Expanding Trade Facilitation and Finance for Women’s Enterprise in the Indo-Pacific

Red Hat Impact is thrilled to announce support from the Australian Government for the next phase of their award winning Trade Finance Vehicle for Pacific Menstrual Health enterprises.

“Since the pilot project launched in September 2020, our ambition has been for the Trade Finance Vehicle to become a stand alone entity – Pacific-based, owned and led – that could be commercially sustainable through its trade facilitation and finance services” says Red Hat Impact director Paul Howorth.

“Thanks to this investment by the Australian Government, we now have the core funding to undertake the necessary research, design and setup activities to make this a reality”.

The current Trade Finance Vehicle for Pacific Menstrual Health enterprise pilot project (or TFV 1.0) is a whole of ecosystem, market-level intervention in the menstrual health sector in the Pacific.

Led by women in the Pacific, grounded in multi-sector partnerships and collaboration, and built through blended finance, TFV 1.0 coordinates and finances the supply of input materials for locally owned and operated (formal and informal) Pacific enterprises that make and distribute reusable menstrual pads for women and girls.

Cameron Neil, another Red Hat Impact director, shares, “It’s been an immense privilege for Red Hat Impact to serve courageous and ambitious women operating menstrual health enterprises in the Pacific over the last 3 years.”

“For us, our collaborators, and our investors, it’s been vital that TFV 1.0 recognises that these leaders are best placed to know what is right for their enterprise and communities, and focuses on innovation in financial arrangements and addressing supply chain problems as the means to best support them. These same principles will be embedded in the next phase.”

With this new support of AU$250,000 from the Australian Government (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), Red Hat Impact will undertake an evaluation of TFV 1.0 and research the broader application of this trade finance and facilitation model for women’s enterprise across the Indo-Pacific.

The evaluation and research insights will inform the design of the next iteration, TFV 2.0, and the business model for the new entity which aims to launch operations in July 2024. The project demonstrates the value of inclusive aid for trade and is an opportunity to promote economic participation by women and girls across the region.

With this announcement, Red Hat Impact welcomes broad stakeholder engagement and input through the TFV 2.0 creation process. There will be face to face interviews and workshops in many countries across the Indo-Pacific region, as well as virtual sessions with those in the region and around the world.

“Partnerships and collaboration have been essential for the creation and operation of TFV 1.0.” adds Paul.

“We are excited to continue and further our relationships with our existing stakeholders as we move to this next phase, and add in new partners such as Bambino Mio, the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships, and many more we will meet and engage with in the coming months. If you are involved with women’s enterprises in the Pacific in any way – or want to be – we’d love to hear from you.”

Interested parties are invited to visit the TFV 2.0 project website to learn more about TFV 1.0 and the scope for 2.0, to nominate themselves and others to participate in the research, to sign up for updates, or to make any other comments or inputs to this ambitious and exciting endeavour.

For further enquiries, please contact tfv2.0@redhatimpact.com, or Cameron Neil on +61402072452 via phone, text or WhatsApp.

Further note: Red Hat Impact is currently searching for a suitably experienced Monitoring and Evaluation and Research Consultant to be part of the project. Further details and how to apply on the TFV 2.0 project website.