We recognise that women working in global supply chains, many of whom are young and undereducated migrants, have limited health knowledge and often lack access to critical health services and products.
This is particularly true in Bangladesh – an important source for our garment manufacture.
To ensure that these women have the information and access to health services they need, we have partnered with HERproject, an initiative educating female workers through workplace-based programmes on feminine and family health, and financial literacy.
In 2019, The Warehouse partnered with two of its Bangladesh suppliers and Business for Social Responsibility’s HERproject business initiative to deliver the 18-month long HERhealth training to female workforces in these two factories.
The work was closely followed and supported by our ethical sourcing specialists based in our Dhaka Sourcing office and jointly funded by The Warehouse and its two suppliers - ImpressNewtex Composite and Manami Fashions.
HERhealth follows the HERproject methodology, delivering workplace-based interventions with a dual approach:
• Provide guidance to managers on policies and systems improvements so that managers can build inclusive workplaces for women.
• Small groups (5%) of women within the factories and farms learn key information. They then become Peer Educators and share this information with colleagues.
We are really proud of the outcomes of this partnership and plan to commence two new HERproject programmes in Bangladesh in 2021.