RAJSHAHI, Oct 17, 2022 (BSS) - Around 300 people both male and female of
martyred families have attained economic emancipation through income-
generating activities related to handicrafts and handloom industries at
Thanapara village in Charghat upazila of the district.

On April 13, 1971, a brutal attack by Pakistan invaders killed about 400
unarmed men and injured many others in the Thanapara village that was later
declared as a widow village after independence.

Representatives of the Swallows in Sweden came to work for the victims of the
Liberation War in the devastated village in a post-war time in 1972.

In order to create self-employment opportunities, they first established
weaving and initially started training 13 widows.

At present Thanapara Swallows Development Society (TSDS) employs about 350
rural backward women through handicraft projects.

The women behind these stocks are making garments through the works of yarn
dyes, weaving fabrics, hand embroidery and sewing and the garments are
exported to almost eight countries of the world.

Children's day care and primary education activities are being carried out
with productive children, including fair wages, improved working conditions,
transparency and accountability, child labor avoidance, gender equality and
timely training.

Nazrul Islam Bachhu, one of the local elites, said the women workers by
themselves do all the dyeing with hands without involving any machine. 10
women are working full time under the supervision of a dyeing master.

He also said many of the beneficiary people were brought under educational
programmes besides imparting training on agriculture, fish farming and
vocational crafts for making them income-generators.

TSDS Executive Director Raihan Ali told BSS that they are working to
eliminate the causes of poverty in the remote village and to alleviate
suffering.

He said the Thanapara village with areas of concentration focusing on skills
development for the affected women which led to the establishment of the
handicraft program and the marginal women are becoming self-reliant through
producing the products and selling those to the international markets.

Ali said their mission is to empower the poor and underprivileged population
by eradicating illiteracy, creating health awareness and self-employment,
raising awareness among the landless for the rights of land and empowering
women by creating economic and social awareness.

Vision of the venture is to establish a democratic society by developing the
socio-economic condition of the poor.
 
Raihan Ali said the embroidery section is focusing on hand stitching.
Traditional skills and cultural designs are being used for making the
products. All the raw materials like threads and cloth are eco friendly. In
this section, 50 women are working full time.

Apart from this, modern machineries are also being used for stitching,
overlocking and finishing. Subsequently, each of the finished items go
through acceptance quality label performance to ensure quality of the
products.

There are 35 tailors, including three cutting masters, in the tailoring unit.

Jahanara Begum, 54, one of many other rehabilitated beneficiaries, has been
working in the TSDS for around 35 years and made her family self-reliant. Her
mother had joined the factory after two years of her father's killing in the
barbaric attack.
 
Begum said they become self-reliant in the long-run as a result of
establishing different income generating projects for self employment
contributing to the efforts of poverty alleviation.

"Our weaving section is famous for its unique technique as we still run the
traditional handloom for woven the fabric," she added.

They use the same yarn that they have dyed in the dyeing section for making
the cloth. So, the clothes made are also eco-friendly.

She opined that utmost emphasis has been given on advancing and promoting the
equal status of women in the family, as well as in society, through
incorporating gender issues and awareness-raising activities and programs.

Today, October 17, is the 50th founding anniversary of the TSDS and it has
chalked out elaborate programmes throughout the day marking the anniversary,
mentioned Raihan Ali.