By Rina Mahali from Rajshahi

Momena Begum, a member of the Jagadishpur Natun Para Integrated Village Development Organization in Mundumala Municipality of Tanore Upazila, Rajshahi, is a shining example of a resilient rural woman. She is the mother of two having a son and a daughter. Her husband, a van driver, struggles to support the family on his single income.

After finishing her household chores, Momena dedicates her free time to sewing, a skill she is passionate about. It has been ten years since her marriage, and her husband’s four brothers have already established their own separate families. Realizing the financial burden on her husband, Momena decided to contribute by learning sewing and becoming economically active.

She borrowed money from her sister-in-law to enroll in a three-month sewing course. As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” Momena mastered sewing in just one and a half months and began taking orders from home, making quilts, embroidered kanthas, dresses, and various clothing items.

She then started raising ducks and chickens at home and began cultivating vegetables on fallow land next to her house. Within a year, her family’s financial condition improved significantly. Momena now meets her family’s nutritional needs with homegrown vegetables and no longer needs to buy poultry from the market. Her sewing business earns her about 9,000 to 10,000 BDT annually, adding to the household’s financial stability.

Momena proudly says, “Women should learn all kinds of work. No work is too small. The skills you learn today may become your support tomorrow.”

It is to mention that Momena has been affiliated with BARCIK getting facilitation supports and advices on how she could improve her luck adopting sustainable livelihood method through rearing livestock and practicing nature based farming including attachment with other livelihood improvement activities such tailoring.