The apparel manufacturer Gildan Activewear (PPAI 250187 S13) has announced the signing of an 18-month partnership with World Vision Bangladesh. The move results in a commitment of $52,000 to support the economic empowerment of women in Bangladesh.

The Partnership

  • The program hopes to reduce the gender gap in Bangladesh by improving financial literacy among women. It plans to help women deal with financial institutions, use financial services and manage savings, information often withheld from women in the country.

  • One of Gildan’s manufacturing hubs is located in Bangladesh.

  • The company intends to create a foundation for programs that advance female health education and women leadership in the community.

  • Gildan already has a decade-long partnership World Vision Honduras (the location of another Gildan manufacturing hub), which has totaled investments of approximately $600,000.

What They’re Saying

“Our partnership with World Vision Honduras has been immensely successful in supporting childhood education and developing teacher training programs to strength the education system within our communities in Honduras,” says Claudia Sandoval, vice-president of corporate citizenship at Gildan. “Drawing confidence from this successful partnership with World Vision, we now hope to make similar developments in our Bangladesh community by enabling women to take more ownership of their finances and heighten their capacity to be independent. We are excited to be extending our partnership with World Vison and are confident that this initiative will allow us to move ahead in our journey toward Making Apparel Better.”