Seven delegates, led by the European Union funded SMART Myanmar project, returned to Yangon today following a study mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh where the group met with women’s community organizations and garment industry affiliates. The trip was organized in cooperation with Thone Pann Hla, a civil society organization of women garment workers in Yangon. The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, SMART Myanmar’s local partner, facilitated the exchange, which was funded by the C&A Foundation.

Women from Myanmar and Bangladesh exchanged ideas and approaches on how to educate and support garment workers on knowing claiming their rights and understanding their responsibilities.

Women from Myanmar and Bangladesh exchanged ideas and approaches on how to educate and support garment workers on knowing claiming their rights and understanding their responsibilities.

The main objective of the study mission was for the group to visit women’s centres in Dhaka, commonly called “women’s cafes” to share experience and best practices on their outreach and educational programmes for garment workers. SMART Myanmar and Thone Pann Hla are currently in the process of up-scaling Thone Pann Hla’s “Sunday Cafe” - a women’s cafe in Yangon which has been operating since early 2014. Thone Pann Hla seeks to expand their approach to provide educational services and community support for a greater number of garment employees.

Joining the exchange trip were two garment factory employees, the manager of Yangon’s Sunday Cafe and Ms. Than Dar Ko, the director of Thone Pann Hla. Three delegates from SMART Myanmar also joined, led by Ms. Su Tayar Lin, SMART Myanmar Project Manager.

In Dhaka, the group met with representatives of the Awaj Foundation, an organization that is operating more than half a dozen women’s cafes in Bangladesh. Awaj Foundation hosted the study delegation and took them to three women’s cafe locations and also provided opportunities to meet with a variety of support groups, such as legal advisors and medical support officers for the cafes. During the trip the group also took the time to tour a garment factory in Gazipur on the outskirts of Dhaka. The SMART staff met with various representatives of the Garment and Textile program called “Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry”, PSES, a program implemented by GIZ Bangladesh. The exchange of know how and experiences on Women Cafes and Compliance Awards was very useful for future implementation of these activities because SMART can learn from the GIZ experiences.

Press release English (Myanmar/Bangladesh exchange)

Myanmar language press release (Myanmar/Bangladesh exchange)