Health class

In high school, I had to take the mandatory semester of health class, where we learned about physical fitness, sex education and nutrition from an older man with too much energy who talked like a gnome. I wasn't so great at concentrating in this class and my health education culminated in getting kicked out during the final exam for talking and being asked to return once I completed it. Once finished, I came back and passed out donuts to a few of my friends.

Now that our company is investing in a health education program with some of the factories that produce our goods, I sure hope none of the factory workers we enroll have the same cavalier attitude I did in high school.

While in Ho Chi Minh last week, I had the chance to kick off this initiative with a factory and the local Vietnamese NGO that will be delivering the health education curriculum. Essentially, we're sponsoring a program that helps female factory workers gain a better understanding of reproductive health, nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases, among other health issues. In turn, factories experience lower absenteeism rates, reduced turnover and higher productivity, thanks to healthier workers. And investing in women has impact beyond just those who experience the health training. Women take what they learn, apply it to their families and help to uplift entire communities.

The local NGO partner shared the approach, plan, curriculum and impact assessment with me and the factory management team and made sure to point out that "We don't discourage sex, we just want them to be safe!" I think this made the Korean managers a bit uncomfortable.

After the kick-off meeting, we had a chance to tour the factory, meet some of the workers who would be participating and discuss additional outstanding issues. The factory tour also proved illuminating because it is a very well-run and organized facility. It's one of the nicest factories I've ever visited, so I'm glad we've chosen a high-performing partner to launch this initiative with.

I feel lucky that I've had the opportunity to bring this program to my company's supply chain and I enjoyed participating in the kick off. These are the kinds of projects that make me excited for my job and keep me optimistic about the impact my role can have. In addition to this facility in Vietnam, one factory in Bangladesh is also implementing the project with our sponsorship. As we monitor the performance of these projects, I'm hopeful that we will be able to demonstrate both health benefits and business benefits so that we can continue to launch similar initiatives with other high-performing garment factories in our supply chain.