Empowering Women
In Bangladesh, like many other developing countries, women facing the same poverty issues as men are subject to additional social and policy biases. For this, they remain backward in terms of education and economic independence. Therefore their need for a guide with a sincere mission to enhance the state of the Bangladeshi women is recognized by all quarters.
Fair & Lovely Foundation
Unilever strongly believes in the importance of empowering women in Bangladesh, because the progress of any society will be constrained if a significant part of its population is neglected and excluded from the benefits of development. It is therefore necessary that women be progressively brought into the main stream of economic activities. We believe, with economic and educational empowerment, women can become more vocal about their rights and become stronger in withstanding repression in any form.
Keeping this mind and women’s empowerment at the forefront, Fair & Lovely Foundation was set-up as a social initiative by Unilever Bangladesh Limited on 15 June 2004 under its leading skin care brand Fair & Lovely. The mission of the Foundation is to "Encourage economic empowerment of Bangladeshi women through information and resources in the areas of Education, Career and Enterprise"
Education
Even in the twenty-first century, Bangladeshi women’s economic empowerment is looked upon as a luxury. While the economic growth of a country is dependent directly on the level of education of its general population, it will be most unfortunate if a significant part of it is neglected and excluded from the benefits of development. It is this realization that has brought about the Fair & Lovely Foundation Scholarship Programme. Any Bangladeshi female student with good academic track record is eligible to apply for these scholarships. This programme aims at providing women with basic and higher education, as well as training and assistance. Supplementary scholarship programs are also ongoing in partnership with the Faria Lara Foundation. After the successful project entitled "Uttoroney Nari" in 2003 where 1,500 women students (at standard 10 level) received courses on basic IT from NIIT, in 2004, Fair & Lovely Foundation tailor-made yet another scholarship programme for women seeking higher education.
Career
Education is like a beacon for the right career. It hints at what one is good at. Yet, with so many choices that are available, it is easy to make a wrong decision. This led to the Fair & Lovely Foundation’s Career Guidance Programme.
During its inception in 2004, the Fair & Lovely Foundation aired a 13-episode TV series in Channel i. Each episode showcased one particular career… encapsulating detailed information about its prospects, means of undertaking it, and an inspiring success story to instigate interest. Career showcased in the programme were – Law, Banking, Advertising, Defence, Graphic Designing, Engineering, Fashion Designing, Merchandising, IT, Architecture, Journalism, Medicine and Business. The programme received a huge response in terms of viewer enquiries and letters.
Enterprise
We believe that small & medium enterprises are crucial to the economic development of a country like Bangladesh. The Fair & Lovely Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme was set up to explore the endless possibilities that lie in this sector for women. This Programme assists both urban and rural women by providing practical knowledge as well as business expertise.
