Women getting self-reliant by doing embroidery works

A section of poor women and girls in the district is becoming self-reliant by doing embroidery works on fabrics.
The women after finishing their household works, make embroideries on 'sari, kameez and urnas' for an extra income.
Girls who cannot continue studies for financial constraint are also engaged in the sector that has turned out to be very helpful for their economic self-sufficiency.
About 700 women of seven villages, including Shibganj, Munshirhat and Chilarang under Sadar upazila, earn their livelihood mostly through embroidery works.
These women with their sewing craftsmanship make exquisite pieces of artworks on fabrics with colourful threads and stones, known as 'jari' and 'puti'.
About four years ago, Abu Sayed, husband of Sufia Begum, 28, of Shibganj village under Sadar upazila, was killed in a road accident.
He left behind two daughters and a son.
Sufia Begum was worried as how would she run the family.
One day, she saw one of her neighbours doing embroidery works on 'saris'.
She also started the work and within five days she completed embroidery on a piece of sari and earned Tk 500.
Sufia Begum said if she had not started the work at that time, she would have had to start begging for running the family.
Champa Begum and Sadika Khatun of the same village are students of classes VIII and VII respectively at local Madarganj High School.
Due to financial inability of their families, their studies stopped midway.
They also started the same work and it helped them keep their studies on right track.
Mamuni Begum of Shibganj said, everyday about 400 women take' 'saris' and 'urnas' from her and after necessary embroidery works deposit those to her and take their wages.
She said doing embroidery work on a piece of sari generally takes a week and costs Tk 500 to 700.
The finished saris are taken to capital Dhaka where a single piece sales between Tk 5,000 and 15,000 depending on the works.
Businessman Sohel Khan, proprietor of Tamanna Enterprise in Dhaka, recently opened up an opportunity for the helpless women.
He makes designs on the 'saris' and 'urnas' and sends those to Thakurgaon for embroidery works.
On getting the embroidery works done at Thakurgaon, he takes the items back to Dhaka to sell those in noted shops and malls.
According to Sohel Khan, about 700 poor women were now engaged in the promising embroidery industry in Thakurgaon.