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ZCZC

BSS-06

HANDICRAFTS-SELF-RELIANCE (UNICEF FEATURE)

Determined Morzina becomes role model in Bogura’s village

DHAKA, Sept 6, 2019 (BSS) – In the childhood, Morzina had a dream of representing her at the helm of her family after becoming economically self-reliant.

But Morzina was married in 1995 when she was a student of class five as her father could not bear her educational and other expenses due to extreme poverty.

The incident frustrated her towards materializing the hopes and aspirations in her life.

After married, she passed her days with inconvenience in her husband’s family. She has to endure a lot of agonies.

But the dream has been cherishing since her childhood did not diminish. It again came up in her mind and drove her at the front. She started a new journey.

She had learned sewing works with the help of her elder sister Mariam Begum along with running her study secretly. Since then, she hadn’t to look back.

Now she is economically self-reliant and showing ways to the helpless women in her village how to survive in an environment not conducive for one.

Nowadays many women sitting in a circle make purse, wall mate, flower vase and other handicrafts items at her home. All of the women are economically solvent after getting training in handicrafts, led by Morzina.

Recently it was seen when proceeding away from the highway at Morzina’s semi-pucca house at Madanpur village of Mirzapur Union under Sherpur Upazila in Bogura district.

In an interview, she said now she earns about Taka 20,000 per month since her training in sewing works and handicrafts. Currently she provides training to women in her village on the same trade to make them self-reliant.

“So far, I gave training to as many as 500 women and most of them are solvent now. I feel proud of them as they can lead their lives happily,” she said.

But the beginning of the journey was not so easy for Morzina. She has to overcome many hurdles with calm and patient in the past to reach the current position.

Morzina is the fourth amongst five offspring of her father, farmer Sujir Uddin of Madanpur village.

Morzina was married in 1995 when she was a student of class five. Her father-in-law’s house was in the same village. Her husband used to work as a helper of a bus driver.

Morzina said, “My father gave me two bighas of land after married. I have built my dwelling house with the income of the land. I used to live in that house.”

After got married, she was running her education secretly side by side with managing her family. She passed Dakhil examination in 2000 from a local madrasha. Later, she participated in a two-year training programme with the help of upazila youth development office.

She also worked at union service and digital center in 2010. As her conjugal life was not going smoothly, she was separated in 2013. Next year, she appeared in the Alim examination and came out successfully.

In 2014, she was selected as a successful woman in ‘education and job’ category at upazila level on ‘searching for victorious woman’ in the country. At that time, she was also enlisted as a woman entrepreneur at the grassroots.

“I had to work hard to reach the current level. I had to hear many negative words of people. But I did not give up my hope. Some nearest people also helped me unconditionally for whom now I am now in my mark,” she said.

Local people are now also happy with the success of Morzina. Mamtaj Ali, Madanpur Ward Member of Mirzapur Union, said Morzian is a glare example of making impossible into possible as she started her journey with an empty hand.

“Morzina achieved all the successes with her earnest efforts and hard working. We are also happy with her successes. Many women of the village became economically solvent by following her footsteps. She is now a role model in the village in handicrafts and sewing works,” he added.

BSS/UNICEF FEATURE/MRU/OF/1251 hrs