Exploring new opportunities for development through partnering with the private sector, the Institute of Educational Development (IED) is currently working with Ananta to build the capacity of its staff as Para-Counsellors. Having signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), IED will be responsible to provide training to the Welfare & Compliance Team from all the 9 factories of Ananta. The training will look to help the Welfare & Compliance Team to develop skills that will enable them provide appropriate mental health support to the factory workers (approximately 3000 workers per factory).This will involve both looking into how to ensure the mental wellbeing of workers,as well ashow to create a healthy and more productive working environment. The basic trainings, consisting of several batches, began from the first week of June 2014. The 3-day long trainings will be implemented in 4 phases from June 2014 till May 2015.
IED first began work with the ready-made garments (RMG) sector after the collapse of Rana Plaza, where IED helped provide counselling support to the victims, their families and their carers in the immediate aftermath. IED has since been exploring other avenues for supporting the RMG sector, including a new partnership with Phulki to develop childcare facilities at garments factories and to provide certified childcare training to the caregivers.
Established in 1991, Ananta is currently one of the leading apparel solution providers in Bangladesh. Engaged in the marketing, development and manufacturing of apparel, Ananta employs 17,000 people and has an annual turnover of over $100 million.