The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL-ILAB), Grameen Foundation, and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) developed a new toolkit under its collaborative project Reducing Incidence of Child labor and Harmful Conditions of Work in Economic Strengthening Initiatives (RICHES). The RICHES toolkit, both in paper and digital form aims to help the policymakers, microfinance institutions (MFIs), and other financial service providers who work with women ensure that women-led enterprises can improve livelihoods responsibly without resorting to child labor or other harmful labor practices.
In November 2021, Grameen Foundation conducted an online training of trainers (TOT) on the RICHES toolkit for staff of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI). The TOT aimed to increase the knowledge and capacities of MCPI staff on concepts of child work and child labor and the use of a number of tools, guides and training in the RICHES toolkit. At this point, a number of staff members are trained and capable to use the tools or support MFIs with technical assistance to use the tools. Through MCPI’s Capacity Building program, the knowledge and skills will be cascaded to its members-institutions in order to build awareness of the risks to children and women’s health and safety when supporting women’s economic empowerment (WEE) activities. The use of the RICHES toolkit will also pave the way for the MFIs to assess risks, identify solutions, and create policies to ensure that women-led enterprises provide a safe environment and working conditions.
To access the RICHES toolkit, please visit the RICHES portal at https://grameenfoundation.org/riches/riches-toolkit. For training of MFIs on the RICHES toolkit, please contact MCPI at .
Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-31469. 100% of the total costs of the project or program are financed with federal funds, for a total of $1,872,000 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.