RANGPUR, Nov 13: Reshma begum (27), wife of Nazmul Islam at Thakurdas village under Kawnia upazila in the district had been passing her days in acute poverty even three years ago.
Her husband was a day-labourer. She faced much difficulty in maintaining her family of five members with the paltry amount of income of her husband, said Reshma.
Disappointed Reshma began contemplating how to get rid of severe poverty. With the aim to salvage their impoverished family she learned the skill of weaving mat, thanks to a training she received locally.
Thus she found the way to contribute significantly to her family income.
Presently she earns Tk 200 to Tk 250 per day staying at home. Now her family has put those bad days behind.
At present she weaves mats as per designs and orders from her supply alongside her daily household chores. The colourful floor cover she weaves is durable and easy to clean, she said.
However the promotional activities of an organisation working locally in the field have helped change the fate of many extreme poor women in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts.
The product is now being supplied to other districts of the country. And it has created jobs for thousands of poor women in the region, sources said.
Thousands of vulnerable women of the region are now engaged in weaving mats. And by doing this they are becoming self-reliant gradually.
A woman can weave 10-15 square feet of mats a day by taking time off her routine works and thus she can earn around Tk 150-250 a day, sources also said.
RDRS Bangladesh launched the mat making drive in poverty stricken areas of the region.
It has trained the poor and destitute women of the rural areas. It also helps them market the finished products.
RDRS official sources said that the poor women of the region are extremely vulnerable to the lean season.
Most of the women are not involved in any income generating activities during the period when the male members of the families move to other areas in search of jobs, the women stay back and they pass months together without having much to do, sources also said.
However the RDRS began the mat production and promotional activities among vulnerable groups of women at the village level in the districts in 2005.
Presently it is working at different areas including Kawnia, Gangachara and Sadar upazila in Rangpur district, Birganj upazila of Dinajpur district, sources added.
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