Powering Voices: Introducing Inclusive Municipal Services with Women Corner

Umme Hanima standing in front of the newly launched Women’s Corner in Bhairab Municipality Umme Hanima, a mother of a 7-month-old baby, is a resident of Dakshin Para, Gouripur under Bhairab municipality. She lives with her in-laws in an 8-member family. Hanima’s husband is an expatriate worker in Qatar making her a key caretaker of the family due to her husband’s absence. “As my husband lives abroad, I have to take up his responsibilities to avail routine municipal services,” says Hanima. “But availing these services takes a lot of time due to long queues of people – both men and women. Six months ago, I went to the municipality for my newborn’s birth certificate. I had to stand in the long queue in the scorching heat with my six-month-old baby for almost three hours. Neither there was any place to sit, nor any space to breastfeed my baby. We both got exhausted and sick because of the extreme heat,” she added. This was the typical scenario in the municipality of Bhairab, where some 600-700 people come every day to avail at least 14 citizen-centric routine services. “Being the business hub of Dhaka division, Bhairab municipality caters to more people than other municipalities on a daily basis. The municipality services attract a significant daily influx of women, with 200-300 visiting the main municipal building and 400-500 attending the annex Matri Shodon facility. The diverse demographic of women service takers includes the elderly, those with children, and breastfeeding mothers,” said Md. Faruk, the Pouro Nirbahi Officer (PNO) of Bhairab municipality. While talking about the challenges these women face, the PNO said, “They have raised concerns over inadequate waiting arrangements and the absence of dedicated nursing and sanitation facilities, which hinder their accessibility towards availing these services. The Women Development Committee of the municipality came to me with the idea of setting up a designated spot for the women to ensure improved service delivery.” Struggling over how to turn this idea into reality, PNO Faruk then contacted PRABRDDHI seeking assistance with an aim to enhance service quality for the women recipients. With a collaborative commitment to fostering positive economic change and gender empowerment, PRABRIDHHI provided technical and financial assistance to the municipality to set up two dedicated ‘Women Corners’ in the municipality premises and the Matri Shodon facility. The intervention will unfold in multiple phases. In Phase 1, the focus is on improving women’s accessibility to municipal services through gender mainstreaming strategies. Phase 2 aims to enhance the perception of gender-responsive service provision, empowering women through the active role of the women development committee. Phase 3 seeks to showcase the municipality as a gender-responsive service model, with potential scale-up or replication in other municipalities. After the launching of the Women’s Corner, many women like Hanima comes to the municipality with happy faces. “I have been coming to the women’s corner at the Matri Shodon for my baby’s vaccination. Now we have comfortable seating space with electricity, designated toilet, and breastfeeding corner both at the municipality premises and inside the Matri Shodon. Availing services has become much easier for us now,” said a content Hanima. Recognizing the commitment to improving accessibility and ensuring a positive user experience for women in the municipality, Mayor Iftekhar Hossain Beno highlighted the intervention’s potential to enhance service efficiency and empower women. “The partnership with PRABRIDDHI is seen as a vital step in advancing Local Economic Development and fostering inclusivity within the community,” he added. The Women’s Corner symbolizes empowerment and transformative change, highlighting the potential for positive impacts for sustainable systemic change in Bhairab and beyond.

Revival of Jashore Stitch

Benu Ara supervising one of her workers at the factory Benu Ara, owner of a handicraft shop and a small factory, has become an inspiration for Jashore’s grassroots women entrepreneurs. Located at the heart of the municipal town, the shop named ‘Ahona Fashion’ is her entire life’s work. “I have been working in the handicraft sector for more than 25 years. I supply products like saree, salwar-kameez, nokshi kantha, bed sheets, fabric pieces, and bags to different showrooms in Dhaka – as well as in local and national fairs,” says Benu. While sharing her experience, Benu mentioned she has been working with different stitch motifs, particularly the Jashore stitch – a traditional hand-stitch pattern. “The specialty of the Jashore stitch lies in its unique pattern. As most of the artisans in Jashore work with the same pattern and motif, the buyers are losing interest in this. They want more innovation in the stitch pattern,” she added. At this point, Benu Ara came to know about PRABRIDDHI’s initiative. The project has been supporting the handicraft sector of Jashore since 2021 with initiatives like capacity development of handicraft entrepreneurs and trainers  in design innovation and product development with a specific focus on the unique Jashore Stitch. As part of the capacity-building efforts, PRABRIDDHI organised a 12-day long Co-creation workshop in 2022 facilitated by one of the prominent fashion designers of Bangladesh. A total of 30 renowned entrepreneurs of the area, including Benu Ara, participated in the training that solely focused on innovative designs and color-matching techniques. The project also arranged another round of the Training of Trainers (ToT) Program with the same group of participants in 2023 to transform them in to Master Trainers, so that they can train the artisan at the grassroots level. During the reporting period, 30 entrepreneurs successfully trained a total of 3,000 artisans. The innovative content of this training has also inspired other local organisations to facilitate similar training courses on advanced product design, color-matching, etc. The project also assisted in developing a manual combining thestitch techniques for the artisans.  “These trainings have helped me a lot in terms of coming up with new designs with matching color combinations within the Jashore stitch pattern. I have developed a new design with refined color combinations based on the fabric. This new design got a huge response from the buyers. I have supplied around 500 yards of fabric in and outside of Jashore in 2023. It costs me around BDT 400 to design the piece of fabric and each yard is sold at BDT 600,” said Benu. With this new design, Benu Ara enjoyed an additional income of BDT 1,66,667 or CHF 1,389 in 2023. All the 30 training recipients, including Benu Ara, have enjoyed an additional income of BDT 5,000,000 or CHF 41,666 through applying new stitching techniques in 2023.                              Capacity building training for the Jashore Stitch artisans Additionally, a cross-pollination workshop for the handicrafts sector was organised by PRABRIDDHI to foster coordination and collaboration with local non-profit organisations. The main objective of this workshop was to create synergy and sustainable implementation of their initiatives. Efforts are in place to enlist the manual under the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) for wider circulation. This will greatly benefit the individuals who are interested in enhancing their skills in stitching and entrepreneurship.

Shibganj Waste Management Initiative Enhances Livelihoods and Cleanliness

Md. Ataur Rahman holding the waste bins distributed by PRABRIDDHI for waste segregation Md. Ataur Rahman, a waste collector in Shibganj, works for the municipality. Previously he worked a single shift for waste collecting, now with the launch of the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) initiative in Shibganj, he works two shifts, in serving the municipality and the local community. Municipalities bear the responsibility of managing waste from households and communities, ensuring safe and timely collection, segregation, and disposal. In Bangladesh, there’s a lack of knowledge, capacity, and resources for effective waste management, leading to social, environmental, and health risks. Shibganj upazila is primarily focused on agriculture, while its municipality is less densely populated but lacks adequate solid waste management facilities and modern infrastructure. PRABRIDDHI partnered with Shibganj Municipality to pilot a MSWM model in Ward 5, aiming to develop a long-term plan aligned with current social, environmental, and economic conditions.  This initiative has led to improved civic amenities, enhanced environmental quality, and cleaner streets, all of which have been warmly welcomed by the community. The citizens of Shibganj have reported that they are   benefitting mainly because of less pollution, a cleaner environment near the households, and due to the systematic process of disposing the household waste. The initiative has also led to an increase in employment opportunities and income. Ataur shared his experience, saying, “Previously, we relied on a single shift, earning BDT 230, with hopes of overtime for extra income. However, with PRABRIDDHI’s support, we now work two shifts, earning BDT 472, resulting in an additional income of approximately BDT 5,000 to 7,000 per month.” He also highlighted that the former employees of the Waste Management Department were rehired, primarily to work in two shifts. During the first shift, they work in various areas of Shibganj Municipality, while during the second shift, they mainly focus on monitoring and management of the model. “As a result, they have found new job opportunities, allowing them to earn income not only during one shift as before but now they can earn income during two shifts or more. Consequently, their quality of life has improved,” he added. Notably, the municipality faces logistical challenges and a shortage of manpower in implementing systematic waste management. To ensure the smooth implementation of the model Shibganj municipality has employed 40 additional employees. As a result, the 40 MSWM workers (45% women) have enjoyed a net additional income of BDT 890,000 or CHF 7,400 through working an additional 1,920 labour days.   To build the capacity of waste collectors, the MSWM initiative emphasises conducting training on various aspects, including wearing boots, hand gloves, masks, and the proper use of equipment in the city. Additionally, waste collectors undergo monthly refresher training sessions, providing them with sufficient and crucial knowledge on these matters. Furthermore, the initiative has aided the municipality in establishing a cost-recovery model for MSWM. The municipality has been collecting fees from the households in return for solid waste management services. During this reporting period, the municipality has been able to cover the cost of running this model through the fees collected from the community, which amounted to a total of BDT 98,500 or CHF 800     Through the model, the municipality segregates approximately 9.5 tons of non-biodegradable waste per month from ward no 5 which is valued at BDT 142,000 or CHF 1,190. If the model is replicated across all other wards of the municipality, and the waste is marketed, this has the potential to generate an additional yearly revenue of BDT 7.2 million or CHF 60,000, indicates PRABRIDDHI’s projection.      

Empowering Light Engineering Entrepreneurs: The Impact of E-Marketplaces in Jashore

Md. Ali at his light engineering factory Top of FormMr. Md. Ali, former president of the Light Engineering Association (LE) of Jashore, is recognised as a prominent LE entrepreneur in the sector. Since the inception of local economic development in Jashore’s LE sector, he has been closely affiliated with PRABRIDDHI. Operating a factory primarily focused on agricultural machinery with a staff of 12-15 workers, Mr. Ali sought to expand his business beyond the outskirts of Jashore to other regions of the country. Through his collaboration with PRABRIDDHI, he became acquainted with the e-marketplace “Banglatraders.com.” In partnership with the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners Association (BEIOA) – Jashore and Chakladar Corp (CC), a local business development service provider, PRABRIDDHI effectively facilitated the development and launch of “Banglatraders.com” in 2022. This digital transformation not only boosted sales but also enhanced proficiency in utilising digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and websites for product marketing. Upon discovering this platform, Mr. Ali expanded his business reach, and in 2023 alone, he successfully sold 18 machines, resulting in a net profit of BDT 174,300 or CHF 1453. A semi-structured survey was conducted in 2022 with the registered entrepreneurs to gather their feedback. All of them acknowledged that the e-marketplace serves as an additional channel for selling their products. Around 90% of them agree that they benefit from the e-marketplace due to wider promotion of their products. In 2023, CC received significant recognition by showcasing the “Banglatraders.com” platform at an international exhibition held in Malaysia. CC has further aspirations to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to expand local businesses into other municipalities. As a result, during January-December 2023, 19 LE entrepreneurs earned a net additional income of BDT 720,000 or CHF 6,000 selling through this alternative online channel. The marketplace has 67 factories listed on the site.

Innovative Mango Cultivation Model: A Boon for Shibganj Farmers