Empowering women: Cargills hosts third ‘Lak Bojun’ SME training

Wednesday, 4 September 2024 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On 27 August, Cargills, in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry’s ‘Hela Bojun’ program, hosted the third annual SME training program under the ‘Cargills Lak Bojun’ initiative at the Cargills Head Office.

The program featured an insightful session led by Agriculture Ministry Agriculture Instructor Kithmini Ariyasena, covering essential topics such as food quality maintenance, cart cleanliness, hygienic practices, and building strong customer relationships.

The Cargills team also shared their inputs and expertise with the SMEs, including food safety practices and the importance of saving and financial management. Officials from Cargills Bank joined the program to provide support and guidance on financial matters and offered assistance with opening bank accounts, aiming to foster a savings culture.

Since its inception in May 2022 with two female SMEs, the ‘Cargills Lak Bojun’ initiative has expanded to 11 ‘Lak Bojun’ carts with 35 direct and indirect SMEs, aiming to create sustainable incomes for women entrepreneurs by providing a marketplace to sell healthy and nutritious food items. The program provides SMEs with carts, aprons, hats, and access to Cargills Retail premises to set up their carts free of charge. The project focuses on locally sourced, authentic food items with high nutritional value, including ‘Kola Kanda’ and ready-to-eat foods made from root crops and grains, as well as a variety of healthy choices.

Operating on weekdays in the morning, with some carts expanding to include lunch and dinner options, ‘Lak Bojun’ provides an affordable way for customers to enjoy these nutritious meals. Sustainable packaging options, including paper cups, banana leaves, kanda leaves, and bio-compostable wraps are encouraged.

Cargills also conducts weekly audits on all participants to ensure they consistently provide high-quality food, aligned with the guidelines of Hela Bojun. All costs associated with the project are covered by Cargills, ensuring that the entire income generated through the ‘Lak Bojun’ program benefits the women entrepreneurs directly.