Freelancing becomes a boon for womenfolk

Mohchhena Begum, 50, had to get married to an expatriate when she was a ninth-grader. But, she saw her reflection in her daughter and wanted to make her offspring established with higher education.

Afroza Siddiqa, Mohchhena's daughter who works as a freelancer, is also moving ahead with the inspiration of her mother overcoming all obstacles. Unlike other girls, she does not have to work from 9am to 5pm as she can work at whatever time she wants.

This is not enough! She also taught her mother about online-based work, and now both mother and daughter are freelancers. She not only earns by staying at home but also contributes to the family.

Afroza said her dream was to study at Dhaka University, but it could not happen. Later, she got enrolled in Tejgaon College to study sociology.

Afroza is currently studying in the third year of the Sociology Department at Tejgaon College, and alongside that, her graphic design training is also going on. For this, she has to move regularly from Jatrabari to Dhanmondi.

Visiting the training centre, Afroza realised that it is not enough to just learn, as regular practice is necessary. The best way to do this is to learn it in class and teach it to someone else. It will help to do practice as well as someone can learn freelancing.

Thus, she started teaching her mother what she taught at the training centre and, in this way, they were both enriching themselves gradually.

April 2023 was very happy and memorable for Afroja. Because she got her first success in that month, as she received $150 for winning first place in a logo design contest on the website "DesignCrowd". The next day, another of her logo designs was selected for a freelancer.com project, from which she earned 70 British pounds.

Afroza said, "Since April, my total income has become about $3,000 dollars. Now, I teach three more girls at home along with my mother. I am earning for myself and also providing training for others. It sounds great to me."

Freelance marketplaces are online platforms that connect businesses with freelancers who can provide services such as writing, editing, design, development, and marketing.

In Bangladesh, enthusiasm among youths regarding freelancing is increasing due to the expansion of information technology and various government and private initiatives.

Shah Imraul Qaish, managing director of TechnoBD, a software development company, said that freelancing started in the country in 2005-2006, and young people are the pioneers in the sector.

"BASIS Outsourcing Award" introduced by the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services has contributed to popularising freelancing.