AIn Liberia, Factory Work is Changing Womens’ Lives—Starting at Home
When Chid Liberty thinks about addressing poverty in his native Liberia, he thinks about the industrial revolution. There are many NGOs in Liberia that “are good at coming up with these very cutesy projects for women,” says the CEO and co-founder of Liberty and Justice, a fair-trade enterprise that trains and employs women in the garment industry.
Liberia’s Liberty & Justice: A 2011 SVN Innovation Award Winner
That two Liberian women — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and peace activist Leymah Gbowee — won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, along with Yemeni human rights campaigner Tawakkul Karman, points up just how politically empowered Liberian women have become.
The Challenge of Building a Manufacturing Presence in Liberia
What could possibly be so hard, Chid Liberty wondered, about going back to the birthplace he barely knew – the West African nation of Liberia – and opening a garment factory?
In Liberia’s capital of Monrovia, I had the pleasure of meeting Chid Liberty, the energetic co- founder of the Liberian Women’s Sewing Project. Chid’s family owns Vamoma House, located on one of Monrovia’s biggest boulevards, an imposing multi-story building painted in faded light blue and cream.
Making Liberty & Justice a Reality
So many of us want to make a positive difference in the world but don’t quite know where to start. The founder of one U.S. based organization found the answers clearly spelled out – in the letters of his own last name.
Uniqlo’s Social Business & Other Eco-Conscious Initiatives
Fast fashion retailer and global mega-brand Uniqlo’s parent company is launching what might be the industry’s first “social business” in Bangladesh. Called Fast Retailing Co., “the [new] company will be formed in September 2010 in Dhaka, and to demonstrate its good intentions it’ll be named ‘UNIQLO Social Business Bangladesh, Ltd’,” says the company.