Women living in the impoverished rural areas of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are not faring well in the current labor market and are poorly positioned to adapt to future economic challenges. Lack of economic opportunity, quality education and training, limited child care, and persistent racial inequality remain huge obstacles. In a survey of rural black women, 80 percent identified unemployment as a problem.

SRBWI’s approach to lifting women out of poverty focuses on building skills, cooperative networks, and local and regional businesses in sectors with demonstrated growth potential rather than relying on traditional economic development practices, such as attracting industry, that have left many rural women behind. We contend that in isolated rural regions, tight local networks of enterprises in the same or complementary sectors, working in collaboration can become economic drivers in our region and will be better positioned to foster innovation and adapt to economic and market changes than isolated corporations with no investment in the long term.

SRBWI supports sector based enterprise development through worker and cooperative ownership as a vehicle for community control of resources, achieving livable wages and providing meaningful work, all of which ultimately contribute to the long term stability of communities and enterprises.

SRBWI has identified several industry clusters in our region including niche manufacturing, value added agriculture and food production, cultural heritage tourism, allied health care, and the growing alternative energy sector. These sectors have significant growth potential and could create quality jobs that do not require professional degrees on the outset, but offer opportunity for growth. Our support of such industries in our targeted counties currently include:

Southern Journeys, A Worker Owned Sewing Company Women, many of them long-time garment workers who lost their jobs to industry globalization, have incorporated a sewing company with member owners in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company produces Authentic and Hand-Crafted Home Décor, Personal Accessories and Gifts unique to the South and designed and made by local women.

A Women’s Value Added Agricultural Network which includes two incorporated cooperatives coordinates training and networking activities to assist women in producing and marketing value added food products. The network is focused on improving community access to fresh, quality, affordable produce and increasing income to women and their families through cooperative production and marketing initiatives. Licensed commercial kitchens equipped for catering and commercial food preparation are being developed in SRBWI states.

Local Projects SRBWI staff and consultants are working with local women’s groups to develop income producing, community asset development projects from the Women on the Move transportation company in Mississippi to the Southern Alternatives worker-owned pecan processing cooperative in Georgia.

Cultural Heritage Trails SRBWI is developing communities to develop cultural heritage sites and enterprises. Cultural exhibits, retail sales outlets and a digital film archive of films produced by the young women in SRBWI “New Visions” digital filmmaking training program will be permanently housed at sites in each state.

Financial and Technical Assistance and Training is made available through SRBWI staff, consultants, community based partners and SRBWI’s Seed Grant Fund.

Contact: Sarah Bobrow-Williams, SRBWI Asset and Finance Development Director, at sbobrow@msn.com