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H&M Conscious Foundation has partnered with humanitarian organisation CARE to focus on empowering women. Their joint program is investing in actions that strengthen women in poor communities and transform their futures. It aims to inspire and empower women economically. The program will offer advice on policy changes needed to allow women’s full participation in all walks of life, with a focus on enterprise development.

Some 60% of the world’s working women live in poverty. And although women account for the majority of the world’s working hours, they earn just a fraction of the total wages. Why? Because women around the world face severe discrimination that prevents them from realising their true potential and capacity in life. They have less access to education, financial services and resources, as well as to technical and vocational skills training. Furthermore, women have limited rights to own or inherit property and face cultural and structural barriers more frequently than men in most aspects of life.

Experience and studies show that when women are given equal rights, and these rights are respected, the whole society benefits in matters of health, economic growth and children’s wellbeing. Economic empowerment minimises women’s dependency, strengthens their position in society in general and improves the abilities for her children to get a better start in life. So empowering women in a lasting, sustainable way will benefit many people around them, and is an extremely important catalyst for positive change.

CARE in action

An example is the Tera Intambwe (meaning ‘Go ahead’ in Kirundi, the local language) project in Burundi. This project builds on CARE’s experience in setting up village associations that encourage people to save together and subsequently lend to one another, and is entirely managed by the villagers themselves. These associations have made it possible for poor people to have access to capital investment, which in some cases has led to the start-up of small businesses. Experience has shown however, that for women it is hard to move beyond a basic level of micro-enterprise.

Bena Musembi, country director of CARE Burundi explains. “Through the H&M Conscious Foundation’s project, 10,000 women in Burundi will have access to business advice, financial skills training and linkages with markets, in order to improve and diversify their production and to better manage their enterprises. In addition, women selected on basis of their motivation and skills level will receive individualised coaching from experienced entrepreneurs and will be supported in expanding their business in a successful manner”.

As part of the program, women from poor communities can apply for a grant through the new Lasting Change Fund, which can go towards the start-up of small enterprises, or to expand and improve their business. Basic skills training will be offered in areas such as self-esteem, basic cost price calculation, marketing, negotiation and sales. By 2017, the goal is for 100,000 women from poor communities to get access to tools such as knowledge skills and seed capital to start up or to expand their enterprise in order to empower them economically.

Campaigns, platforms and events with women sharing their experiences on how they overcame the barriers that exist in society will be organised in five global regions. Their success stories aim to inspire others and will, together with examples from the Lasting Change Fund, form the basis of a global report communicating vital policy changes needed to bring about women’s full participation in all walks of life.

About CARE International

CARE fights poverty and injustice in 90 countries around the world to help the world’s poorest people find routes out of poverty. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives in the aftermath.

CARE and women

CARE tackles the underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognising that women and girls suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, increase access to quality healthcare and expand economic opportunity for all. You can find out more at CARE International.

H&M Conscious Foundation

H&M Conscious Foundation is a non-profit global foundation initiated by H&M. The mission of the Foundation is to contribute to positive long-term change for people and communities, beyond the value chain, complementing H&M’s sustainability work. Thanks to the Stefan Persson family’s substantial donation of $105m (65m) since 2013, it is possible for the H&M Conscious Foundation to make real impact for people and communities within the focus areas education, clean water and empowering women.

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