Rural entrepreneurs
Women step up to lift their families out of poverty
by Limana Solaiman Mridha
It is rare to see a woman running a grocery store or a business in a Bangladeshi village, but thats exactly what Jorina Begum does at Nazir Haat, Rangpur.
I own the largest general store in my area, along with a rice business. I live in a large brick house, on my own land. I support not only my two sons, but also my parents. This is the bright side of my life, says Jorina, who was married off at a young age and later, abandoned by her husband after years of abuse.
However, things were not like this before. I got married at an early age and used to live with my husband. I was a victim of domestic violence; I still suffer from the injuries. My husband left me all alone with my two little children, without a home or food. I used to work as a housemaid, and there, I got some rice to eat with my family. I never imagined then I could improve my living standard with sustainable income sources, Jorina added.
The single mother of two got the help she needed with small loans from a non-government organisation (NGO).
Brac selected me as a STUP client in 2005 and my condition improved. I took several loans from its microfinance programme and repaid, with profit in hand. Earlier, my elder son dropped out of school to earn for the family. Now, my younger son is attending school. After nine years of hard work, I am now considered a respectable member of society. Once, I had to plead for food; now, my income is good and I give free food to poor villagers on Eid. People respect my decisions and value my opinion, Jorina says with pride.
Like Jorina, Ayesha Begum of Dinajpur also managed to overcome poverty through entrepreneurship.
Ayesha, a primary school graduate, tied the knot at 15. Her husband was sick most of the time and their familys income was very low to begin with. When her husband became very ill and needed an operation, they sold what little land they had to fund his treatment. When he recovered, doctors advised him not to do heavy work outdoors. Thus, it was left to Ayesa to fend for her five-member family. With no employment skills or income-generating activity at hand, she became very frustrated. But then she got some help from an NGO.
After learning of my critical situation, one of my friends suggested that I visit the local office of Association of Grassroots Women Entrepreneurs, Bangladesh (AGWEB). The AGWEB workers there advised me to start a nursery business. They sent me to the upazila headquarters for basic training, where I learned gardening methods. After the training, I received a 6,000-taka loan from the local AGWEB. The very next day, I started building my nursery business, Ayesha said.
At first, it was difficult for me to set up a nursery garden, but I continued to receive guidance from experts. After six months, my income was still insufficient to run my family. So, I went to the AGWEB office again. They introduced me to another NGO, which asked me provide 5,000 saplings for their national plantation programme. I gladly accepted their offer. After receiving this large order, I went home and started growing plants with a new investment loan. Within one month, I supplied the order. They were very pleased with that! Since then, I have received lots of orders from various organisations and over time, I built my nursery business, she continued.
I purchased a plot of high land and planted various types of plants. Now, I have a large nursery, with around five lakh plants. Every day, more than three employees work in my nursery. I am satisfied with my business. It showed me a way to make a living. Once, I had nothing; now, I have everything.
Jorina and Ayesha are perfect examples of successful village women who overcame poverty through entrepreneurship. Many rural women have always been regular and invisible contributors to their family incomes for generations. But nowadays, more and more women are getting directly involved in small businesses in rural settings.
Empowerment of rural women has been a target for alleviating poverty and achieving the millennium development goals for some time now. In fact, in many areas of the country, micro- credit schemes exist that are specifically geared towards women or households with female heads. Such plans or schemes have certainly given a boost to rural women entrepreneurship.
Since entrepreneurship development and empowerment are correlated, women are encouraged to step forward and work to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Given the barriers faced by women in our society, particularly in rural areas, and the hurdles they must cross to take decisions when it comes to spending their own money, the rising number of women-led businesses in rural areas is truly inspiring.
Women empowerment in general depends on participating in activities that would bring about economic development. In other words, the involvement of women in various entrepreneurial activities has also empowered them in the social, economic and cultural arena.
Bangladesh has proved to be successful in the field of women entrepreneurs operating small business initiatives. Moreover, rural women have the capability to flourish and contribute to the social order if they are given the opportunity. The driving force behind all this success are the women themselves, who, given a chance, have proven to be dynamic, hardworking and successful. It has also been observed that children in households with women as the breadwinners have improved nutrition and health.
The list of business initiatives for rural women includes vegetable farming, poultry and livestock rearing, dairy farming, fishery, plant nursery and horticulture, beekeeping, tools or fish net making, food processing like puffed rice, dried fish or pickles, rice processing, seed production, handloom or silk weaving, embroidery or quilting, making coir, cane or jute products, oil pressing, handicraft and pottery making, screen or block printing, tailoring, book binding and making animal feeds.
JOYEETA, an enterprise of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, has been established to endow rural women entrepreneurs and provide them a platform to display and sell their own crafts, products and services. A JOYEETA showroom at Rapa Plaza in the capitals Dhanmondi area provides 140 stalls for about 180 women entrepreneurs.
The non-profit Innovations for Poverty Actions Kishoree Kontha project teaches livelihood skills and entrepreneurship to adolescent girls. Rather than direct vocational training, its financial readiness sessions build entrepreneurial and budgeting skills, which are applicable to a wide range of business opportunities.
Despite existing facilities, research shows rural women still need all sorts of help to become successful entrepreneurs. Assistance should revolve around training, product development, business incubation and marketing. Other facilities that would come in handy for small businesses are development banks with exclusive service cells for women; separate counters in commercial banks; special marketing facilities and stalls reserved for women in local markets; and arrangement of fairs or expositions at home and abroad to showcase goods produced by women entrepreneurs.
The power of taking decisions, within and outside the family, has increased for Bangladeshi women. Given the countrys huge population, it is impossible to ignore half the citizens based on gender. Therefore, initiatives for empowering rural women through entrepreneurship are essential for sustainable development, alleviating poverty and banishing hunger.
Photos: Internet
