Beyond Factory Walls: Reaching Women and Girls in the Communities They Build

What inspires you to change your world? Gap partnered with the award-winning 23 Stories x Condé Nast studio, Vogue, and internationally acclaimed filmmaker Vanessa Black to showcase the inspirational stories of three unique women in Sri Lanka through a 12-minute documentary-style film.

Mary, Margaret and Puwaneshwary are currently enrolled in Gap Inc.'s P.A.C.E. program, which first launched in 2007 with a mission of teaching the women who make our clothes critical skills for navigating life at work and at home. In 2013, after seeing some of the incredible impact P.A.C.E. was having on its graduates, the program expanded to go beyond the factory walls and reach women in the communities where they live.

Now, P.A.C.E. community programming extends even further, to include adolescent girls ages 13-17.

Watch the video trailer, above, and see the full film on Vogue's video channel.

Adolescence is a formative time, and girls in many countries often do not have access to educational opportunities to grow and reach their potential.

“This new program was born from the success and dreams of P.A.C.E. participants, who wished that their daughters could have access to the same life skills they themselves gained through P.A.C.E., enabling them to improve their self-esteem and outlook for the future," said Dan Henkle, President of Gap Foundation and SVP of Global Sustainability at Gap Inc.

The launch of P.A.C.E.'s girls program marks an important milestone in Gap Inc.'s commitment to reach one million women by 2020. Pilot programs will launch in India and Haiti this fall, followed by Sri Lanka and other countries in 2017.

“It is the personal journeys of the women involved with P.A.C.E. that inspire us and push us further," said Dotti Hatcher, Executive Director, P.A.C.E. “It is the stories we have heard and the women we have worked with that have led to us creating the girls program."

In less than 10 years, Gap Inc.'s P.A.CE. program has reached more than 45,000 women in 12 different countries across the globe. By including younger women at such an important time in their development, the program's positive impact has the opportunity to grow exponentially.

One by one, P.A.C.E. will continue to support women and girls across the globe in reaching their fullest potential.

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