Empowerment of rural women
Officials at a women rally organised by the District Information Office (DIO) under the Strengthening publicity for development of rural people project in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur on Monday have said massive developments attained in last ten years substantially improved living standard of the rural people making women empowerment visible everywhere, according to a report of this newspaper yesterday.
It is encouraging to note that rural women are achieving economic self-reliance through their hard endeavour. Most of the women have changed their fortune with assistance of the government and non-government organisations utilising their capacities, potentials and local resources. Women have achieved successes in the agriculture, education, health and family planning, power generation, poverty eradication, women empowerment, digitisation, power, preservation of environment and many other sectors. The poor and distressed rural women are now confident about the future of their children because of achievement of economic success that also improved their livelihoods.
Women are engaged in activities like forestations, cultivating vegetables, potatoes, fruits and crops in the fallow lands, fish farming in the water bodies, rearing cows, poultry birds, honeybees, creating group savings and other income generation activities to lead better life now. Every family is earning well through income generation activities, their children are now going to schools and women are playing leading role in making decisions at family as well as local community levels. All these are positive signs.
Women constitute half of the total population of the country. Development of the country without their participation cannot be expected. Their exposure to the different sectors of life, particularly the RMG industry, has opened up a wide avenue for them. There are immense possibilities for the young rural women to become self-reliant by engaging themselves in various income-generating activities. The unemployed educated young women should be imparted training, particularly on computer operating and ICT, throughout the country for expanding their job opportunities. Those who are not educated should be given training on poultry farming, cattle rearing and similar other jobs. Small women entrepreneurs should be provided with loans on easy terms and conditions. In this way the unemployment problem facing them can be solved greatly. What is needed is ensuring large-scale participation of women in the development process.
