Started sewing in 2009 out of poverty: now work for 700-800 women and Tk 40,000-45,000 a month
A woman in Palashbari, Gaibandha, began needlework at home and now gives work to hundreds of women. She takes orders for nakshi kantha and clothes on Facebook and sells to Dhaka and other big cities.
A 50-year-old woman from Nuniagari in Palashbari municipality, Gaibandha, began sewing in 2009 amid severe poverty and her husband's low income. At home she did needlework on three-pieces, orna, curtains, panjabis, bedsheets and nakshi kantha. In 2018 she took two months of sewing training under a Bangladesh Rural Development Board project. As orders grew she brought in neighbouring women, starting contract work. She now takes orders on a Facebook page. Between 700 and 800 women work through her venture. Her monthly income after all costs is Tk 40,000-45,000. One nakshi kantha costs Tk 2,000-5,000 and takes about 15 days, and sells for Tk 2,500-8,500. With labour, a three-piece costs Tk 1,500 and sells for Tk 1,800; a panjabi costs Tk 2,000 and sells for Tk 2,500; a bedsheet costs Tk 2,500 and sells for Tk 3,000; an orna costs Tk 1,200 and sells for Tk 1,500; a sari costs Tk 2,600 and sells for Tk 3,000. Women who learned from her earn Tk 7,000-9,000 a month. Once owning nothing but a six-decimal homestead, she now has a pucca house and some land, and last year won the best Joyita award at upazila and district level.
Lessons
- 1.After training to build skill, bringing other women in on contract let her scale the work.
- 2.Keeping cost and price per item matters; the margin is about Tk 400 on a sari and Tk 300 on a three-piece, and a kantha takes 15 days.
- 3.Taking orders on a Facebook page and selling to Dhaka and big cities lets you reach a large market from a village.
We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
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