Women became self-Reliant through Eco Friendly handicrafts in Sohogolpur Village
Tripty Kona Biswas, Executive Director of CDP started Eco Friendly handicrafts programme in Sohogolpur Village at Meherpur district. This has been going on now for many years, since Tripty started visited the poor women in the villages around Meherpur town to find alternative sources of income for their families. Over many years visiting poor women in their families she discovered that mostly their husbands had not got solid jobs themselves and were often out of work and landless and not able to support their families properly.
As she got to know women better she realized if she could find a way of them earning an income, this would not only improve the whole family situation, but also give the women themselves more income and more equality within the family. She has developed a field of work called Eco Friendly handicrafts. She has found a few women to train up in the skills of sewing and sewing machine work. Two of these women are Mala Khatun and Shefalie Khatun, who both come from Sohogolpur Village, about an hour away from Meherpur Town on an electric auto bike. Mala and Shefalie now teach other women skills in handicrafts and women are working together in groups to produce beautiful cotton products.
Tripty arranges for the collection of old unwanted cotton garments like saris and longhis and these are redesigned to make Nakshi kathas. Several saris items suitably selected are sown together to make a beautiful bed sheet
Tripty also works very hard to find markets for these garments which she sells as a marketing manager wherever she find s people interested and willing to buy. This includes people in Dhaka, especially expatriates. She also tries to find overseas markets
An additional programme CDP were able to introduce with the assistance of the German Embassy in Dhaka, has been the gift of sewing machines to select poor women in village areas.
The selected family has also been agreed by other women in the village. After getting training from eg. Shefalie she is able to earn local income taking orders and selling garments to her neighbors
Back at the village level, what is going on is a programme that is about income generation, but also about gender equality and women’s rights. In the programmes CDP is carrying out, often in conjunction with the government, they raise awareness around a range of social issues, including climate change adaptation, women’s right. They have also been able to introduce savings groups and these lead to loans being given so that village people are able for instance to buy chickens, a goat, or even a cow which they fatten up and then are able to sell on to the market for a profit and then start again in a similar. CDP have also been able to provide tree seedlings to grow in most families small homesteads which can provide fruit as they grow bigger over the years.
CDP finds it increasingly difficult to raise funds as an NGO for their development work, but through the eco friendly handicrafts they have found a way of funding their own work and also benefitting local women and their families. CDPs handicrafts are bringing cash into the local economy strengthening women’s purchasing power. When we talked to husbands and wives together we found both husband and wife were happy with the new developments and the husbands were happy to share decision making with their wives.
“I am happy with my child through handmade Crafts”
My name is Sima Khatun and my father name is Md. Lalmohon, mother name Mrs. Nishimon. I live with my small child at Garabaria village of Kathuli union under Meherpur district. I was married when I was 14 years old. After a few years, I was divorced due to lots of money demand as dowry from my husband. My parents were very poor farmer, has no lands, very small house so my parents did not pay this dowry. After mentally and physical torture me, I could not stay at my husband house. So I had to leave husband’s house. I had no skilled about sewing or embroidery that time. I was very helpless and I did work as day laborer in the field for earning money to buy food for me and for my small child. After joining with Centre for Development & Peace (CDP), Meherpur craft group, I got sewing and handmade embroidery training from CDP. Now I am very trained on hand making embroidery and I can make beautiful crafts like small and big size design Kanthas, floor mat, place mat, and shawl. CDP is helping a lot. Without CDP’s support I could not alive, so CDP showed me a new life to survive. Now I am living in a very small house. I earn money through crafts making and maintain our daily needs. At now my child is going to school. I expect order from buyers of handmade crafts so that I can live well with my small child and can support to my old parents.
Network and Coordination
Centre for Development and Peace (CDP) has a significant and close network and coordination with government, NGOs and local communities. The government and NGO officials have attended many functions and gatherings of CDP. In September 2019 as of previous years a one day workshop on Gender & Justice in approaches water based livelihoods project and strategy and activities and of CDP was organized. This was attended by the upazila executive officials of the three sub districts, priests, five NGO officials, and senior staff of CDP. They were all impressed with the activities carried out under our various programs. In addition there were many different workshops and campaigns held also which included HIV/ AIDS prevention, human trafficking prevention, disasters preparedness, climate change mitigation and adaptation, environment and tree plantation, child rig hts, women rights and human rights, social justice, human dignity, gender equality etc. Government and NGO officials attended all the workers, trainings, meetings and conference.
There have been times when the government officials have assisted CDP training programs such as community health, sewing and embroidery training, agricultural production and livestock departments. There have also been occasions when CDP has helped them with their training and workshops. There has also been jointed working to organize rallies and campaigns to raise awareness of national and international issues and observe special days such as international women’s day, international language day, World HIV/ AIDS day, international human rights day, international environment day and world water day etc.
Tree Plantation and Kitchen Garden Report of September 2020
Centre for Development & Peace (CDP) is a non-profitable and non-political women headed community development organization which was established in July, 2001 with the empowering of Dalit, Horizon & Transgender community, vulnerable women like divorced, widowed, person with disabilities, sex trafficking and women headed families.
The main program and activities are environment protection and climate change adaptation such as tree plantation, black gold organic fertilizers, small & medium size kitchen garden, vulnerable group development (VGD) program under the Ministry of child and women, Lactating and working
mother lactation program under the child and women Ministry under Bangladesh Government, ecofriendly craft program, awareness activities on health, COVID-19, safe water, personal hygiene, skill development training on tailoring and embroidery, block- boutique for the empowerment and
sustainable development of the poor and vulnerable women, child and men under Meherpur, Chuadanga, Kushtia and Dhaka slum areas in Bangladesh.
Sogolpur’s Aloshikha women group are overcoming the negative impact from their Village
This is Sohogolpur village under Meherpur district in Bangladesh. Most of the women were unskilled and no jobs in their locality. Most of the them were married under 14 ages of old, means child marriage. Due to extreme poverty of these women parents, they were bound to marry within this age. Most of them are illiterate. They did not know what is called family and how to live with husband and other family when they married. Every woman having three to four children because they did not know about family planning. Man does not like to use condom due to different reasons.
By the facilitated Sefali, Malla of CDP’s field workers and UP members Tripty Kona Biswas, Executive Director of Centre for Development & Peace (CDP), Meherpur visited this village and found a bad condition among the women in these areas. When Tripty sat with them, all women shared their sad stories. Then Tripty noted and discussed about their situation and she asked how they can overcome from this bad situation and how they can become self reliant and independent. At first all shared we want to learn sewing and hand embroidery handicraft work because they are mostly illiterate. But they have good knowledge by handmade local Nokshi Kanthas, all women showed their old local Nokshikanthas. After their discussion Tripty thought that they have good local sewing and embroidery knowledge, it is not perfect and national or globally standard but if we give them training on sewing and different handmade design Kanthas and other products it can be possible to develop this by them. Then Tripty arranged training on sewing and different handmade design Kanthas and other products at their locality. All women were very interested to take this training and they all completed their course. After that Tripty stated handicraft activities and locally she sold a little. Then Tripty contacted with German Embassy and she got gift sewing machines for them. She distributed sewing machines in front of DC and UNO through a big function in CDP office at Meherpur. After that Tripty by Prokritee support she attended different Embassies craft fair and she try to find out some Global market. Robin ex designer of Prokritee help her to get global market and she got some.
From this time Tripty started self help groups by them and all women keep savings for their capital formation. With all the women concern they put the group name Aloshijha Women’s Group ( means Light of the women) They took loan from here and started IGAs like poultry, goat, vegetables garden etc. Then Tripty from CDP provided tree plants like coconut plants, guava, timber and medicinal plants by the support of World Development & Relief Fund, UK. To get this fund our best friends Mr. Peter Musgrave and Ruth Musgrave recommended this donor and we got this opportunity to do this climate change and environment protection project. It is completely successful. All women and their family are getting fruits from these trees. Here in the picture Tripty is discussing benefits of tree plantation, savings and credit group, how manage this group, clime change issues and possible options, vegetable gardens and composting, poultry farming and women rights etc. Now this group is running well and all members are enjoying through this handicraft activities.
Salma made a Model Vegetable Garden
Salma is a widow and very poor at Govipur village. Salma Khatun of Govipur village has made commercial vermi compost production centre after being trained by CDP. Already she has earned an income of taka 2000/- making vermi compost twice by the help of CDP’s financial and technical assistance. Beside this, Salma also has produced a lot of vegetables at her own vegetable garden. Vermi compost is friendly to the environment and has been introduced as new in the area. Sub-District Executive Officer Md. Abdur Razzak has welcomed this initiative and helped much to climate change and environment protection project implementation. By now Salma is not in want and has found the way to make a bright future for her child Manu through selling the Vermi compost and vegetable production. She is profoundly grateful to ‘Centre for Development and Peace (CDP)’, Meherpur. She is encouraging others to make Vermi compost as well as side by side vegetable production garden as a commercial basis like her. Many people of her village say those ‘Salma is a model’ women among the women in the society.
Omesha’s Challenges for Independent
Omesha is a member of the poor family of Fatepur village under Meherpur sub district of Meherpur district. She has one daughter and parents in law. All were unemployed and irregular domestic labour.
At the early stage of her marriage, her family had an endless poverty. Sometimes it became very hard for them to get feed three times a day. Her husband was a daily wage earner who could hardly meet all the needs of the ten members of their family. Centre for Development and Peace (CDP) has been functioning their development activities in Fatepur village since long period. Omesha joined a self help group of CDP named “Sobuj Mohila Unnoyon Group (Green Women Movement group)” consisting of 18 members. After joining group, she received different type of trainings through group by help of CDP’s community organizer such as early marriage prevention, climate change, disaster management, disadvantage of dowry, kitchen gardening and composting, poultry farming, using hygienic toilets, income generation activities, savings and credit business, accounts keeping and food processing such as Jhalmuri (rice crispy), sweet and singara making, chanachur etc.
Omesha became more aware after receiving these trainings. Now she is making local sweet, singara, jhalmuri etc and trying her best to educate her children. Her husband is running a small business of betel leafs (Pan). Her children and husband also help her with selling Jhalmuri, singara and Chanachur at local market during their leisure period. Omesha is regular in paying back her savings to self help group. Her current savings is BDT 3000 in group. She took two times loan of BDT. 11000 from self help group to start a grocery shop as an income generation business. Through the business she earns BDT 150/- per day and she is maintaining her family very well. Now she is very happy and confident of her small business. She has a plan to buy a milky cow and goats for the next year. She always thanks to Centre for Development and Peace (CDP). Now she is a model of this village and encourage other vulnerable women to start income generation activities.
Karimonnecha is now Self Reliant
I am Mt. Karimonnecha, husband of Ashdul Islam, of Govipur village; our family is a poor one. There are three of us with no previous means of subsistence except that with we grew. This riley situation was improved by the loan of the price of some goat. Things have improved as goats from a more stable and diverse basis for my families support. I thank the Centre for Development and peace for this good turn in my futures. Since the bank’s loan I am able to do small savings it as well as feed everyone close to me. I thank the (CDP) for pointing me in this direction
