No-one of Bogra's Sabgram village ever thought they would not only see such a scene in a remote place like theirs but it would even be a run of the mills. Women like Maloti, Kohinoor, Angur, Rebecca, Pokkhirani and Piara are now running brisk businesses at the heart of Sabgram Market side-by-side their male competitors, some of whom are squint-eyed no doubt. And what makes the men even more dumbfounded is the casual way these women carry on and succeed as shopkeepers.

These rustic women who once had to fend for their family members could not believe when they first learnt that women like them would get a place in a market.

After a similar government initiative in 1984 had failed to produce the desired results, CARE Bangladesh and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) launched a joint programme in 2002 to develop markets, allot capital and shops to hardcore poor women to empower them economically.

"Women who use micro-credit for raising poultry and livestock or for producing other goods have to rely on their male family members to market those and purchase raw materials for production," Rebecca, one of the female shopkeepers, said. "These women are completely at their men's mercy for the sales proceeds and purchase of raw materials at a fair price," she noted.

As women were not supposed to go to markets either as buyers or sellers, particularly the female-headed households would face a difficult situation. They had to rely completely on men even for buying their daily supply of groceries, she said, adding women's traditional place being confined to the homesteads deprived half the population from access to market.

"As I heard it, I ran to the NGO office," said Pokkhirani, a woman of 50 whom her husband had abandoned 10 years ago. To survive she had to do all sorts of menial jobs after her husband had left her marrying another woman and her father, who runs a small restaurant, had refused to give her shelter.

Six permanent shops and 20 percent of the open space of every market under the programme were allocated to destitute women. The land ministry leased out the open plots and shops of 146 markets across the country for five years to 2,682 ultra-poor women and Care Bangladesh, an NGO, is bearing the leasing expenses.

Elders, elected people's representatives and elite of the locality selected the most vulnerable women as beneficiaries of the programme. The selected ones received training in business management and provided with functional literacy.

To sustain them as successful entrepreneurs at the markets, various tools of community mobilisation were used. Guardian groups were formed to ensure their security and watchdog groups consisting of local elite and elected people's representatives their social recognition and acceptability.

"The NGO men also built a storage for our stocks, gave two rickshaw-vans for commuting and transporting goods, and developed a day-care centre for toddlers and children of women going to market as buyers or sellers. We also have our separate toilet," Maloti, another shop-owner, said.

A female market management committee (FMMC) manages the day-care centre, rickshaw-vans and income from them. The FMMC members also liase with the guardian and watchdog groups.

Asked whether they face negative criticism of their position in the market from the common people, Maloti, head of a FFMC, said, "It's just the opposite. Once that we've become economically solvent, people now respect our opinion and even call us to participate in salish."

At first, Care and LGED officials doubted whether locals would accept the women sellers. But they found locals rather welcomed them. "People don't discriminate against them, as all of them are from the same area and neighbours."

"This initiative has successfully challenged the age-old social attitude that doesn't allow women in marketplace either as buyers or sellers," said Saleha, a woman buyer in veil.

"Previously, I used to hesitate to come to bazaar. But now I feel easy as the sellers are women too," she said, adding the introduction of female sellers has encouraged to bring female buyers to market.

"The initiative to bring women to markets, encouraging them to buy and sell directly is a ground-breaking one," said Israfil Hossain Dewan, chairman of Sabgram Union Parishad. "And they are doing very well as breadwinners."