Empowerment
Mekhala's Commitment To Empowering Women And Youths
In developing Asian countries, women often work for a daily wage (no work = no pay), and many do not read or write. They take what work they can, or have to care for their children with no chance of financial independence.
Seeing an opportunity to make a difference, Mekhala committed early on to hire women on proper employment contracts with paid public holidays, sick and personal leave days, health insurance and work permit sponsorship. Inspired by the Indian dubbawalla of India, we also developed a proprietory symbol system that allows us to hire illiterate women, giving them independence in the workplace.
Watch Ying, one of our Burmese Shan employees, talk about they simple way through which we make a difference.
SCHOOLS OF HOPE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
Founded by Mekhala co-founder, Jang, and her husband, the Schools of Hope is a charitable school for Shan children and is situated 1km from Mekhala’s facility in Chiang Mai. In 2019, Mekhala started an internship programme with students, teaching them real life skills like production, logistics and marketing, with the aim of providing them with a portfolio of experience for their future.
