Empowering garment workers in Cambodia
Good Return’s financial literacy Program (CAFE Program) is one of the key ways we transform lives. The program supports low-income communities across the Asia-Pacific to build business skills and sustainable pathways out of poverty.
Currently, there are 850,000 people who work in Cambodia’s $7 billion garment industry. 80% of these are women who have no access to financial and social security nets such as unemployment benefits, parental or sick leave (United Nations, Cambodia. Sreysros Keo 2021). In April 2021 Cambodia experienced a huge wave of COVID-19 infections, after having reported only a small number of cases in 2020. Lockdowns resulted in the closure of garment factories across the country and left tens of thousands of low-paid garment workers without income (Reuters, Yon Sineat, Matt Blomberg 2021).
Despite a lack of a comprehensive vaccine program and growing fears that they were in danger of contracting the virus, many garment workers had no choice but to continue to work because they had no other sources of income, and ongoing debts and everyday expenses continued to build up.
In these dire circumstances, Good Return’s CAFE Program has come into its own. Two weeks ago Benigne Du Parc, Good Return’s Program Director, presented certificates to the latest class graduating from the ‘Training of Coaches’ phase of the CAFE Program. These newly graduated coaches were Garment Worker Trade Union Representatives who will now go on to deliver CAFE financial coaching to garment workers in Phnom Penh.
The coaches will train, challenge and support cohorts of garment workers to identify their own financial priorities and work towards specific financial goals using money management tools such as savings, emergency planning and debt reduction plans. The financial literacy training uses Behavioral Design (a multidisciplinary methodology combining insights from behavioral economics, human-centred design and cognitive psychology) to build knowledge and confidence to create impactful change.
Congratulations to the newest graduating coaches and thank you for the ongoing work to our Cambodia CAFE Team @Phaikdey, @Maneth,Sopha Phatand @Sophany.
Continuing our commitment to creating sustainable partnerships, the Training of Coaches was facilitated by Good Return and People In Need(PIN).
Good Return’s CAFE initiative is supported by the Accenture Australia Foundation and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.
References:
‘Cambodia’s garment workers struggle to pay debts as lockdown bites’, Reuters, Yon Sineat, Matt Blomberg May 19 2021https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cambodia-workers-idUSKCN2D00UJ
‘Information Note #7: Un Cambodia’s Support to Garment Workers in COVID-19 Response’, United Nations Cambodia, Sreysros Keo. 15 June 2021: https://cambodia.un.org/en/131493-information-note-7-un-cambodias-support-garment-workers-covid-19-response