The bordering upazila Phulbari is one of the poorest areas in the country. Day labourers in this agriculture-based area do not get work throughout the year. The educationally backward population has no alternative option for employment. This area also lacks industrialisation. As a result, here men remain unemployed for several months in a year. Finding no other means, many of them get involved in various criminal activities. Women in this area are mostly the victims of child marriage.
People do not get job opportunities for lack of proper education and training. Consequently, half of the population remains unemployed. In family life, they encounter various challenges, including economic hardships.
Many of the unemployed women are also widows and helpless. Hunger and desperation are intertwined with their lives and livelihoods. Therefore, they have no social status, no path to prosperity. Bashundhara Group, the leading industrial conglomerate of the country, found out such poor and disadvantaged women through Shuvosangho, a social organisation, and initially trained them for free for three months. Later, the group provided them with sewing machines at no cost to make them self-sufficient. I am very impressed to see such an exceptional initiative by Bashundhara Group. I convey my thanks to them and express gratitude for their noble deeds. Although some humanitarian works are done here, no one comes forward to help people to give scope to be self-reliant. In that case, Bashundhara Group is innovative in their thinking and determined to help people achieve their dreams. If others are also encouraged by this initiative, it will be a milestone in changing the socio-economic fate of people in this area.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
