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Shumi is a single mother of one daughter and two sons. Her husband is a driver but he is addicted to drugs. Due to excessive drug taking, his lifestyle is out of control.  Shumi's husband would frequently beat her. In his eyes, his wife could not cook so in return she had to bear more punishment.

As Small Charities and Volunteers’ Week both fall in June, one of our long-standing supporters, Andy Bennett, has kindly offered to share with us her experiences with The Sreepur Village charity from the initial concept in the 1980’s to the current village today, which helps keep together 150 impoverished mothers and their 300 children, empowering families with hope for a brighter future:

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, here is an empowering story of one woman’s journey to equality and independence.

We are delighted to share with you photos of The Sreepur Village's newly opened beauty Salon.

Trisha, our Chair of Trustees, travelled from the UK to unveil the new salon.

At regular intervals, and for three months, a group (12-15) of our mothers and their families move to a pre-rehabilitation centre, known as the half-way house as a reintegration step into the community. Earlier this month, 15 mothers went to the half-way house and the local community. They began their lives in a new and independent way.

The mothers are also currently completing their training in sewing, garment training, small business shop and bamboo weaving and various other training schemes. We recruit our mothers in such training schemes so that they can earn a livelihood immediately after leaving The Sreepur Village and completing their three-month period in the rehabilitation centre

Earlier in 2017, The Sreepur Village began a ‘Candle Making’ training programme for the mothers, to help empower them as entrepreneurs. A small business idea, such as this, helps the mothers to support their families as they can make candles in their free time and earn an additional income, a driving force that never existed before.

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2018, the mothers’ association of the Sreepur Village arranged a cultural programme and led a discussion which focussed on this year’s theme of #PressforProgress. It was an opportunity for the Sreepur mothers to celebrate womanhood in all its form and during the two-hour long discussion, the mothers primarily discussed the importance of self-reliance, training and development, they also thanked The Sreepur Village for supporting them and their children.

The garment industry of Bangladesh has played an important role in economically enriching a large group of poor and vulnerable women. Today, approximately 80% of garment workers are women. So, having this source of income not only helps women to lead a better life but it also provides them with more confidence at home, a social sphere and higher self-esteem. The most important thing is, however, that they can survive and help save their families. The number of women from impoverished northern districts of Bangladesh joining the garments sector are much lower due to lack of awareness of opportunities, risks of relocation, and uncertainty about securing a job quickly.