In a significant recognition of efforts to empower women in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, USAID’s Women Thrive in Bangladesh Activity held a Suppliers’ Roundtable and Champions Award Ceremony. The event celebrated the achievements of factories that have made notable strides in providing essential life and professional skills training to women workers.
A total of 25 factories in the PVH supply chain were awarded the Thrive Champions Awards for their outstanding implementation of the Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (PACE) training programme. This programme equips women workers with vital market-oriented soft skills, including negotiation and communication, to enhance their career prospects while helping them navigate social norms and gender barriers.
The awards were presented by USAID not only to acknowledge the factories’ contributions to women’s empowerment but also to motivate others in the industry, foster positive competition, and enhance accountability in the PACE programme’s implementation.
Blair King, Deputy Director of USAID’s Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, was the chief guest at the ceremony, which also featured remarks from Najeeb Sayed, Senior Director and Country Manager of PVH Bangladesh, and Ram Das, Country Director of CARE Bangladesh.
The event included discussions led by Bushra Binte Baten, Corporate Responsibility Manager at PVH Corp., Sazzad Kamal, Project Management Specialist at USAID, and Aamanur Rahman, Chief of Party for USAID’s Thrive Activity. Senior officials from PVH Corp., leading supply chain factories, CARE Bangladesh, and various partner NGOs were also in attendance.
Implemented by CARE Bangladesh, USAID’s Women Thrive in Bangladesh activity collaborates with global brand PVH to empower women working in the RMG sector. The initiative aims to provide a combination of professional skills and leadership development training to over 100,000 women workers in RMG factories and surrounding communities by 2026.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
