Sending children to school making jute ropes
Rasheda Beram (28), a mother of two and a homemaker of a poor family in Kurigram's Chilmari upazila barely forgot the last time she spent a day with a smile on her face.
Poverty was her daily companion, and she was totally dependent on her husband for money, who worked as a day labourer.
The money her husband earned wasn't enough to run their family of four. Her children rarely had food on their plates three times a day, and education remained a distant dream for them.
But Rasheda's story didn't end there.
Last month, an NGO offered her training opportunities to make jute ropes and earn some money.
At present, she's earning Tk 60-80 every day by making jute ropes at home, which are later used to make different products like women's clothes, bags, mattresses and so forth.
Rasheda said she spends 3-4 hours a day making jute ropes. The raw materials are supplied from the NGO.
"Now my earnings are of great benefit to the family. I have started sending my children to school," Rasheda said.
Several hundred women like Rasheda in Chimari upazila had similar stories to tell.
Swapna Rani (30), another homemaker, said, " As we are new, our work speed is a little slow. But business is gradually picking up."
Marjina Begum (48) of the same upazila, said, " Now we don't have to be solely dependent on our husbands for cash. We will be fully independent once our wages increase."
RDRS Bangladesh and CordAid are implementing this project titled "Sustained Opportunities for Nutrition Governance (SONGO)" with the financial support of the European Union.
The initiative was launched to help the low-income families on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Kurigram's Chilmari.
Ahsanul Kabir Bulu, project manager, said, "We are working to provide women of poor families the opportunity to earn extra money by transforming them into skilled workforce."
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