17 unemployed and unprivileged women, who were leading an inhuman life, have earned financial stability by working at a sanitary napkin manufacturing company in remote Bakulia village under Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah.
By engaging themselves in income generating activities, these women are now capable enough to run their families through hard work except leaving their respective homes for big cities.
‘Well Surgical and Chemical Industries Limited’, a health and hygiene material manufacturing company ensured skill training for them and provided them with the job that brought beaming smiles on the faces of these ‘once poverty stricken’ women.
Poly Akter, Sonia Akter, Razia Khatun, Runa Akter, Poly Begum, Lipi Khatun and others working at the company said, they had been leading deplorable lives and fighting with poverty. They were passing days without adequate food along with their family members.
The women have been producing surgical cotton, gauge, bandage, pad, seizure belt, throat belt, arm selling belt and some other health and hygiene products after receiving skill training by Well Surgical and Chemical Industries Limited at the village in Kaliganj. Now they are producing 14 types of items in the factory.
During a visit at Bakulia village, it was seen that some of the workaholic women were cutting cloth, some were stitching, some were packing and some of them were observing and monitoring the activities. Some marketing officials of the company were working for marketing purposes.
Shakila Khatun said she was leading an inhuman life at her parents’ home. She moved there with her son when her husband had died. Her father could not manage the family by pulling rickshaw van. Now she has become capable to manage the family without anyone’s assistance.
Rozina Khatun, Shakila Khatun, Bijoli Khatun, Aleya Khatun and some others informed that they are earning about Tk 4,500 per month, working at the factory. The income has brought dignity for destitute women like them.
They said that earlier, women of the village had to move to Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Chattagram or to other cities for a job, leaving their homes. But ‘Well Surgical and Chemical Industries Limited’ has provided job opportunities for them in the locality where they do not have to spend money for house rent or transportation.
Baharul Islam, General Manager (GM) of ‘Well Surgical and Chemical Industries Limited’ said most of the women working at the factory belong to local area and did not have any prior experiences. They were provided with skill training free of cost and employed at different positions of the company.
The official also said, the aim of our company is not only to gain profit, but also to create employment opportunity for the helpless local women who are playing significant role in strengthening the socio-economic base of our country gradually.
