15.06.16
A new member of MMM in Bangladesh, the Awaj Foundation has the aim of strengthening the competences of women workers in the textile industry notably in financial literacy and leadership.
The Awaj Foundation, set up and led by Nazma Akter, defends workers’ rights in the ready-to-wear industry, of whom 85% are women. Awaj, which means “voice” in Bengali, encourages a positive and collaborative approach. The foundation thinks that factory work can be a source of empowerment for women by offering more opportunities and choice. It strives against dangerous working conditions and demands fair and more equal treatment for women workers.
Awaj seeks to solve their problems as women and mothers, even beyond the work environment, so that they can be in control of their lives. Awaj advocates decent working conditions and a safe work environment where mothers are able to breastfeed. Awaj also demands equal access to health care, education, and training, as well as the end to discrimination and violence. Its aim is also to empower women workers through financial literacy and leadership.
Nazma Akter, founding director of the Awaj Foundation
To help realise these objectives, Awaj recently opened a child care centre. The foundation thinks that to improve society in general, it is vital to address the challenges of reconciling family and professional life, as well as maternal health and education: “Our main motivation is to obtain for mothers a safe and decent work environment, to watch over their health and that of their children, and thus to contribute to the general health of families and the country for a better future.”
By becoming a member of MMM, Awaj hopes to reinforce its activities at the national level while participating in an international network to defend the rights of working women, particularly in an international environment. This partnership also allows both Awaj and MMM to share their respective expertise.
More information on the Awaj website
21.09.21
August 15th saw the collapse of the Afghan government and a return to power by the Taliban. At MMM, like much of the rest of the world, we were shocked
19.07.21
UN New York / HLPF - A look back at our side-event to the UN High Level Political Forum
21.09.21
On International Day of Peace, we are celebrating the launch of Mères et Paix (Mothers and Peace), a book by our MMM colleague Pauline Ambrogi. Pauline holds a doctorate in
02.07.22
UN New York, HLPF - Join us on July 11th for a discussion on how #SharingTheCare at every level - family, community, governments and private sector - is vital for gender equality and the wellbeing of all. Our v
21.06.22
The ongoing conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of mothers and their children, on both those who have fled and those who have sta
18.06.22
UN Geneva - On the occasion of a consultation on Racism and the Right to Health, MMM denounces the systemic racism against mothers in childbirth, prevalent in developed countries, with two key indicators: women
30.05.22
International Labour conference, Geneva – To redress the economic injustice suffered by many mothers as a result of their caring responsibilities, MMM has called for a new approach to employment: a human-cent
18.05.22
In these unprecedented times, when Europe is navigating a global pandemic, when political tensions are boiling over threatening to destabilize the global order, it is vital to reflect on the people who hold the
15.05.22
MMM is delighted to publish a report written by Emma Levrau, a student in Global Health and Social Justice (Master of Science) at Kings College London on the unpaid and invisible cognitive and emotional work th