BSS :
The indomitable entrepreneurship spirit of Bangladesh’s women, inspired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has showed that they just need skill training and small capital to turn themselves not only into a self-reliant but also a source of creating jobs for others.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Bangladesh is now the second most gender equal country in Asia, top in South Asia and ranks 47th among 144 countries of the world in the Global Gender Gap Index.
“You just need to get a small support along with your determination and courageous to achieve your goal,” said Pranitra Sarkar, owner of a Jamdani cottage industry of Rupganj that has employed 22 workers.
Sarker, one of the Bangladesh’s unbeatable women whose Jamdani sharees are now being sold from Taka 20,000 to 45,000 in home and abroad, thanks to the support of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) that actually plays the role behind her success.
With the spirit of being entrepreneur, Sarkar left her job in 2009 and took training from BSCIC on sewing Jamdani. “After the training, I took loan from BSCIC and set up a jamdani factory in a small scale,” she was describing her journey on the road to success.
After setting up the factory, Sarkar didn’t need to look back as her products have attracted consumers from the beginning.
“I have expanded capacity of my factory gradually … I started with three workers with limited production. Now 22 workers are working here and I have started exporting my sharees abroad” said Sarkar, who started her business with Taka 20 lakh capital that has now reached at Taka two crore.
She also thanked the women and children affairs ministry that gave her opportunities to participate in different fairs even in different countries with her products.
“The current government is very women friendly. The government initiatives helped me a lot to make linkage with the local and international markets as well,” said Sarkar, who recently opened an outlet at Bashundhara shopping mall in the capital.
Like Sarkar, Nazma Akhter of Godabari in Rajshahi district is another woman entrepreneur who took training on shoe making from BSCIC in 2007.
“After getting the training, I left my paramedical job and set up a cottage shoe making factory after the name of my daughter ‘Kushumkoli’ with an initial investment of Taka 20,000,” said Nazma.
Within 12 years, like a touch of magic wand Khatun is now owner of two export-oriented shoe factories in Savar EPZ where 400 workers are employed.
Currently, shoes producing at Khatun’s two factories worth Taka 12-13 crore, are being exported to different countries including Malaysia.
“It’s true … now when I got to look back it seems a fairy tale to me as well … yes I did it, but it was not easy to reach here as a woman. I would like to tell my other fellow women entrepreneurs just don’t be scare …keep your courage … surely one day you will reach your desire destination of success,” Khatun said in an inspiring voice.
Another entrepreneur Rezbin Hafeeza of Gaibandha, who also took BSCIC training on shoe making, also set up two shoe factories at Jirabo in Ashulia and Battala in Gaibandha and has employed 80 workers there.
“I started my business with only Taka 3.5 lakh … the BSCIC training really helped me a lot to run the business usefully,” Hafeeza said with a triumphant voice.
BSCIC has so far empowered 9,755 women by imparting training in different trade as well as allocating loans while during the current fiscal year, 301 women established themselves as entrepreneurs with the BSCIC support in various sectors.
BSCIC Chairman Mushtaq Hasan said his organization has disbursed Taka 50 crore loan to women in the current fiscal (FY21) while it has decided to allocate another Taka 100 crore for providing as loan to women in the upcoming fiscal year 2021-22.
Hasan said initiatives have been taken to launch various programs in the upcoming financial year with special emphasis on women’s self-employment through training.
BSCIC has been implementing various initiatives with short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to help the government achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and building a prosperous Bangladesh by 2041 through creating 10 million new entrepreneurs with 20 million job opportunities.
Hasan said a MoU has been signed between BSCIC and Karmasangsthan Bank to provide loan to unemployed youths trained under the ‘Bangabandhu Youth Loan’ programme marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Under the MoU, the BSCIC chairman said, loans ranging from Taka 20,000 to Taka 5,00,000 are being provided to young people, aged between 18 and 35, who have already received business skill training from BSCIC in different trades.
Apart from these, the BSCIC is setting up its own platform for organizing small and cottage industry fairs and online marketing in different districts.
Shamsun Nahar Bhuiyan, a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labor and Employment Ministry said under the ‘Social Security Protection Strategy Paper 2018’, the government has taken various initiatives to involve women in the mainstream of development.
As woman empowerment is one of the core commitments of the current Awami League government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formulated and adopted the progressive ‘National Women Development Policy’ in 2011 for the first time with a set of goals to socially, economically, politically and legally empower the women of Bangladesh.
The government provides loans at low interest to women as well as allocates Tk 1.0 billion as ‘Women Entrepreneurship Fund’ for ensuring their access to finance while formed ‘Joyeeta Foundation’ for facilitating market access of 18,000 woman entrepreneurs across the country.
