Health Education for Factory Workers

The HER Project — Better Health for Women in Global Supply Chains

Across the world, millions of women work in garment and textile factories — often in conditions that leave little room for health, dignity, or self-care. In Indonesia alone, the garment sector employs approximately five million workers, more than 80% of them women. Despite being the backbone of global supply chains, these workers face persistent barriers: long shifts, limited access to healthcare, inadequate sanitation, and a culture of silence around menstrual and reproductive health.

FMCH works in partnership with its sister organisation FMCH Indonesia and the global initiative HER Project (now operating as RISE Equal) to deliver health education directly to female factory workers. Our approach is practical, peer-led, and designed to create lasting behaviour change — from the factory floor outward into families and communities.

The Challenge

Women in garment manufacturing face a distinctive set of health vulnerabilities that are rarely addressed by employers or formal health services:

•Menstrual hygiene: access to sanitary products and clean facilities is often inadequate, leading to infection and absenteeism

•Reproductive health: limited knowledge of contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and maternal health

•Occupational hazards: exposure to dust, chemicals, noise, and ergonomic strain without adequate protection

•Harassment and abuse: workplace discrimination and gender-based violence remain underreported

•Pregnancy discrimination: fear of job loss deters women from disclosing pregnancy or seeking antenatal care

•Healthcare access: shift patterns and financial constraints make attendance at clinics or hospitals difficult

These challenges are not merely personal — they have measurable consequences for factory productivity, worker turnover, and business costs. Research shows that addressing women's health in the workplace generates a return on investment of $4 for every $1 spent, through reductions in absenteeism and improved retention.

Our Approach: The HER Project

FMCH Indonesia has been implementing the HER Project (Health Enables Returns) in partnership with BSR — a global sustainability network — since 2011. The programme trains women within factories as Peer Health Educators (PHEs), equipping them to share accurate health information with their colleagues in everyday settings: during breaks, on the commute, or in informal conversation.

This peer-led model is central to the programme's success. Women are more likely to seek health information from someone they know and trust, and peer educators become a sustained resource long after formal training concludes.

Curriculum Topics

Health educators are trained across a comprehensive curriculum that covers:

•Personal hygiene and hand-washing

•Menstrual hygiene management

•Reproductive health and female anatomy

•Family planning and contraception

•Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV prevention

•Maternal health and safe pregnancy

•Infectious disease prevention

•Recognition and reporting of harassment and abuse

•Occupational safety and health (OSH)

Our Impact in Indonesia

Through FMCH Indonesia, the HER Project has been implemented across factories in Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek), West Java, Central Java, and East Java. The results demonstrate the reach and effectiveness of the peer education model:

Partner since 2011 (BSR partnership)

Factories reached: 31 factories across Indonesia

Peer Health Educators trained: Approximately 1,200

Female workers reached: Approximately 65,000

Regions covered: Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java

The impact of peer health education extends well beyond knowledge transfer. After training:

•82% of workers reported taking a positive health action as a direct result of learning from a peer educator

•55% improved their personal hygiene practices

•38% improved menstrual hygiene management

These changes contribute to improved wellbeing, fewer sick days, and greater confidence and autonomy for women both inside and outside the factory.

A Global Movement: RISE Equal

The HER Project is now part of RISE Equal, a global initiative that supports workers' wellbeing and gender equity across supply chains worldwide. As of 2025, RISE Equal programmes have reached more than one million workers through workplace health and empowerment initiatives — evidence that the peer education model developed in factories like those in Indonesia can be scaled and sustained at a global level.

FMCH Indonesia's long-standing implementation of the HER Project makes it one of the most experienced delivery partners in the region, with over a decade of learning embedded in its training methods and factory relationships.

Why It Matters

Women constitute 82% of the global textile and garment workforce. Yet their health needs remain among the least addressed in occupational health frameworks. When a factory worker understands her menstrual cycle, knows her rights if she becomes pregnant, or feels able to report harassment, the ripple effects reach her family, her community, and the next generation.

Health education is not a welfare add-on — it is a foundation for women's agency, productivity, and long-term wellbeing. FMCH believes that no woman should have to choose between her livelihood and her health.

Get Involved

If you are a business, brand, or factory interested in implementing the HER Project in your supply chain, or if you would like to support FMCH's work in Indonesia and beyond, we would be glad to hear from you.

References

1. FMCH Indonesia — HER Project impact data. fmch-indonesia.org/how-important-a-protection-for-women-is

2. RISE Equal (formerly BSR HERproject) — 2025 Annual Report. riseequal.org

3. BSR HERproject ROI case study (Ismailia factory) — $4:$1 return in reduced absenteeism and turnover. riseequal.org

4. FEMNET — Women in the textile industry workforce data (82% female workforce). femnet.de