This short video highlights the story of Sayema, a Bangladeshi informal garment worker, and her family who GoodWeave and partner organization Awaj Foundation supported with urgent food relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From August 2020 to July 2021, GoodWeave and Awaj implemented the Hidden Supply Chains in Bangladesh pilot project. The project expanded research on undisclosed production, child labor and forced labor in informal ready-made garment (RMG) supply chains, as well as associated remediation and mitigation, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on RMG workers. The project also supported vulnerable RMG workers by providing emergency food distribution, rights awareness and COVID-19 safety information during the pandemic.

Hidden Supply Chains in Bangladesh was funded by the Vulnerable Supply Chains Facility (VSCF), a rapid COVID-19 response fund set up by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of the Business Partnership for Global Goals (BP4GG) program, and managed by Mott MacDonald Ltd. The Facility partners with 20 UK and international retailers and brands, and five not-for-profit organizations, supporting over 296 suppliers across Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Myanmar, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.  It provided economic, social and health benefits to around 1.4 million women and men, 63% of whom live on under $5.5 a day, contributing to eight out of 17 Global Goals.