Strengthening our communities through quality education
Education is the most powerful tool in creating a better and brighter tomorrow. We believe that access to education will open doors of opportunity for children’s futures. Hence, our goal is to strengthen the local educational infrastructure across our communities by investing in education programs, providing support and training for teachers, and engaging students around topics that will make them responsible citizens of tomorrow.
Project highlights
SUPPORTING EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH
Since 2017, Gildan has partnered with Room to Read and contributed USD $200,000 to support the Girls’ Education Program in Bangladesh to improve accessibility and pave the way for female education. To date, this partnership has helped support nearly 500 girls in Bangladesh, opening opportunities for them later in life, and empowering them to create a good future for themselves.
Room to Read strives to create a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, so that all children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to lead fulfilling lives and make positive change. The organization addresses systemic causes for educational imbalance, taking concrete steps to combat obstacles which impede girls’ access to education, such as garnering support from government bodies, families, and communities, training teachers, improving school infrastructure, and securing logistical needs such as transportation, food, and fees required to attend school.
Partnership with World Vision Honduras
Gildan partners with World Vision Honduras to strengthen the quality of education provided to children while teaching them to work together, and proactively improve the environment, health, sanitation, and safety of their schools and communities. Since the program’s beginnings, Gildan has helped change the lives of more than 147,000 children and 5,000 teachers.
The Antonio C. Rivera public school in the community of Río Blanquito in Choloma is one of the 14 educational centers Gildan supports through the Childhood Education and Transformation program with World Vision Honduras. One of the pillars in this academic support program is environment and climate change, where students are guided on the importance of environmental care in their communities and schools. Gildan volunteers join students, parents, teachers, and community members on days of learning and environmental volunteering.
PARTNERSHIP WITH WORLD VISION BANGLADESH
Gildan has been partnering with World Vision Bangladesh since May 2022 to support economic independence by offering financial education to an initial group of 200 female employees and their spouses, representing a total investment of USD$ 52,000.
This partnership focuses on educating participants on a range of topics including managing household budgets, digital banking, ATM use, and more. It is an important step in creating fair and equal opportunities for all our employees to grow with us and share our success.
WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Gildan partners with the Canadian Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to bring to life their Community Startup program. The program is offered by the Dominican Women in Development (MUDE) to empower women from Batey Esperanza, a local community in San Pedro de Macoris. Over the course of six months, The Community Startup provides key resources and support to train around 100 women in making handicrafts to help them develop entrepreneurial skills and gain greater economic independence. Gildan offers financial aid as well as support to the organization of local fairs for women to sell their products.
Through this project, we proudly strengthen our commitment to the San Pedro community by fostering female empowerment and leadership development.
ENHANCING LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN NICARAGUA
Since 2019, Gildan has invested in improving school infrastructure in regions where we operate in Nicaragua to allow students to enjoy safer school environments, and promote enhanced learning experiences.
At the República de Venezuela school, for example, an expanded mesh serpentine was installed, and the entire perimeter area was painted in an effort to make the school boundaries safer and more secure. Alfonso Cortés, another school, underwent construction to install a storage area for the school cafeteria and renovate the ceilings of two classrooms. Improving infrastructure was an important step in delivering peace of mind for teachers, students, and parents alike, and shifting the focus to learning.
On an annual basis, Gildan also distributes kits of school supplies to students to ensure children have access to materials needed to aid them in their education.
