Access to employment, education and even basic necessities such as food and shelter is a daily challenge faced by many women globally. In order to address these issues, Walmart Asia has collaborated with various partners across the APAC region.
China
A joint initiative between Walmart China and China Women’s Development Fund resulted in a project which aims to provide Chinese women in need with financial support to start their own business ventures or find employment. To date, grants have benefited women in over 1600 households in rural China. Project sites have included agricultural and livestock farms in Hebei, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia, as well as hand-made arts and crafts workshops in Hunan.
Japan
Walmart Japan teamed up with Florence, a social enterprise, to deliver a project that resolves social problems with the help of private enterprise, following the March 2011 earthquake. The partners first co-operated on opening an indoor park in Fukushima as a radiation-free play space. Since then, additional grants have funded childcare services for low-income single-parent families. Walmart Japan also contributed grants and in-store donations to J’espere, a non-profit organisation that supports mothers affected by the 2011 earthquake. Thus far, the Tohoku Kosodate project has helped over 5000 women and children through consultative sessions by professional midwives and home visits offering medical or psychological support.
India
Free-of-charge retail skills training workshops to underprivileged young adults have been provided through a network of 18 Bharti Walmart Training Centers across the country. Over 8,000 women have been trained so far, many of which have now succeeded in finding employment at a variety of outlets. As well as this, female entrepreneurs in small and mid-sized businesses have been actively engaged to source a growing list of merchandise. Particularly keen to provide an opportunity to women-led startups, Bharti Walmart already works with over 100 female suppliers and over the next five years, is committed to engage and impact the livelihoods of 30,000 additional women across the country.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
