STARS Foundation

Health Camps and Awareness Raising – Educating and Supporting Factory Workers in Nepal

Carpet weavers working in Nepal often come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and communities. Very few of them are literate or know their basic rights. They live and work within the factory premises and are confined to the factory environment.

Nepal GoodWeave Foundation seeks to remove carpet weavers from this isolated and monotonous environment and have a positive impact on their lives. To do so, the organisation has been conducting social awareness programmes for these carpet workers and the families living with them. The main purpose of these awareness programmes is to educate the carpet workers and their families and increase their awareness and knowledge of certain topics. There are various issues covered including: Child rights (incorporating Education and Gender issues); Family Planning; Trafficking; HIV/AIDS; STDs; Health; Nutrition; Sanitation, and Working Environment.

Contemplating on the growing demand from carpet weavers, Nepal GoodWeave Foundation also initiated a programme offering basic health services to workers and their family members that are working and living in the factories of its licensees.

The programme organises mobile health camps and medical check-up services in clinics. Mobile medical camps are organised in different carpet cluster areas. In a day, two medical doctors (one Gynaecologist and one Paediatrician) can carry out medical health check up to more than 100 workers and their children and provide necessary counselling and basic medicines to the patients.

The impacts of these health camps are substantial. Last January, with part of the Award funding received from STARS, Nepal GoodWeave Foundation successfully carried out a health camp in Ramhity, Mahankal, reaching 101 beneficiaries, 39 of whom were children.