So far, 682 women have been educated and employed through our training centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
And now, thanks to our textile collecting, the centre has new, modern sewing machines.
KappAhl’s training centre on the outskirts of Dhaka, in Bangladesh, provides women between the ages of 18 and 35 from poor households with opportunities to learn sewing skills.
The centre has been able to purchase new sewing machines with funding from KappAhl’s textile collecting, under which every kilo of textiles generates a sum of money.
“The ten modern, automatic sewing machines that have replaced ten old, manual machines are much easier to use. There was even enough money this time to buy five more brand new sewing machines,” says Eva Kindgren de Boer, project leader sustainability at KappAhl.
And the number of kilos of textiles being collected is increasing every year. We’ve collected 400 tonnes in total, which is equivalent to about 2.6 million t-shirts.
“This goes to show that we can make a difference when we pull together,” says Eva Kindgren de Boer.
Poverty, workplace injuries and a lack of rights for women are common problems in Bangladesh, where a large percentage of KappAhl’s clothing is manufactured.
KappAhl wants to promote positive development by working with a long-term approach in Bangladesh. A key part of our sustainability efforts involves taking responsibility for the people whose lives are affected by what we do.
“The courses at our centre are three months long and train 30 or so women at a time. So far we have trained 682 women at the centre,” Eva explains:
“They are taught how to use a sewing machine, reading and writing skills, and they also learn about health, safety and women’s rights. In addition, they are offered medical check-ups and receive meals while attending the course. All women are offered work once they have completed their training.”
Du you want to learn more about our training centre and how it has helped improve the lives of many women? Watch our film “Made in Bangladesh” which is part of our “Make It Feel Right” film series.
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