The GFAR community of partners has identified rural women’s wellbeing as an area of focus for GFAR collective actions. Small enterprise development for rural women has been identified as an effective way to raise their income, to develop their leadership and life skills and to improve their wellbeing and that of their families. However, success will depend on finding the right opportunities and intervention points through the full engagement of rural women and their communities. Models for country studies have been discussed with GFAR Partners, with the goal of assessing gaps before deciding on full interventions with the stakeholders. As a pilot, GFAR started by applying a framework for a needs assessment with rural women in Egypt. This model can then be scaled out to other countries.