Sajadul Isam, Ulipur
She started her journey with stitching five small, embroidered bed-sheets. The result was inspiring and she continued to make more embroidered bed-sheets, which are better known as Naskhi Kantha in Bangle.
Now she is a successful entrepreneur providing some 360 ultra-poor women of her area with jobs. The entrepreneur is Morzina Begum of Tabakpur Bamonerhat village under Ulipur upazila of Kurigram district.
According to sources Morzina Begum helped some women to learn how to stitch the Kantha at her house some three-year ago. Later she started to stitch, design and embroider the bed-sheets with them. She sold those Nakshi Kanthas to various places and distributed the profit earned from selling those among all her workers.
At first, only a small number of women came to learn and work with her. But, gradually, the number of women members increased and she formed an organisation with them entitled ‘Tabakpur Women Developpment Association’. With the members of the Association, Morzina starts to make embroidered bed-sheets, cover of pillows, decorating the shawl and Saree with floral design, making of toys and ornaments with jute and clothes etc.
Now, a woman can earn Tk 2,000 to 8,000 per month by working at her workshop. The workers at the workshop said if the financial institutions including the banks come forward to assist the entrepreneurs like Morzina Begum, there would be a wide expansion of the small and cottage industries in the district.
In 2019, Morzina strikes a deal with Asia Foundation and got orders to supply various items to Bengal Crafts. She with her workers sincerely sent various materials including the embroidered quilts, bed-sheets, pillow covers and toys according to the order, But, after a year the orders were cancelled for Corona virus pandemic.
Later she strikes another deal with Nadi Limited of Friendship Bangladesh in 2020. Now, she is working under a long-term contract with the organisation. She is now often attending various Fairs with her items and the Naskhi Kantha, Shawl and various attractively designed items now can be seen to display at the large show-rooms of Dhaka. While visiting the workshop of Morzina recently, this correspondent noticed female workers at her workshop were busy with their works. Morzina was supervising their works.
Workers Rumi, Lucky and Iti informed they work as artisan at the workshop in addition to their studies. The informed by making one Nakshi Kantha they earn Taka 500. One worker can make five to six Nakshi Kantha a month.
Thus each of them was earning Tk 2500 to 3000 per month which they are spending for their own necessity or for their family expenditure.
Entrepreneur Morzina Begum informed she would be able to expand her business further if the government or non-governmental organisations assisted her with finance and training. She hoped to provide thousands of poor, unemployed women of the region if she got proper patronization.
