More than 500 women have come together from the underprivileged communities like sweeper, chamarpara (tanner) and Jelepara (fishermen) for eradicating their long-lasting poverty
and economical uncertainty in the city.
Most of them have become moneymakers through various income- generation activities like sewing, embroidery, paper-bag making and some other food productions.
They attained some knowledge on how to become self-reliant after thwarting poverty. Side by side with changing their fortunes they, eventually, have now become social contributors as the present society receive their services in many ways.
‘Momentum of our works has been enhanced to a greater extent with the increasing demand of finished products for households,’ said Rupa Rani, community leader of sweeper colony.
She said, ‘These works are very new for us as our community people both males and females are habituated in sweeping and cleaning toilets, drains, footpaths and other activities in the city’.
Presently, there is no shop and service- delivery center where the paper-bags aren’t used,’ Radha Rani Halder, deputy chief of fishermen community, has said. ‘We receive many orders for making paper-bags as its demand has gradually been rising,’ she added.
She said many of the women pass their sleepless night to supply the ordered goods like ladies-ware and paper-bags especially in ahead of any religious or community festival or ceremonies.
Based on the demands, they prepare bags of all sizes but their earning is very scanty. ‘We got only Taka 20/25 for making every 100 bags. We need a whole day to finish the works of 300 bags,’ said Basanti Rani Halder.
Is spite of this, most of the housewives of the disadvantaged community are doing the works with help of their family members to rotate their family wheels.
The community women and children are now compelled to do any kinds of income-generation works for their survival as their ancestral profession of fish catching is on the verge of extinction.
With breakthrough of the working atmosphere the women got the chance of uplifting their working- skills. They have learnt many other things like on how to get safe drinking water and construct and use sanitary latrines as well as on how to literate their children.
-With New Age input
