Christian Organisation for Relief and Rehabilitation (CORR) – The Jute Works was founded on Sept 2, 1973 with the aim to provide women in war-ravaged Bangladesh with work at home.
The organisation celebrated its 40th founding anniversary on Friday in an event at the Saint Joseph’s Higher Secondary School in Mohammadpur with well-wishers and partners.
Jute Works was founded by Father Richard William Timm. It now functions as a trust of the NGO Caritas.
The organisation niw has 23 production areas in the country, producing a range of handmade jute, grass, leaf and terra-cotta products, which are being exported to Europe, America, Australia and Asia.
It is also a pioneer member of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).
CORR President Benedict Alo D’Rozario said, “We fought the war for liberation. That was a political war. Now we have a free nation, but our war for economic freedom is not over yet.”
“Many of our brothers and sisters in the cities and villages, especially the sisters, are still held back. We must continue to fight for their economic emancipation,” he said.
WFTO member organisations market their product with a “fair trade seal”, pledging to contribute a portion of their profits to small farmers and growers.
In the early days of CORR, Sister Mary Lillian worked alongside Father Timm as a trainer for women. Sister Michael Francis and Professor M Wajiullah were with them.
The UK-based development organisation was one of the first to extend their help towards CORR by purchasing the jute products made by rural women of Bangladesh.
Father Timm said, “When it began, everyone was unsure. But all of us had hope.”
State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin said CORR began at a time when Bangladeshi development organisations had not emerged. Benedict D’Rozario thanked the well-wishers and partners for their support in the organisation’s journey and hoped that it would continue.
