Media Center

BSR Launches Open-Source Curriculum for HERproject Women’s Health-Training Programs

June 26, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO—June 26, 2012—A new set of curriculum from BSR’s HERproject will help women working in factories globally learn about sensitive and critical health issues, including nutrition, water-borne disease, HIV/AIDS, family planning, and more, so that they and their families can improve their health and well-being.

The curriculum, which will be available in an open-source web platform, was developed with generous funding from the Levi Strauss Foundation. The one-hour training programs are intended for use in the workplace, but can be used in any situation – such as a community group or school – that would benefit from the short training timeframe and simple messages. The curriculum was designed for a wide group of users, including nonprofit organizations working on community-based health education, factory or farm human resources staff, and health clinic professionals. The language is clear and simple, and the directions for how to implement the training programs are thorough enough for less experienced trainers to understand and implement.

Resources for each health topic include:

• One-hour training program with interactive activities
• Manuals for trainers that provide more in-depth information on each health topic
• Post-training assessments to evaluate how well participants absorbed the information provided

BSR has also developed guidance for training in the workplace based on best practices demonstrated in HERproject programs globally. These documents explain how to replicate HERproject’s peer-to-peer health education methodology in any workplace, how to conduct health needs assessments, how to engage with worksite management, and different approaches to make training programs more effective.

“The release of the HERproject curriculum represents an important step in BSR’s commitment to promote women’s health and empowerment, which is a critical part of solving global sustainability challenges,” said Racheal Yeager, BSR’s HERproject Manager.

“HERproject is a critical component of our new approach to improving working conditions across the apparel industry by supporting worker programs and engaging industry stakeholders,” said Daniel Lee, Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation. “The release of the open-source HERproject curriculum means that apparel suppliers can be better equipped to create and sustain their own women’s health programs, which have proven to not only improve workers’ well-being, but also to increase productivity.”

The training materials were developed in partnership with leading organizations in public health and international development, including the Hesperian Foundation; HERproject’s global NGO partners; and representatives from Better Work, CARE, Georgetown University, Jhipego, Plan, and USAID, among others. 

About HERproject
Launched in 2007 in China, BSR’s HERproject links multinational companies and their factories and farms to local NGOs to create workplace women’s health education programs. Working with our global network of partners, BSR has also demonstrated the return on investment for factory-based women’s health programs. HERproject is currently active in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam. HERproject is generously supported by the Levi Strauss Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. For more information about HERproject or if you would like to get involved, please contact getinvolved@herproject.org.

About BSR
BSR works with its global network of nearly 300 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability.