Wig-making makes a difference for rural women

Laizu Khatun Lima, a resident of Chandrakhana Balatari village in Kurigram's Phulbari upazila, has brought a unique job opportunity for many women in the area, especially those from poor families.

Having begun her journey as a wig-maker just earlier this year, Lima now employs about 250 women in the village under her network.

Besides, after seeing how the profession provides an added income to support their livelihoods, more and more women in the region are showing interest in learning the craft.

The wigs made by Lima's network of workers are mostly exported to China, which, in turn, is the largest wig exporter in the world.

"I could live well by myself if I got a normal job but I am working for the welfare of many women in the village as an entrepreneur," Lima said.

"Through me, these women are able to financially support their families."

Lima secured a master's in Bengali literature in 2016 and began to look for a job soon after.

It was during this time that she came across a tutorial on how to make human-hair wigs on YouTube, an online video-sharing and social media platform.

And although it could be considered a risky venture given the very niche market for wigs, Lima's husband Samiul Islam Selim encouraged her.

So, after receiving training for just two weeks in Mymensingh and Dhaka, Lima returned to her village in February this year.

She proceeded to build a workshop made of tin with the help of her father Hezar Uddin, a local farmer, and then trained 30 women on how to make wigs.

At the time, her workshop produced about five to six wigs daily. But since the number of workers has seen exponential growth, Lima's operation now produces between 70 and 80 wigs per day.

During the initial stage, Lima's father invested Tk 1.5 lakh to help kick-start her venture. "Now, there are more than Tk 4 lakh invested in my factory," she said.

Lima hopes to bring her factory up to modern standards within the next six months.

"I'm very happy to see the women in my village producing wigs in my factory, which helps them become self-reliant," she added.

Lima gets her raw materials, such as rubber and human hair, from suppliers in Dhaka. The finished wigs are sent to the capital and then exported to China.

Every woman trained in the craft can make two wigs in about three days and is paid Tk 300 for each cap. Lima earns about Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000 each month.

Nasima Begum, a worker, told The Daily Star that she worked from 8:00am to 5:00pm every day to bring home about Tk 5,000 to Tk 7,000 every month.

"We are benefiting from this opportunity to make wigs," she said.

Echoing the same, fellow wig-maker Jasmin Khatun said: "Lima trained us and gave us an opportunity to become self-reliant."

Considering the growing demand for wigs, many women from neighbouring regions now come to the workshop to receive training.

"But I don't have enough space at my factory to house them all. I am not financially strong enough to expand the factory as required," Lima said, adding that the case would be different if she gets financial assistance from the government or the private sector.

Sumon Das, upazila nirbahi officer of Phulbari, said that the upazila administration would help Lima secure public or private investment as needed.

"This is because her initiative is helping many women in the village become self-reliant."