SUCCESS STORIES

Let’s engage, empower and inspire – these are our opportunities!

The Center for Education and Research Nahla is one of the partners in a strategic project supported by the Government of Switzerland. The project will be implemented throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2023 to 2027 and aims to improve the position of women in the labor market and business environment. Activities will take place in Sarajevo, Bihać, Tuzla, as well as other cities and local communities, where fieldwork is planned as part of Nahla’s commitment to making knowledge accessible to everyone. Through various activities within this project, Nahla will reach and support over five thousand women.

Written by: Elvira Leka, Executive Director of CEI Nahla Sarajevo

23/05/2024

The financial independence of women, as a contribution to the economic development of our society, is largely reflected in making resources, opportunities, knowledge, and skills accessible.

Whether we are talking about basic education, professional development and advancement, training for managerial or leadership positions, or entrepreneurship, we need an ecosystem that is supportive, community-driven, and rich in opportunities for acquiring new knowledge and skills—an ecosystem that multiplies examples of good practice and approaches solutions systemically. At Nahla, we have been witnessing this need for nearly 25 years, striving to be a hand of support to women and to give them wings in moments when they don’t dare to take the leap.

“I am one of those women whose life challenges prevented her from building a career using the typical path. I realized I couldn’t change my situation—but I could look for an alternative. I found one such meaningful opportunity at Nahla in Bihać. Today, I contribute to myself, my family, and to clients whose businesses benefit from the services I provide.” — Anita Čaušević, participant of the training program at CEI Nahla Bihać

In the past period, the Government of Switzerland brought together partners with the aim of defining a strategically designed project to address the needs of:

Women aged 16 and above who are in various career stages;
Women aged 24 and above by supporting their positioning and advancement in growing economic sectors;
Employed women with work experience who aspire to work in managerial and leadership positions.

Through joint activities, the partners involved in the project aim to change the narrative about women in the business world, establish and strengthen their networks, make resources for business and career development accessible, and motivate the community to get involved. In the period ahead, our joint efforts will focus on:

Establishing an effective ecosystem that responds to women's needs and provides an incentive for launching or improving their own businesses in growing economic sectors. This goal includes sustainable growth primarily based on knowledge transfer, access to financing, and access to (new) markets;
Supporting women to start, advance, or change their careers;
Contributing to the improvement of the institutional framework for women in business.

The Center for Education and Research “Nahla” is one of the partners in this strategic project, which will be implemented across the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina from December 2023 to November 2027. Nahla will primarily carry out activities in Sarajevo, Bihać, and Tuzla, as well as in other cities and local communities, where fieldwork is planned as part of Nahla’s commitment to making knowledge accessible to all.

Involved, Empowered, and Inspired Women Contribute to the Economic Development of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Opportunities Available Through Nahla

Over the next four years, Nahla will implement activities focused on acquiring knowledge and skills for career beginnings, development or career change, advancement, and managerial and leadership programs for women across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through various activities within this project, more than five thousand women will be included.

The project is designed to start with career orientation using the ProfilPass methodology, primarily by training future local career advisors who will work in their communities. This approach contributes to the sustainability of the initiative by building local capacities.
The trained local advisors will work with over 900 women on their professional orientation. This will support unemployed women, employed women seeking advancement, and employed women looking to transition into new careers.
Over 1,300 unemployed women and those at the beginning of their careers will go through educational programs to improve their competitiveness in the labor market, analyzing and strengthening their capacities through structured methodologies.
Over 1,400 women will participate in educational programs that will support their career advancement.
More than 650 women will be trained for new professions or upskilled for career changes.

In addition to the wide range of existing programs offered by Nahla, a significant number of new programs will be developed to address the needs identified through career orientation activities and respond to labor market demands.

The ecosystem we are contributing to requires support and networking. Therefore, a number of career meet-ups with different stakeholders are planned, as well as mentorship opportunities and the development of an E-learning platform to make knowledge even more accessible.

For information about upcoming opportunities, please visit the websites of Nahla Sarajevo, Nahla Tuzla, and Nahla Bihać. In the coming period, updates and reflections on completed activities will also be available.
We invite the public to join this initiative by staying informed or by partnering with us—contact us at biznis@nahla.ba.

Have a look at the photo album with some of the project's activities we’ve been doing since December 2023 at our centers in Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Bihać.

The “Engage. Inspire. Empower – Women in Business in Bosnia and Herzegovina” program is supported by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by the Center for Education and Research “Nahla”, Foundation 787, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Srpska.