H&M customers help to empower women in Ethiopia
With the help from H&M customers around the globe, a donation of SEK 20 million (EUR 2,1 million) will reach 5,000 poor women in Ethiopia. During the holidays H&M customers engaged in the cause of empowering Ethiopian women by buying sets of holiday gift labels. For each set of gift labels bought by an H&M customer the H&M Conscious Foundation made a donation to the global humanitarian organization CARE.
The majority of the poor in Ethiopia are women and teenage girls. They are frequently subjected to discrimination in multiple areas. As most Ethiopian women spend a lot of time working within the household, they also have less time for paid work.
The money donated by H&M Conscious Foundation will go to a unique project that will empower women from low-income urban communities. In this three-year project, CARE will support women in developing their own business in order to generate income, gain more power in their families and communities and to enhance self-esteem.
The women will be trained and coached in business skills and life skills in order to set up their own enterprises. A portion of their enterprises will deliver social services such as child care and catering, which will enable even more women to combine paid work with family responsibilities.
The donation of SEK 20 million (EUR 2,1 million) from H&M Conscious Foundation will result in:
- 5,000 women entrepreneurs from low-income communities gaining access to knowledge and basic skills on enterprise development.
- 500 enterprises being developed with and by women through training and coaching.
- 50 women-led social service providers delivering adequate services to women workers and entrepreneurs.
Learn more about the project.
About CARE
Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in 87 countries around the world and reached more than 97 million people through 927 poverty-fighting programs to improve basic health and education, fight hunger, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunities, confront climate change and recover from disasters. For further information, visit CARE.
About H&M Conscious Foundation
The H&M Conscious Foundation is an independent non-profit global foundation, initiated by H&M. The mission of the Foundation is to drive long lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in people, communities and innovative ideas. Through partnerships with experienced organizations around the globe, the Foundation drives change within three focus areas chosen by H&M employees and customers: Education, Clean Water and Strengthening Women. To further improve living conditions the Foundation also supports innovative ideas that contribute to safeguarding the earth’s natural resources. In case of natural disasters in countries where H&M operates, the H&M Conscious Foundation can provide emergency relief. Today, the Foundation is funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of H&M. For further information, visit H&M Conscious Foundation.