WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

THE CONTEXT OF YOUR INITIATIVE

Our aim is to develop the socio-economic conditions of the uprooted, illiterate and underprivileged people in our community. We focus especially on capacity building of female-headed households and marginal, landless and destitute women and their families in the community. We support rural women with selected skills development training, production, marketing and creating opportunities for them to explore their potential to effect change in their own lives. We assist women in creating their own position in the family, as well as in society, creating opportunities for them to break through boundaries set by male-dominated family customs and social prejudices. Apart from this, our organisation also implements various socio-economic activities such as: awareness campaigns on women’s rights, gender equity, domestic violence prevention, denouncing child marriage etc. We undertake advocacy work and lobbing of policy makers and local government representatives, calling for a food security law, decentralised national budgeting system, amendment of the existing tobacco control law. We are affiliated with several national environmental movements to ensure environmental justice and combat the illegal grab of river banks.

THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT AS PART OF YOUR INITIATIVE

- Handicraft training, production & marketing.
- Vocational training.
- Employment creation.
- Human resources development through skill training.
- Safe food production through agricultural training.
- Home gardening.
- Gender and development.
- Domestic violence prevention.
- Female empowerment
- Awareness of current burning issues (e.g.: health, law enforcement, violence against women, the harm caused by child marriage, etc.)

WHO IS INVOLVED FROM OUR GROUP?

9 staff members, 6 trainers, and 250 volunteers (mostly youths) who have been trained in different social and environmental issues by PUP.

WHICH PARTNERS ARE YOU WORKING WITH ON THIS INITIATIVE?

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Developed as handicrafts producer
PUP has managed to provide skills to produce products to 4,500 women in our community since 1986.
We have been able to form 150 producer groups from the trainees.
Created market for products
– Exploring markets for products at local and national levels
– Exporting its handicraft products to European and Asian markets.
Developing skills of women from other organisations
Provided training and consultancy to 710 women with different international organisations, such as International Labour Organization (ILO); Self-Employment for Rural Destitute women in Bangladesh through Cottage Industries (SERWTC); Integrated Community Family Health Development Program (ICFHDP), GTZ; CARE (SETU project), Rangpur; Government Youth Development Department Kazipur, Sirajganj.

PUP awards
PUP was awarded a Certificate of Accreditation from SME, Special Programs Department of Bangladesh Bank in 2015 as a skill training provider organisation.
A member of ECOTA FORUM since 1995
Became a member of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in 1999.
Participated in international fair trade fairs and seminars in different countries globally as a member of WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization).
Co-opted as a member of different government and local government committees at district and sub-district levels.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR INITIATIVE?

WHAT ARE YOUR PROSPECTS?

• We are looking forward to creating a market for our handicraft products for Emmaus members, communities in other parts of the world.
• Web based e-commerce development.
• Establishing a training centre.
• A handicraft outlet for permanent marketing.
• We are looking for possibilities of working together with companies in our country under CSR (corporate social responsibility).