ZCZC
BSS-28
WOMEN-VISUALLY-IMPAIRED-EMPOWERMENT (UNICEF FEATURE)
Disabled entrepreneurship and self-employment leading disabled to become pathfinder
DHAKA, March 17, 2021 (BSS)- The people with disabilities face plenty of barriers that impede or even prevent them to start their own business for getting self-employed.
It is clearly understandable to all concerned that the risk of poverty is significantly higher for disabled persons than for people without disabilities. Nurjahan Begum did her Masters from the Law Department of Chattogram University.
She has become the country’s first visually impaired woman lawyer who is the member of Chattogram Bar Association. But, she didn’t limit herself to the legal profession rather she devoted herself to ease the sufferings of other visually impaired persons.
Nurjahan has succeeded in establishing herself as an entrepreneur and removed darkness from her life by her sheer will.
She is now imparting trainings to the visually impaired persons through an non government organization (NGO)- Disabled Peoples Organization (DPO). A total of 350 persons have become members of the NGO.
Twenty visually impaired persons are given smart phone training under the sponsorship of mobile operator Robi while a three-month other trainings on computer, block-boutique and tailoring, are given under the supervision of Lions Club of Khulshi.
Besides, counselling is being given to the persons with disabilities through the NGO as how to survive in a new place. The DPO is working aiming to empower the persons with disabilities as they would not become burden to his or her family and society as well.
Side by side with providing training Nurjahan Begum has devised opportunities to sell handicrafts made by the persons with disabilities through her own marketing company named ‘Nakshi Bangla’. Presently, about 150 members of DPO are supplying their products to ‘Nakshi Bangla’. Many of them are trying to become self-reliant through ‘Nakshi Bangla’
She started the activities of ‘Nakshi Bangla’ with only Taka 7,500 in 2013 along with her younger sister and her husband. Now the investment has been stood at about Taka 10 lakh. She also received award as a woman small entrepreneur from City Bank in 2018.
After completion of her institutional education, Nurjahan Began her carrier at an NGO named ‘Uthsha’. She realised the sufferings of those persons who are visually impaired.
In the NGO, she met with Champa who is also disabled. Nurjahan sent Champa to her sister to learn embroidery work. Thus, she (Nurjahan) thought that other persons with disabilities could also be self-employed.
Nurjahan said it was not so easy to start something without any investment. “But, I took it as a challenge. I know the sufferings of those persons with disabilities. Actually, the persons with disabilities are not burden of a society. If they get proper care, education and training, they can also be a resource of the society,” she added.
To date technologies have been drastically improved and extended to enhance the inclusion of disabled persons.,
BSS/UNICEF FEATURE/RB/KU/1635 HRS