When women in factories undergo lifeskills training related to communication, health and hygiene, it has shown significant positive outcomes in their daily lives, in the workplace as well as in their communities.
The Tufts University Labor Lab conducted an im- pact evaluation using randomised controlled trials, of the Women In Factories training programme in El Salvador, Honduras, Bangladesh and India since 2014. In India, this study was conducted on the Women In Factories programme (WIF), an initiative of the Walmart Foundation’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEEI) programme.
Results From The Tufts study: The Tufts study attributes tangible to the health and socio-emotional well-being of women working in the factories. The number of women arriving late to work reduced from 45 per 100 women to 17.
WIF has trained more than 60,000 women worldwide in critical lifeskills related to communication, hygiene, reproductive health, occupational health and safety and gender norms.
Select women received additional advanced leadership training for their work and on lifeskills for personal and career development. "When women want to take charge and build something, they cause a ripple effect. Give them the right tools and they will contribute back to the business and their communities." - Shankar, WIF programme lead at Swasti.
By early 2019, Swasti reached more than 200,000 women in 300 to 250+ factories, across 20 brands through programmes like Walmart’s Women in Factories, Levi’s Worker Well-Being, GAP’s PACE, Debenham’s Life, BSR’s HER programme, Primark’s My Life, Inditex’s Sakhi and Swasti’s own Invest4Wellness (i4We) programme.