Donna Project: Social entrepreneurship as a strategy for productive inclusion and female empowerment

Abstract

Gender inequality remains one of the greatest barriers to social and economic development in Brazil and is intensified by the socioeconomic vulnerability that affects women in contexts of violence, exclusion, and precariousness. The DONNA project, developed within the scope of the Accounting and Fiscal Support Center (NAF) of the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR), proposes working with women in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability, offering support in social entrepreneurship, financial education, technical training and access to management and credit instruments. The initiative seeks to combine the citizenship and practical training of students with local social demands, in line with the guidelines of university extension, promoting an impact both on academic training and on the lives of the women served. The project is also part of the Citizen Woman–Fiscal Citizenship for Women program of the Federal Revenue Service, expanding the reach of extension actions. The results of the project include both impacts already partially achieved and future expectations, demonstrating its social and academic relevance through the creation of new ventures led by women, the citizenship and professional training of extension students, and the dissemination of management practices and financial education at the community level.