We are Member of World Fair Trade Organization(WFTO): A society for poverty alleviation and
Women’s Economic Empowerment.
CASE STUDY: RUMA SARKAR
A beautiful story of the Fair Trade organization SHOHOJOGITA, Bangladesh. Ruma Sarkar is the name of a dynamic college girl. She dreamt a good dream for higher education. She is the second among 4 children of her parents. Ruma and her younger sister and brother continue studying at the local college. Last year, she took her final examination for her course Bachelor of Arts (B.A). They are living at Mirzapur village under Gazipur district, which is close to the capital of Dhaka. Her father is a temporary bricks and sands supplier. Sometimes there is minimal work, as it is a seasonal business. So the income sources were limited and very hard to bear the expenses of the 6 members’ in the family. A couple of years ago, Ruma’s elder sister got married. She could not continue study because of financial crisis. Ruma proudly expressed that her mother is a very talented-woman. She knows how to continue supporting the family with the very small income they have. Her mother was optimistic and determined to continue study for her children. But Ruma Sarkar was observing the crisis of her family silently and was searching alternative sources of a little income for maintaining cost of her higher education’s (college fees, dresses, pencils, books and etc). One day she saw that one of her poor neighbors was making embroidery for SHOHOJOGITA. She had felt interest in doing something artistic like embroidery stitching. She contacted the manager of SHOHOJOGITA. At first she got offered very simple work. Her sample was very perfect and embroiders were neat and clean. In the meantime, we received orders of Christmas stockings from Siham Craftlink- our largest Australian buyer. The first sample of Christmas stockings has made by Ruma Sarkar. The color-matching of threads and style of stitching was very eye-catching and perfect.
Now Ruma is the successful manager of 34 poor artisans at Mirzapur village. She is distributing work-orders, color-matching of threads, checking quality of products and paying the wages to the producers and meeting regularly to resolve the problems of embroidery works. For her hard work and sincerity, she is getting extra money from SHOHOJOGITA as an additional income for her study and her siblings. She is very friendly with the other producers, as well as hospitable and dynamic approaching. All the women involved in these projects need continuity of work.
Ruma now feels confident that she will continue studying for her Master’s degree. Finally Ruma says, “I have changed my life with the help of SHOHOJOGITA. I hope that SHOHOJOGITA will continue this support to assist the poor producers.”
CASE STUDY: Mrs. NOMITA SAMADDER
Shosikor, Madaripur, Southern Bangladesh.
Nomita Samadder can write her name ONLY but has the tremendous and incredible skill and knowledge how to develop and produce beautiful crafts. Since 1995, I knew her when she was a little girl and she helps her Mum in craft production such as mats, baskets, and Jute angels and stars. After a long gap, she again met me on midst 2006. She said she get married in nearby the Shosikor village in where we had started to produce our products for SHOHOJOGITA.
Nomita was a dynamic and full of life young lady and dreamt a bright dream for her own family and neighboring villagers. She shared and discussed the plan with us and offered her to expand new working areas in her remote village. After four months later, she invited me to visit her and her friends those who will be worked for SHOHOJOGITA. I was full of dazed and speechless to see the swamp village I mean it looks like moorlands. Everywhere were waters, waters, and beautiful flowers of water hyacinths. I reached her home by a little boat in one and half hours journey. There was no scope to take a ride on a rickshaw or a bicycle. The car will not reach there next 20 years. The boat is the main path to visit and meet a person or home. Oh!! Suddenly I had forgotten the painful rough journey to see and meet with 55 young women and their families. They are ready and highly interested to work for SHOHOJOGITA. I discussed in detail and have requested Nomita to arrange a short time training course for them to make Jute Braided Baskets and Floor Mats.
There are hardly any women on the streets in the remote rural villages of Bangladesh. They spend most of their everyday lives in their homes and gossiping, to shouting with children and even sometimes quarrel/clash with neighbors. In this situation, the woman is economically dependent on a man and excluded from many areas of public life. The result is often a sense of inferiority/lowliness. Besides, there is no any source of income in the remote villages lacks of bad communication and relevant issues.
A couple of months later, Nomita phoned and shared me in detailed her harassment/displeasure and it was her father-in-law who separated them(Nomita and her husband)from united family. Nomita has missed her living room. It was an injustice and a sad decision by her father-in-law although he was a teacher.
To resolve that unexpected crisis of Nomita, I emailed to our buyer Mrs.Pamela McGann, Siham Craftlink, Australia and explained the matter and submit a budget-cost for a house and Mrs. Pamela agreed to pay the cost.
And also SHOHOJOGITA offered a good amount for a sanitary toilet facility. Nomita built two floors beautiful home(with tins sheets and concrete solid pillars) from the gift of Siham Craftlink, Brisbane.
Nomita Samadder is the successful manager of 65 women artisans at Shosikor areas of Madaripur and Barishal districts. She is distributing work-orders among artisans, dyeing jute, checking the quality of products, arrange skill short training for new artisans, paying cash wages to the producers in timely, and meeting regularly to resolve the problems of production. For her hard work and sincerity, SHOHOJOGITA is getting quality products.
Nomita is a proud mother of a son and a daughter. They both are going to school.
After all, Mrs. Nomita says, “ I could not read and write but I am happy that my Childs fulfill my future dream to care of SHOHOJOGITA.”
We have many many stories like as above Ruma Sarkar and Mrs. Nomita Samadder who are working for SHOHOJOGITA