Home ›› 23 Feb 2023 ›› Corporate
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) have extended the timeline of the Nutrition of Working Women (NoWW) Project till 2027 to eliminate anaemia and raise health awareness among women workers in the knitwear sector.
BKMEA has been running the project in collaboration with National Nutrition Service (NNS) and Nutrition International (NI) since 2019, said a press statement.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between BKMEA, NSS and NI to extend the project's duration up to March 2027. It was signed by BKMEA Vice President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, NNS Country Director Abdul Mannan and NI President Joel Spicer.
The MoU signing programme was held on February 20 at a city hotel while the Speaker of the National Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was present as the chief guest. Commerce Ministry Senior Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh was the special guest at the event chaired by BKMEA Executive President Mohammad Hatem.
More than 46 per cent of women aged between 15 to 49 suffer from anaemia in the country, so the nutrition of working women projects is a timely step, said Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, adding that, BKMEA has created an unprecedented example through this project.
So far, the project has been operated in 116 factories and 1,0006,283 iron and folic acid tablets were distributed among 2 lakh 20 thousand women workers.
Highlighting the importance of the project, BKMEA Executive President Mohammad Hatem hoped that the knitting industry will take a step forward in a sustainable production system through this initiative.
“For nearly 30 years, Nutrition International has been working to reduce malnutrition rates in Bangladesh. By maintaining this continuity, NI has become a trusted partner of Bangladesh”, said Joel Spicer, president and CEO of Nutrition International.
Factory owners, managers and workers of various factories were also present on the occasion.
BKMEA has also set up a hospital for the better treatment of the workers. BKMEA also strictly monitors the member factories so that each factory provides medical services to the workers.
Employment in the Knitwear industry has provided direct access to cash income for the first time to many poor women. A survey, conducted by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in 2012 showed that for 86 per cent of the female workers in the non-EPZ areas, work in the garment industry was the maiden wage employment.
BKMEA has set up a training institute and developed different short, medium and long term courses on different issues related with knitwear production. Thousands of workers and mid-level management have got training from BKMEA.
