Donations to women's causes close to USD 8 million with over 20,000 women enabled in Asia since 2011
HONG KONG, Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- "While conditions have improved to some degree, the challenges women face globally are still sizeable, be it with access to employment, education or even basics like food and shelter. Close to 80% of Walmart shoppers globally are women as are 60% of Walmart's associates worldwide. This is why we have made Women's Economic Empowerment a key priority. In Asia alone, Walmart has spent close to USD 8 million on supporting the aspirations of over 20,000 women via a wide array of programs over the last two to three years,"said Scott Price, CEO & President of Walmart Asia, speaking at a Walmart roundtable on Women's Economic Empowerment in Hong Kong.
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2012/09/04/20120904153449903363-l.jpg )
Walmart's cash and kind donations and investments towards Women's Economic Empowerment initiatives come under three areas: Sourcing from women owned businesses, Empowering women through training and Promoting diversity and inclusion.
Globally, Walmart's goals include:
-- doubling its sourcing from women-owned businesses
by 2016;
-- training 26,000 women for factory jobs in markets
including India, Bangladesh and China; and
-- training and advance the interests of 500,000 female
farmers in China, India and Latin America
Active programs over the past year in Asia include:
China
-- Walmart China and China Women's Development Foundation
together launched the Walmart Women's Development Fund
which aims to provide Chinese women in need with
financial support to start their own business ventures
or find employment. To date, Walmart's grants have
benefited women in over 1,600 households in rural China.
Project sites have included agricultural and livestock
farms in Hebei, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia, as well as
hand-made arts and crafts workshops in Hunan.
Japan
-- Walmart Japan began its co-operation with Florence, a
social enterprise that resolves social problems with
the help of private enterprise, following the March
2011 earthquake. The partners first co-operated on
opening an Indoor Park in Fukushima as a radiation-free
play space. Since then, additional grants have funded
child care services for low-income single-parent
families.
-- Walmart Japan also contributed grants and in-store
donations to J'espere, a non-profit organization that
supports mothers affected by the 2011 earthquake. Thus
far, the Tohoku Kosodate project has helped over 5,000
women and children through consultative sessions by
professional midwives and home visits offering medical
or psychological support.
India
-- Through a network of 18 Bharti Walmart Training Centers
across the country, Bharti Walmart has provided
free-of-charge retail skills training to underprivileged
young adults. Over 8,000 women have been trained thus
far, many now in jobs at a variety of outlets including
in Bharti Walmart's Best Price Modern Wholesale and
Bharti Retail's Easyday and Easyday Market stores.
-- Bharti Walmart has actively engaged female entrepreneurs
in small and mid-sized businesses to source a growing
list of merchandise. Particularly keen to provide an
opportunity to women-led start-ups, Bharti Walmart
already works with over 100 female suppliers and over
the next five years, is committed to engage and impact
the livelihoods of 30,000 additional women across the
country.
"Walmart also puts tremendous emphasis on building a strong pipeline of female leadership at all levels of the organization. For markets like China and Japan, the percentages of female senior management in our organization are already higher than the respective national averages," added Shanthi Flynn, Senior Vice president, Human Resources for Walmart Asia.
Some of Walmart Asia's internal initiatives to provide opportunities for women to lead include:
-- Women Leadership Councils: In each market since 2008,
the Councils have helped build and oversee a pipeline
of female talent. Female Leadership Councils have
direct access to country CEOs who regularly track
their progress.
-- Women in Leadership Forum: Annual event that invites
female leaders to learn from a combination of internal
senior leaders and external leadership and career
experts.
-- Women in Leadership Workshops: A platform to enhance
the capabilities of women leaders by inviting external
professional experts to share about a range of topics
that range from work-life balance to children's
education and improving EQ.
"In summary, Women's Economic Empowerment is hugely important for us both internally at Walmart and in the external programs that we continue to operate," Price concluded.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week under 69 different banners in 27 countries.
In Asia, Walmart currently operate more than 850 stores in China, India and Japan, serving 25 million customers every week. As of 2012, Walmart Asia employs close to 150,000 associates. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunities.
Media Contact (Walmart Asia):
Anthony Rose
Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Walmart Asia
HP: +852-6307-0088
Media Contact (MSLGROUP Asia):
Eric Abelev
Director
Eric.Abelev@mslgroup.com
HP: +852-6383-9026
O: +852-2804-8107
SOURCE Walmart Asia