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Rural craftswomen busy doing needlework before Eid

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RANGPUR, June 08 (BSS): Rural craftswomen are now busy with needlework before Eid-ul-Fitr for the huge demand of their handwork that adds additional values to female clothes.

 

According to sources in different government departments and NGOs, over 26,000 rural craftswomen have changed fortune by earning through ornamental needlework at home or local enterprises in Rangpur division.

"They are now recognised as craftswomen for their engagements with embroidering, spangling and ornamental stitching on sari, three pieces and other female clothes," said Director (Development Programme) of Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service, Bangladesh Monjushree Saha.

"These craftswomen earn better and remain very busy before the Eid-ul-Fitr when demand of their produced products increases in the aristocrat markets of the capital city and other major markets in the country," said Monjushree.

After getting necessary training, assistance and inputs from RDRS Bangladesh, about 3,000 rural women from extremely poor families are now engaged in ornamental needlework, she added.

Deputy Director of Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) Abdus Sabur said many women are changing fortune through ornamental stitching, embroidering and spangling on female clothes with assistance of different government departments.

"The rural women started such initiatives at homes in scattered ways at initial stages. But, these home-based embroidery works have now become prospective growing cottage industry to change the rural macro-economy," he said.

He said BRDB, Department of Women Affairs, Department of Youth Development, Department of Social Services, other departments and NGOs are extending assistance to further expand the sector in association with local traders and entrepreneurs.

"By virtue of this expanding cottage industry sector, many rural women have won over poverty to dream better future for their children and contribute to their own in building a middle income nation," he said.

Local entrepreneur Chand Mia of Badarganj upazila in Rangpur said he has expanded the venture generating employment for many poor families by creating expert artisans and craftswomen at his village Chankuthi Danga and surrounding areas.

"I supply simple sari and three pieces with 'Chumki', 'puthi', 'phooljori', 'laljori', 'sadajori', stitching inputs, yarns and threads to the women to make those more attractive by stitching 'Chumki', embroidery and ornamental needlework," he said.

"Each of sari is being sold in Dhaka shopping malls at Tk 9,000 to Tk 25,000 while the sari made by more skillful hands is sold up to Tk 50,000 in the aristocrat capital city markets," Chand Mian added.

He said most of the women in village have now become skilled craftswomen to decorate sari and other female clothes with ornamental stitching to earn Tk 1,500 weekly and up to Tk 3,000 before the Eid festival.

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