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ESCÚCHAME: Economic Security for Honduran women entrepreneurs through Education and Male Engagement Final Evaluation Report

The Escúchame project, launched as part of the USAID-sponsored MujerProspera Challenge, aimed to foster support for women entrepreneurs in Honduras through the engagement of men as allies. ODEF Financiera, in partnership with Grameen Foundation, implemented the Resilient Life Resilient Business (RLRB) curriculum with 200 young female clients; a subset of 50 clients and their male partners were engaged in a series of three intrahousehold dialogues (IHDs) to enhance communication and address household dynamics.

A mixed-method evaluation showed limited overall RLRB knowledge change, but there were improvements in knowledge of steps to take in an emergency and awareness of the GBV-support service, CuéntaNos. Positive shifts were noted in increased savings, use of an emergency fund, reduced reliance on business loans; women reported slightly higher incomes. While both men and women reported increased participation in decision-making and communication, attitudes towards gender equality exhibited mixed results. Some decreases in self-efficacy and equality attitudes were observed, alongside increases in justification for intimate partner violence and economic coercion, contrary to expectations. Women participating in both RLRB and IHDs demonstrated higher self-efficacy, intrinsic time-use agency, and decision-making scores compared to RLRB-only participants. Recommendations include refining RLRB implementation, formalizing use of household resilience plans, sustaining male engagement strategies, integrating concerns of harmful child work in client support, and further research on economic coercion. Despite a short implementation period, Escúchame laid essential groundwork for advancing gender equality, with clients expressing satisfaction and positive outcomes.