Minita Rani & Shefali Mandal, Baghda Enterprises

When the group first began in 1982, there were only 18 women involved; today, it comprises 121 women working full-time and 110 women on a seasonal basis. For Villages, they make twine and an exfoliating cloth. Their biggest, and only, other customer, is Body Shop for whom they make a bath mitt.

Minita Rani is one of four chairwomen of this group which we visited in the district of Aguiljhara. She is 42 years old with a Class (Grade) 5 education. She told us that prior to working with Baghda, her family was extremely poor. She would collect wild lotus to feed her children and she could manage only one or two meals a day. Today her family can afford three meals each day thanks to her work. Her oldest son moved to Dhaka, her elder daughter is in Baghda college and her youngest is still in secondary school. Her husband is not employed.

Shefali Rani, 45, was one of the first women to join Baghda. At first, she found it difficult to work in the shop and find time to do her housework as well, but she has overcome all the difficulties and has been able to afford food, clothing, housing and education for her family of two sons and two daughters. She has been so successful that her sons, Gobinda and Goutom, and her daughters, Putul and Kaushum all hold PHDs. When Gobinda was old enough, he worked to pay to continue his own education and help his siblings.

When SIDR blew through in November, 2007, there was severe damage in the area. Houses and cattle were destroyed as trees. When they fell on ponds the fish were killed and a valuable source of food was lost.

Interview by Carell

More pictures from Baghda:

Walking through the village

The artisans of Baghda

Bangladesh has a nationwide surplus of photogenic kids!