Financial Independence with the help of Embroidery

Khursheda Begul Khushi was only 16 when she had to drop out of school to get married. Her husband was a trader who couldn’t bear the expenses of the household and family with his meagre income, especially after the birth of their child. Khushi later took a job as an apprentice handicraft for a salary of only Tk 500 for working 12 hours a day. “The payment I got for the laborious task was meagre but I was happy to get the opportunity to learn,” she said.

As she mastered her skills in the craft, she envisioned that one day she will launch her own embroidery business at home. With the help of her husband, she got in touch with some Dhaka based boutiques and brought some panjabis which she resold after doing embroidery work on them. She worked at ‘Shotodol’ as a designer for Tk. 3000 for five years. In 2013, she left her job to start her own business called ‘Khushi Hastashilpo’ with Tk 20,000. She produced nakshi kantha, bed sheets, cushion covers, wall mats and women’s attire. Today, she is also creating employment opportunities for hundreds of women in need.

“I am proud of my wife as she has pulled the family out from hardship and established me as an honourable businessman,” said her husband, Abdul Alim.

Source: The Daily Star