The Walmart Foundation has an aggressive goal to help 60,000 women who are working in 150 factories in India, Bangladesh, China, El Salvador, and Honduras. The program, called Grants For Women In Factories, is generously funded by $10 million to ensure the goals are met by the year 2016.
Walmart's goal
CEO of Walmart Asia, Scott Price, explains the reason for the program, “We want to help empower women around the world through this training that teaches critical work and life skills, because we are committed to the communities and people in our supply chain." The program is designed to offer women free training to help them become more successful in the workplace. The program actually began in 2011 and is doing well in reaching its goal by 2016, the target date to complete the 5-year program.
How the grant helps women
The free training program includes financial planning, health and wellness, time management, career and leadership development at both entry-level and advanced levels to meet the needs of women. The program has thus far been reported to not only better prepare women for successful careers but has also changed their lives in many ways, including getting them out of poverty and inspiring them to pursue educational opportunities.
The Grants For Women In Factories program is part of Walmart's larger initiative, the Walmart Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEE) that aims to improve the lives of under served women through farming, factory and retail training, promoting diversity and inclusion among suppliers, and increasing sourcing from women.
To read more about the Walmart Grants For Women In Factories program, visit news.walmart.com/news-archive/2014/11/08/walmart-foundation-announces-10-million-in-grants-for-women-in-factories-program