Use a train-the-trainer approach to increase knowledge and improve behavior of the entire workforce. Peer trainers selected according to criteria Trainers meet once per month, learn new topic every other month Trainings held on health topics including hygiene, nutrition, maternal health, and others, or financial issues including saving, borrowing, and talking about finances

1. 1
Promoting Health through
Workplace-Based Programs
& Cross-Sector Collaboration
Lauren Shields, Regional Program Manager, HERproject
6th Conference on Peer Education, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS

2. 2
HERproject
• Bringing health (or
finance)
• To the workplace
• Using peer education

3. Healthy workers, healthy communities
o HERproject
leverages
workplaces to
deliver health
trainings
o Businesses are
key stakeholders
to promoting
health
o Private, public,
and NGO sectors
have a role to play

4. HERproject health curriculum
4
Health manual and trainings include:
• Eating healthy
• Personal hygiene
• Water-borne diseases
• Your body and menstruation
• Family planning
• Maternal health
• Reproductive cancers
• Preventing sexually transmitted
infections
• HIV/AIDS
• Malaria and Dengue fever
• Ergonomics
Improve awareness and behavior related to general and
reproductive health, challenge harmful taboos, promote
preventative care, and increase access to critical health products
and services.

5. HERproject approach
5
HERproject uses a three pronged approach in each of our factory and farm-based programs.
Peer Education
Trainings
Making workplaces
better for workers
Linking workers to
products and services
Use a train-the-trainer
approach to increase
knowledge and improve
behavior of the entire
workforce.
• Peer trainers selected
according to criteria
• Trainers meet once per
month, learn new topic
every other month
• Trainings held on health
topics including hygiene,
nutrition, maternal health,
and others, or financial
issues including saving,
borrowing, and talking
about finances
Enhance human resources
and employee social services
to respond to women’s unique
needs in the workplace.
• Increase the
effectiveness of factory-
based clinics to address
women’s health and make
referrals to external
services;
• Upgrade factory clinic
standards and record-
keeping tools, and
product stocking
• Enable direct deposit of
salaries, and promote
uptake of financial
products
Leverage the workplace as an
access and demand
generation point to increase
availability and uptake of
critical products and services
for women.
• Increase access to critical
health and financial
products and services
within and outside
workplaces, including:
 Condoms,
 Nutritional supplements,
 Sanitary napkins
 Bank accounts
 Financial planning tools

6. Healthy workers, healthy communities
When my five- year old daughter grows up,
I want to teach her many things from
HERproject
Peer Educator

7. Empowered workers through health
“I got promoted
because my
manager
realized my
potential when
he saw me
disseminating
the information”
Supervisor and Peer
Educator

8. Empowered workers through health
“I felt neglected in my
community but since
HERproject, I am not
like any other women
anymore, people call
me the teacher”
Peer Educator

9. 9
Improved knowledge,
behavior and access
Improved confidence
Good for workers
Increased productivity
Improved workplace
environment
Good for business
HERproject’s Business Case

10. Measuring health improvements
Baseline assessment Endline assessment
Tangible outcomes
• More women can name 4+ family planning options ,
increase of 17 percentage points
• Increased awareness of nearby health clinics, increase of
5 percentage points
• More women know how to perform a breast self-exam,
increase of 24 percentage points
• Decrease in reported back pain, by 14 percentage points

11. Demonstrating the business benefits
Direct Benefits
• Reduced Absenteeism
• Reduced attrition rates
• Links with external health care
providers
Indirect Benefits
• Increased role of the factory or farm
nurse
• Improved relationships between
management and workers
• Increased communication between
peers and worker and management
• Improved relationships with buyers
“The program has not
only helped to raise the
awareness of health
related issues, but to
also mitigated the risk
related to turnover of
skillful workers.” –General
Manager, Vietnam HERproject factory
(September 2012)
“We have seen a better
dialogue with factory
management.
Management is now
asking questions.” –Buyer
Participant (January 2013)

12. Building partnerships for good
Local and global cross-sector partnerships for
sustainable impacts
12
NGOs
partner
BSR
Companies
Factories
and Farms
Workers
NGOs
Other
NGOs
Health
bodies

13. Call for collaboration
Our vision for HERproject in Kenya >>>
• More companies investing in worker health and
welfare…
• …more partners that provide services to
companies…
• …providing a platform for donors interested in
leveraging the private sector ….
• …allowing us to reach more workers, their families
and their communities…
• …to deliver stronger health outcomes.
<<<Your help is needed!

14. 14
Thank you
Lauren Shields, HERproject Farm, France
lshields@bsr.org
www.herproject.org