BSS, Rangpur :
Over 30,000 distressed and unemployed rural women have changed their fortune through various ornamental stitching works like embroidering, spangling (putting ‘Chumki’) etc in the northern districts in recent years.
These successful women have also contributed to driving away the decades-old seasonal ‘monga’ to make the government’s poverty alleviation programme successful.As the popular venture expands faster, many of the rural women of all ages, especially from the poorer and distressed families, have been following the same footsteps to achieve self-reliance everywhere in the region.
Talking to BSS, the successful women said they are always passing busier time following more demand of their handwork that adds additional values to the products being marketed at the country’s sophisticated markets including in the capital city.
Head of Programme Coordination of RDRS Bangladesh Monjusree Saha told BSS that said thousands of rural women have already changed fortune after winning over poverty, driving away monga and are dreaming better future for their children. Many of them have now launched small-scale enterprises after getting training and assistances from government and non-government organisations to expand the sector in association with the local traders and entrepreneurs. Executive Director of Northbengal Institute of Development Studies Dr Syed Samsuzzaman said ornamental stitching, embroidering, spangling ‘Chumki’ works etc have already become blessings for hundreds of rural women brining fortune for them.
Talking to BSS, successful entrepreneur Chand Mia of village Chandkuthi Danga said he has expanded the venture generating employment for 400 poor females in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur through creating expert ornamental ‘Chumki’ and embroidery artisans.
He generally supplies simple saree, ‘Chumki’, anti- pipe, dhania puthi, tire puthi, pet-pipe, phooljori, laljori, sadajori, dhole Chumki, stitching inputs, yarns and threads to the women to make those more attractive by stitching ‘Chumki’, embroidery etc.
He informed that each of the saree is being sold in Dhaka markets at Taka 8,500 to Taka 25,000 on an average while the saree made by more skillful hand is sold at higher prices of up to Taka 40,000 in the aristocrat Dhaka city markets. Local elite Abdul Haque and Sunil Kumar said women of all ages in the village have turned into craftspeople to decorate saree with ‘Chumki’ and embroidery on at least one saree a week to earn Taka 700 to 900 weekly.
“Monthly additional income of these housewives, girls, adolescents, female students, divorcees and distressed women varies between Taka 2,800 and 3,800 and they earn double before Eid-ul-Fitr and Durga Puja festivities,” they added.
‘Chumki’, craftswomen and artisans Nargis, Kamola, Sohana, Shameema, Marjina, and Mollika said they have become self-reliant through these ornamental works like many other women and adolescent of the village after seeing off poverty.
Similarly, some 1,000 women of all ages have changed their fates through embroidery, ‘jari’, ‘puthi’ and ‘Chumki’ works on saree, three-pieces, scarf and other female clothes in seven villages under Sadar upazila Thakurgaon district in recent years.
Lutfa Begum, Sufi Begum, students Sabiha and Sadeka Begum of Shibganj village have also achieved self-reliance like others after winning over poverty by earning additional wages through handworks at homes, local entrepreneur Mamuni Begum of Shibganj said.
