UNB, Bandarban :
Community-based ‘Yarn Bank’ has been helping ethnic women of the district improve their livelihood as they are now producing handloom products taking loan from the bank.
Establishment of the Yarn Bank is part of the government efforts to engage local communities in tourism with their attractive handloom products.
Dosim Bawm, a 46-year-old ethnic woman of Bethel Para under Ruma Upazila, said she had started weaving their traditional handlooms since she was 15.
“Generally, we weave handlooms or handicrafts when we’ve no agricultural works in the hills. Preparing handlooms help us face the lean period when we’ve no work,” he said.
But, the ethnic handloom weaver, said they had often faced problem to collect yarn to prepare handlooms for lack of money, which adversely hit their livelihood in the past.
“Now we don’t face any such problem after we’ve set up a ‘Yarn Bank in our community at Bethel Para. We take loan from the bank to buy yarn for producing handlooms,” Dosim said, adding that she took Tk 600 from ‘Yarn Bank’ last year, but it helped her buy yarn for producing handlooms.
Zingminsiam Bawm, another ethnic weaver, said she produced many handloom products taking loan from the bank last year and sold those at good prices.
“I participated in a fair last year to present our products and got a huge response from local and international buyers,” she said.
Like Dosim and Zingminsiam, some 60 ethnic women of Bethel Para are now producing handlooms taking loans from Yarn Bank installed there under the Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (Himalica) Initiative of the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
CIMOD, in collaboration with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA), set up three Yarn Bank branches in Ruma Upazila of the district.
The Himalica initiative aims to support poor and vulnerable mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) to improve livelihoods in the context of socioeconomic and climate change, and the conservation of ecosystem services through active regional cooperation.
Himalica Project’s agriculture officer Aung Shew Marma said ethnic women take loans from the banks and deposit their handloom goods, which value is equivalent to the loans they took, to the banks for regenerating bank’s fund.
Kya Thui Ching Talukdar, a business development officer of the project, said three Yarn Bank branches have been set up here alongside forming bank committees.
He said training has been given to committee members to customise products as per market demand with basic skills of crafting, measurement, and techniques.
Parmeeda.com, an online store, has been established for building business relations with Bethel Para handicrafts community, he said.
Bandarban has tremendous potential to offer beautifully-crafted handlooms to the visitors. It has unique patterns and artisan craftsmanship.
Community-based ‘Yarn Bank’ has been helping ethnic women of the district improve their livelihood as they are now producing handloom products taking loan from the bank.
Establishment of the Yarn Bank is part of the government efforts to engage local communities in tourism with their attractive handloom products.
Dosim Bawm, a 46-year-old ethnic woman of Bethel Para under Ruma Upazila, said she had started weaving their traditional handlooms since she was 15.
“Generally, we weave handlooms or handicrafts when we’ve no agricultural works in the hills. Preparing handlooms help us face the lean period when we’ve no work,” he said.
But, the ethnic handloom weaver, said they had often faced problem to collect yarn to prepare handlooms for lack of money, which adversely hit their livelihood in the past.
“Now we don’t face any such problem after we’ve set up a ‘Yarn Bank in our community at Bethel Para. We take loan from the bank to buy yarn for producing handlooms,” Dosim said, adding that she took Tk 600 from ‘Yarn Bank’ last year, but it helped her buy yarn for producing handlooms.
Zingminsiam Bawm, another ethnic weaver, said she produced many handloom products taking loan from the bank last year and sold those at good prices.
“I participated in a fair last year to present our products and got a huge response from local and international buyers,” she said.
Like Dosim and Zingminsiam, some 60 ethnic women of Bethel Para are now producing handlooms taking loans from Yarn Bank installed there under the Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (Himalica) Initiative of the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
CIMOD, in collaboration with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA), set up three Yarn Bank branches in Ruma Upazila of the district.
The Himalica initiative aims to support poor and vulnerable mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) to improve livelihoods in the context of socioeconomic and climate change, and the conservation of ecosystem services through active regional cooperation.
Himalica Project’s agriculture officer Aung Shew Marma said ethnic women take loans from the banks and deposit their handloom goods, which value is equivalent to the loans they took, to the banks for regenerating bank’s fund.
Kya Thui Ching Talukdar, a business development officer of the project, said three Yarn Bank branches have been set up here alongside forming bank committees.
He said training has been given to committee members to customise products as per market demand with basic skills of crafting, measurement, and techniques.
Parmeeda.com, an online store, has been established for building business relations with Bethel Para handicrafts community, he said.
Bandarban has tremendous potential to offer beautifully-crafted handlooms to the visitors. It has unique patterns and artisan craftsmanship.
