing mentoring; and convening regional and international leaders from the business sector to discuss ways to promote economic opportunities for women in Southern and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. One long-term goal of the initiative was to create a network of women business owners who can not only grow their own businesses but also serve as mentors to other emerging women entrepreneurs in Europe and advocate for a business-friendly environment in their countries.

KAGIDER was the Turkish partner responsible from organization of conferences and follow up events in Turkey and in the region.

The kick-off event of the “Invest for the Future” program was a conference/workshop that brought 120 women business owners from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece and Turkey to Istanbul on January 24-26, 2011, for a three-day conference on how women entrepreneurs can grow their businesses.

For the follow up activities and capacity building meetings, KAGİDER’s International Relations Study Group Members paid a visit to Baku, Azerbaijan.