Jeg har i længere tid gået og tænkt hvor og hvordan VACVAC gerne vil gøre en forskel. Tidligere har vi støttet danske tiltag, men efter mange tanker er jeg kommet frem til, at det helt rigtige er, at gøre en forskel dér hvor vi sætter vores fodaftryk på miljøet, og dér hvor vores produktioner bliver til af dygtige nænsomme hænder.
Derfor har jeg været i tæt kontakt med vores største leverandørs ejer, og fortalt ham om mine tanker. Han er glad og en smule benovet over, at jeg gerne vil yde noget ekstra i form af økonomisk støtte til et projekt vi bliver enige om. Et eller andet sted syntes jeg faktisk det burde være en selvfølge, menneskene i Bangladesh har - lad os sige - nogle levestandarter vi herhjemme ikke ville ønske for nogle. Og kan jeg (sammen med jer) gøre bare en smule, vil min samvittighed være mindre tyngende og mit smil meget bredere.
Jeg skal dog forsikre om, at systuen her er GOTS certificeret, og derfor er de allerede nået langt ifht. socialt ansvar som er VACVACs top prioritet. Vi ville fx aldrig være glade for økologisk bomuld, hvis ikke de ansatte har det godt og bliver passet på, når de er på arbejde. Så kan økologi være ligegyldig - spørger du mig! Så menneskene først, og miljøet som nummer to. Og heldigvis kan vi som oftest kombinere de to, win win.
Mit udgangspunkt for snakken omkring en form for social støtte, blev som sagt mødt med glæde, og det kan jeg da om noget forstå når nogle af punkterne hedder "nutrition program" og "pure drinking water facilities at home".
Ejeren vil meget gerne kunne give alle ansatte (ca 500stk) et æg og et glas mælk når de møder ind om morgenen for at være sikker på, at de alle får bare nogle af de proteiner de skal have i løbet af en dag. - for nej, de ansatte har hverken råd til, eller prioriterer anderledes, fx skolegang til deres børn op imod dagsrationer af mad.
Derudover er det langt fra alle der har mulighed for, at komme til rent drikkevand i deres hjem. Faktisk ingen af dem, er hans, ejerens, umiddelbare bud. Han vil gerne hjælpe til, at alle ansatte for en maskine/beholder, der renser vandet, som de hver især kan have stående derhjemme.
Det her er om sagt en af de arbejdspladser som ligger i toppen. - tør du tænke på hvordan forholdene er på fabrikker der ikke er certificerede? Og ligeledes hvilken "leve"-løn de ansatte får på ikke-certificerede fabrikker? - de mennesker der reelt laver din T-shirt og dagligt er i kontakt med oftest skadelige kemikalier. Eller ikke har det nødvendige lys under sit arbejde, ikke har de nødvendige pauser, ikke har ordnede toiletforhold, ikke har mulighed for at få passet deres børn mens de er på arbejde og bare går, hver eneste dag, og håber på, at de er ok, når de engang kommer hjem efter en 12 timers lang arbejdsdag.
Og der er mere endnu...læs blot længere nede. - læs gerne og få et indtryk af, hvordan det ser ud, de gode steder. Jeg håber, at du bliver overrasket, og jeg håber, at det får dig til, at undres og stå tilbage med en masse spørgsmål. Jeg vil så gere have dig som slutforbruger til, at STILLE KRAV.
Stille krav til det tøj du går med - for medmindre du går nøgen rundt (feel free), så bidrager du til denne mølle. Spørgsmålet er bare hvor vi støtter og hvad vi støtter.
Fra vores leverandør i Bangladesh:
Dear Signe,
Thanks for your good thoughts to launch a project with us for our workers well-being.
However, currently we are providing below facilities to our workers as a part of our CSR activities:
* Free transportation for the workers: We run 5 busses to pick up and drop our workers from the
highway for free-of-cost.
* Free sanitary napkin for female workers: During working hours female workers get free sanitary
napkin from our company.
* Family Planning Corner: With cooperation with Ministry of Family Planning Bangladesh, we are
operating a ‘family planning corner’ where we are providing family planning materials for free.
* Fair Price Shop: Very soon we are going to operate a ‘Fair Price Shop’ in our factory premises so
that our workers can buy non-perishable items when they need it in wholesale price.
* Skill training: We are providing training to our workers for basic skills, up-skilling and re-skilling
for free-of-cost.
Your idea on running a school is not feasible because they are not living in dormitory. They are living nearby villages and it is not possible to operate a school for their kids. However, I have several projects
in mind to operate in future. If you wish you can take care of any of the whole projects in the name of
‘VAC VAC Studio’ or partial donation to begin with. Here are the list of our upcoming projects:
* Providing healthy lunch to the workers: Currently they are bringing their food from home. We have plan
to serve lunch to them if we can have enough money. The lunch will cost USD 1,- /person, a day.
* Cervical Cancer Vaccination Program: I have a program in mind for our female employees. Due to their poor living standard many of the female workers suffering with cervical cancer. We want to launch a program for the vaccination. It will cost around USD 50,- per person. Yearly budget is approx. USD 15000,-
* Child Care Centre: We have a child care centre in the factory, but it is not yet fully running due to fund shortage. If you want you can run this child care centre. It will cost you around USD 2500,- per year.
* Nutrition Program: Since the workers are getting poor salaries, so they need support for their nutrition program. We like to provide an egg and a glass of milk everyday at the factory. It will cost around USD 50.000,- per year. To begin this program, we can provide an egg everyday and it will cost around USD 20.000,- per year.
* Higher Study Scholarship Program: Many of our workers kids are unable to continue their higher study due to monetary support. You can provide them higher study support scholarship program. I am not sure about this cost. But let’s say if you want to support 10 students every year, it will cost around USD 10.000,- for non-technical higher education.
* Mother @ works: You can support mother@works program at our factory. Every year, average 10-15 women go for maternity leave. We pay them wages as per law which is for 16 weeks. But during this period they need more support for their newborn kids, which is not enough from what we support as per law. Here you can provide a support to those women. Let’s say for one year support for each new born baby you can provide USD 1000,- per new born kid for their
basic commodities like milk, diaper etc.
* Pure Drinking Water facilities at home: Since the workers are not financially solvent, so they don’t have enough facility at home for pure drinking water. Shortly, we are going to signup with Unilever Bangladesh to support the workers to buy water purifier for their in an affordable price. I am sure, still not every worker can afford that. It costs like USD 50,-/machine. You can donate this machine to every worker to support pure drinking water facility at home. Though it may costs for you a lot for all workers, but you can start with 100 workers who can win from lotter this year. So every year you can donate 100 of these. This is
just an idea, you can decide based on your budget.
So these all are for your ready reference and food for thoughts. Just let me know which idea you liked and want to come forward. We can also promote our collaboration largely in local media and may be you can also find TV media from Denmark can be travelled with you.
Keep thinking and stay safe. Probably we have to launch it after life become normal when we can win
against COVID-19. ******
Hvad tænker du? - ja, man har lyst til at hjælpe med det hele, den følelse sidder jeg med lige nu. - og vil gøre fremadrettet.
Men hvor skal vi starte? - jeg føler et kæmpe ansvar for at udligne det pres vi alle som tøj forbrugere giver disse kære mennesker.
Og de her projekter, mange af dem vil vi, her i DK, tage for givet. Rent drikkevand? Et æg til morgenmad? Penge under barsel? Skole til vores børn?
Kom gerne med dit input under billedet i feeded på IG. Hvad syntes du er vigtigst?
Kh Signe, VACVAC studio
