Women empowerment facing battered entrepreneurial journey

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DHAKA, May 31,2020 (BSS)- Sparing no one to feel its dangerous spikes all
around, the devasting and vital-eating novel coronavirus is having a profound
impact on economic activity across the country, and increasingly in some of
the most vulnerable segment of the society. As the pandemic continues to fuel
global disruption, women’s productive and economic lives will be
disproportionately affected. The complex financial fallouts of the ongoing
crisis are felt especially by women because they generally earn less and hold
insecure and unpaid jobs.

Women’s Empowerment Organization (WEO), a non-profitable organization,
started its journey in 2017 on the month of October in Bangladesh with 100 of
members. With the passage of time, its members have now stood at 200.

Nazma Masud is President of Women’s Empowerment Organization. As a
president of Women’s Empowerment Organization (WEO), Nazma Masud has been
organizing fairs for long to empower the financially-insolvent women. She
created business-friendly environment for women entrepreneurs from across the
country to showcase their salwar-kameez, jamdani saree, nakshi katha, panjabi
and fatua. Among these items, handwork and Kashmiri clothes bag, country-made
ornaments and handicraft of different regions especially Monipuri women used
to draw the attraction of the buyers.

For the last two years she arranged many more fairs for the small and
middle entrepreneurs on the traditional occasions of our country like-Pohela
Baishakh, Pohela Falgun and Eids.

Nazama Masud got an allotment of a stall in the 24th Dhaka International
Trade Fair 2019, organized by Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau. She made
opportunities for the interested members to display their products in the
stall. Moreover, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry arranged ‘Indian
Trade Expo’ and AIT,

Bangkok as it invited “Capacity Building of Bangladeshi Women Micro-
Entrepreneurs”. Under the program she participated in the event with some of
her members and it served both in terms of training and display of goods
there.

The President of WEO said the WEO has been suffering from fund crisis for
the last two years. To attend in any fair, she personally funded to book the
stall.

When Nazma Masud joined MIDAS, she was so young and slowly she created her
own space to thrive. Now she is the director of MIDAS, director of Mini Mart
of Gulshan Branch, shareholder of Uttara Mini Mart, member of Bangladesh
Federation, member of Entrepreneur Association and director of WIMA Polli
Resort. Moreover, Nazma Masud is running a NGO named ‘Nazma Masud Empowerment
Welfare Association’.

As the director of One Paper & Pack-aging Industries Limited, she is
plausibly taking care of it and also STEP ONE GROUP as its DMD.

This year they had also a plan to arrange fairs on the occasion of Pohela
Baishakh and Eid ul Fitr to empower the low and middle income women
entrepreneurs. But the pandemic COVID 19 forced them to postpone the plan
because of lockdown situation.

Business situation of the members is very poor as most of small
entrepreneurs’ family members depend on their income, besides their workers
and employees.

Nazma said “Already I personally sent some foods and money to them but it
was not sufficient.”

She also said “Under the banner of Empowerment Welfare Association I
organized tailoring training for 100 women at Joshore district and WEO
members imparted training to them for their empowerment. We time to time send
cloths and all the necessary materials for them. We bring the products and
our entrepreneurs sell the products at their outlets and on the fairs. This
is the supply chain.”

“But now the lockdown situation has broken down the supply chain. I
personally sent Taka 1000 and some dry foods to each through our
representatives. I have urged the government, international and national
NGO’s to support us and stay with us for empowering women and keep their
spirit and morale high,” she said.