International donors’ interventions aimed at supporting women entrepreneurship. Evidence on economic development from Kyrgyzstan

Entrepreneurship is one of the key factors of growth, contributing to poverty reduction and socio-economic development. Women entrepreneurship, though understudied, is projected to create a bigger impact in contributing to growth and sustainability. In the efforts to boost economic performance, the international donor community in Kyrgyzstan had started focusing more on support of women entrepreneurship. This thesis aims at exploring the effectiveness of such interventions on business performance, women economic empowerment, and women agency. Secondary data is being analyzed as part of the literature review, including impact studies, project impact reports, and evaluation studies. Primary data collected on the WED supporting intervention in Kyrgyzstan is analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. More emphasis is put on data analysis of qualitative information from semi-structured interviews, success stories, program reports, and other relevant sources. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that interventions aimed at supporting entrepreneurs have a positive impact on various aspects of businesses. Specifically, interventions enable entrepreneurs to increase turnover, enhance productivity, and expand business sizes, leading to job creation and business growth.