B.Mirror Desk: Mariyam Akter Riya dreams of continuing her education while also supporting her family during financial hardship. She is currently studying at the Alim level at a local madrasa in Gouripur. Her father is a farmer, and her mother is a homemaker. With the family struggling to cover expenses on a limited farming income, Riya decided to learn sewing to earn money alongside her studies and assist her family.
After completing a three-month training course, she has found a new opportunity to turn that dream into reality. Under the initiative of Bashundhara Shuvosangho, Bashundhara Group handed a sewing machine to Riya. She now has the chance to earn an income by sewing at home while continuing her education. Riya is optimistic that she can share the burden of family responsibilities and build a future for herself.
Like Riya, Kakoli Rani Das has also seen a new ray of hope enter her life through this sewing machine. She has lost both her parents. In a family of five siblings, everyone except one is unemployed. Having struggled with poverty for a long time, the opportunity to earn an income by working from home is immensely important for Kakoli. With the sewing machine provided by Bashundhara Group, she will be able to play a role—however small—in meeting her own and her family’s needs.
Although the life stories of Mariyam and Kakoli differ, they share the same aspiration: to transform their futures through their own hard work and skills rather than succumbing to poverty. The sewing machine received after three months of training has opened a new door toward realizing that dream.
Recently, at the Gouripur Press Club auditorium, sewing machines and tree saplings were handed over to 20 underprivileged women who are striving to overcome life’s challenges. Shankar Ghosh Pilu presided over the event, which was moderated by Selim Al Raj. The chief guest at the ceremony was the acclaimed fiction writer, Bashundhara Group advisor, and head of Shuvosangho, Imdadul Haq Milan. Also present at the event were Additional Superintendent of Police (Gauripur Circle) Debashish Karmakar, Principal of Gauripur Women’s Degree College Dr. Md. Harunur Rashid, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gauripur Police Station Habibur Rahman, Municipal BNP Convener Ali Akbar Anis, Gauripur Press Club President Beg Faruk Ahmed, General Secretary Rakibul Islam, former President Kazi Abdullah Al Aman, former Convener Rais Uddin, Nandail Additional Agriculture Officer Kamrul Hasan Kamu, and Gauripur Writers’ Association General Secretary Palash Azhar, among others.
Gauripur Police Station OC Habibur Rahman remarked that the initiative to hand over sewing machines to helpless and underprivileged women is timely. A sewing machine can become a tool for a woman’s self-reliance; it enables them to earn an income from home and contribute to improving their family’s financial situation. Such initiatives to make women self-sufficient play a vital role in the overall development of society.
Additional Superintendent of Police Debashish Karmakar stated that the initiative to provide sewing machines to financially disadvantaged women is noble and praiseworthy. A sewing machine is not merely a piece of equipment; it creates an opportunity for a woman to stand on her own feet and support her family. The initiative is made even more meaningful by the fact that the machines are being handed over following proper training.
Chief Guest Imdadul Haque Milon said that providing sewing machines to women from poor families is not just about the gift itself, but about creating opportunities for them to become self-reliant. With access to training and employment, a woman can earn for her family while also playing a significant role in the development of society and the nation. Bashundhara Shuvosangho teaches the values ​​of standing by people and humanity.
For the twenty women who received sewing machines after completing their training, this initiative represents more than just receiving a gift; it marks the beginning of new possibilities to earn an income by utilizing their skills and to shape their own futures.