“Contributing to my family has been the core of my thoughts from an early age. BYEAH has guided me to fulfilling this goal of mine.”, says Tahmina. A young woman from Kishoreganj, Tahmina, had lost her father at a very young age. Her mother was unemployed. Managing a family of 7 offspring has its toll and a fair share of hardships; without an income-generating member. Tahmina is the second youngest in the family. Her elder sisters supported her in whatever way they could to help her get an education. Their struggles emotionally reinforced her pursuits to give them a better life.
After many hardships, Tahmina enrolled in a public university affiliating college in the Department of Resource Management & Entrepreneurship and started her life in the country’s capital. In April 2017, she got to know about BYEAH’s workshop on “Outreach to Potential Youth” through one of BYEAH’s media campaigns of the workshop. She participated in that workshop out of curiosity, which started unravelling a new path for her.
After attending the workshop, she realized that she had the ability to do something to support her family financially. The workshop helped her associate her passion for creative crafting and market demand for Jute products. She shared her ideas with the BYEAH and enrolled in an entrepreneurship development training program.
Entrepreneurship Development Training Programs
After receiving several training courses focusing on developing business models, business plans, business communication, marketing and customer acquisition, Tahmina started her business Dolly’s Jute Products” with a starting capital of BDT 2000 in 2017. Jute products are in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of their eco-friendly properties. She focused on that attribute and got an appreciable response from customers.
Volunteer Mentor Access
Tahmina got access to her mentor, Samsuddin Lipu, with the help of BYEAH. According to Tahmina, her mentor regularly connects with her, giving her advice and checking her progress. Her mentor boosts her morale to continue her weekly work with designing products, manufacturing management, contract signing and delivering orders. She feels that it’s because of such support systems that BYEAH, as a platform, has great importance in creating entrepreneurial mindsets, especially for women entrepreneurs.
Tahmina dreams of setting up factories, training and employing rural women for financial inclusion. She aspires to establish a shop for her products and enter the export ecosystem for jute items. Acknowledging her adept passion, determination, and dedication, Tahmina received the “Potential Young Entrepreneur” award from BYEAH in 2018.
