Photo: Collected
iDE has taken initiatives to create opportunities for women garment workers in Bangladesh to become entrepreneurs.
To this end, iDE Bangladesh, in partnership with Aparajita Project Women Entrepreneurs Network for Development Association (WEND), recently organised two Women Initiative for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (WISE 2024) fairs and workshops.
The two “WISE 2024” events were held in Savar and Gazipur. WISE 2024 is a well-planned day-long event aimed at empowering trained women garment workers to become entrepreneurs as well as showcase their products, to give them an idea about the various services available in the upazila, to introduce them to new perspectives, and to give them an opportunity to exchange views with various organisations.
The event also aimed to enable trained women entrepreneurs to establish business relationships with various government and private institutions, financial service providers, suppliers of raw materials and other materials, and marketers of finished products and to start and expand income-generating activities for greater financial independence.
Various government agencies, including the Directorate of Women Affairs, Directorate of Agricultural Extension, Directorate of Livestock, Directorate of Social Services, and Bangladesh Rural Development Board, several private organisations, as well as financial service institutions like Sonali Bank, TMSS and Uddipan, Acme Laboratory, Mushroom Association and several companies also participated in the fair.
Aparajita’s partner organisations Centre for Communication Action Bangladesh, Save the Children, Fulki, CARE and Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) were also present there. WISE 2024 is a platform which provides the details of various training and other support services provided by the association to entrepreneurs and women aspiring entrepreneurs. Both events also included workshops on trade licences, digital access, banking services, obtaining loans, and registering for WEND membership.
Organisers said 14 organisations are working together on the Aparajita-Future of Work in Bangladesh collective impact project, initiated by the H&M Foundation and with the support of Sweden, COS and Asia Foundation, to protect women garment workers from possible harm due to automation and digitisation in the garment industry in the near future.
Since women garment workers are mainly engaged in unskilled positions in factories, their employment is most vulnerable in the coming days. Recognising the importance of alternative and secure livelihood skills for women workers outside the garment industry, iDE has harnessed their expertise in the economic empowerment of women in the Aparajita project, and the programme aims to improve the entrepreneurial capacity of 1,500 unemployed women garment workers by 2024 and empower them as well as increasing income by 50 per cent.
WEND President Dr Nadia Binte Amin MP was present as the chief guest in both events. She said, “Collaboration with development organisations like iDE Bangladesh has given WEND the opportunity to connect and support women entrepreneurs at the grassroots level. More such partnerships will move WEND closer to its ambitious goal of building a welfare network among women entrepreneurs from different walks of life.”
It should be noted that more than 400 iDE-trained unemployed garment workers attended the two events. There they had a unique opportunity to establish business relationships with various public and private organisations, suppliers of raw materials and other materials, and marketers of several finished products. Service providers and business organisations present their products and services in 20-30 well-equipped stalls.
Messenger/Fameema
