About the Program

HALOW+ (an extension of the Health Access and Linkage Opportunities for Workers project) is a partnership among GSK, M&S, and CARE, aimed at increasing Bangladeshi factory workers’ knowledge, empowerment, and access to health services.  These workers often have low economic and social status, making it difficult for them to advocate for their needs.  Because there is significant room for improvement in workers’ health (e.g., anemia is prevalent), and improved health is not just a benefit to workers but also facilitates greater productivity, this project combines the expertise of the three partner organizations to improve worker health and factory outcomes.

The Invest for Wellness (i4We) India Health Care Cluster Model developed by the Catalyst Group (Bangalore India) is a health care delivery model in which health care delivery is coordinated across factories within an industrial zone.  The health care delivered during the course of our study emphasized reproductive health, a healthy diet, diagnosis and education related to hypertension, anemia and diabetes and women’s empowerment.

The i4We model deviates from the standard international buyer-driven factory-based health intervention in that it represents an ongoing commitment to support the healthcare of workers in factories supplying global supply chains.  The model deviates from earlier approaches in that it does not depend on a business case for improved healthcare.  Rather, the focus of the intervention is to ensure long-term access to healthcare for workers by stakeholders such as international buyers who share a collective concern with the wellbeing of workers in their supply chains.

The complete i4We program includes (1) primary care, family planning and reproductive health, (2) mental health screening, professional counseling and referrals, (3) family planning and reproductive health services, (4) promoting workplace relationships and life skills, (4) supervisor and management training, (5) worker life skills training, (6) gender equity and prevention/remediation of sexual harassment and (7) financial inclusion and social protection.

Working Papers

i4We India Health Care Cluster Model Impact Evaluation by L. Babbitt, D. Brown, A. Antolin, A. Durant and T. Smith, 2023. India Health Study Endline Report

“Halow+ Workers and Supervisors”, by A. Antolin, L. Babbitt and D. Brown, 2019. HALOW+ Worker Supervisor Endline Report

Publications

Forthcoming.

Funders

UK Department for International Development (DfID)

United Nations Foundation