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                   enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database



Building Women's Economic and Social Empowerment Through Enterprise An Experimental
   Assessment of the Women's Income Generating Support (WINGS) Program in Uganda
       Author(s)            Chris Blattman, Eric Green, Jeannie Annann, Julain Jamison
       Contact              chrisblattman@columbia.edu

       Country              Uganda

  Organizing Theme          Gender Based Violence, Voice and Agency, Economic Opportunities and Access to Assets
                            The intervention and midline follow-up are complete, an endline survey will be
        Status
                            administered in the future
 Intervention Category      Cash Transfer

        Sector              Social Protection

       Abstract             No Abstract

  Gender Connection         Gender Focused Intervention
                            Gender disaggregated earnings, savings, consumption, psychological agency, domestic
  Gender Outcomes
                            violence
      IE Design             Clustered Randomized Control Trial (Clustered at village level)
                            There are 3 components to the Women's Income Generating Support (WINGS) Program:
                            1. Approximately 5 days of business training covering topics related to planning, starting,
                            managing simple businesses. 2. A $150 start up grant to be used for the implementation of
                            an approved business plan. 3. The clients receive at least 3 follow up visits to monitor and
     Intervention           support the activities of the businesses. Additionally, participants had the option of
                            participating in Group training to form business support networks, and Spousal Inclusion
                            in order to include the whole family in the intervention. The spouse inclusion component,
                            called W+, provided additional training modules that focused on communication, joint
                            problem-solving, and gender relations.
                            Participants received the transfer in 2009 or 2011, business training lasts for approximately
  Intervention Period
                            5 days, support groups received 2 days of advising,
                            The partnering NGO identified 2300 potential beneficiaries and selected 1800 of the most
  Sample population
                            vulnerable residents between the ages of 14 and 30. 86% of the participants were female.
Comparison conditions       The control group received the program 18 months after the treatment group.

    Unit of analysis        Individual level

  Evaluation Period         April 2009 - August 2012
                            A year after the intervention, the average cash earnings doubled, cash savings tripled, and
                            short-term spending on durable assets increased 30-50%. The treatment has the greatest
        Results             impact on individuals with the lowest initial levels of capital. There are no effects on
                            women's independence, status in the community or freedom from partner violence. There
                            is also little effect on psychological well-being. Close supervision from NGOs leads to only


    Last updated: 14 August 2013                                                                       1
                   enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database


                            slight increases in economic success.


Primary study limitations
                            Learning on Gender and Conflict and Africa LOGICA, AVSI Uganda, a Vanguard
    Funding Source
                            Charitable Trust, and Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies
                            Blattman, C., Green, E., Annan, J., Jamison, J., Bureau, C. F. P., Aryemo, F., ... & Segura,
                            A. (2013). Building Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment Through Enterprise An
      Reference(s)
                            Experimental Assessment of the Women’s Income Generating Support (WINGS) Program
                            in Uganda.
    Link to Studies
                            http://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/wings_full_policy_report_0.pdf
       Microdata




    Last updated: 14 August 2013                                                                      2