Covid took her job, but made her a millionaire

Rasheda Khatun making her masksProthom Alo

Rasheda Khatun (36) had trained in sewing at the Department of Women’s Affairs in Lalmonirhat. Little did she realise what a blessing that training would prove to be, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

She used to work as an ayah at a private school in Lalmonirhat district town. When coronavirus broke out in March last year, she lost her job as the school closed indefinitely.

Rasheda was worried with no job as she was the sole earner in the family. Her husband Farooq Hossain was an expatriate worker in Iraq and didn’t keep in contact with her.

She then decided to put her sewing skills to use.

“The demand for face masks had skyrocketed so I decided to make cloth masks to sell them in the market,” said Rasheda.

Mask made by Rasheda

She borrowed Tk 200 from her old friend as she did not have any savings. She bought five yards of cloth from the local market and started to make masks.

One day, a mobile court of Lalmonirhat district administration noticed her selling masks in the market. Since then, they regular buy masks from here. Over the last 10 months, they bought a total of 17,500 masks from Rasheda and distributed them to the common people. They purchased each mask for Tk 15.

Rasheda Khatun said other than this, she supplied 2,500 to 3,000 masks to the different markets of Lalmonirhat for the same price (Tk 15).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this business has replaced her curse of unemployment with a solid source of earning.

From her earnings, she bought two sewing machines for Tk 26,000 and set up a grocery store for her mother with Tk 12,000.

“Apart from these investments,” Rasheda said, “I have taken a Tk 72,000 insurance policy with Jiban Bima Corporation and paid off a portion of the loans taken to send my husband in Iraq. Now I also have Tk 50,000 in cash at home to buy fabric for more masks.”

District commissioner of Lalmonirhat, Abu Zafar, said Rasheda Khatun’s example could be an inspiration for jobless people. “We are also pleased to assist her in her enterprise,” he said.

Rasheda Khatun had married Faruk Hossain of Dhairkhata village in Kulaghat union of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila after being unsuccessful in the SSC examination in 2002.

Farooq Hossain went to Iraq five years ago with the financial support of Rasheda's family. At first he used to contact her and their two children, but for the last three and a half years, they don’t know his whereabouts.

Now she lives at her father’s house with her two sons in Nabinagar, Lalmonirhat. Her elder son Roufuzzaman studies at Lalmonirhat Government Technical Training Centre while her younger son Ramit Hasan is in Class 6.

Rasheda makes masks at her father's house. She is assisted by Asha Moni, a schoolgirl, Anju Ara and a few others. They make each mask for Tk 3. They are also happy to get the opportunity to work in this pandemic.

Rasheda said that “I learned to stand on my own two feet. I don’t want to look at back.”

“Now my dream is to for my sons’ future, to help them to be competent and good human beings,” Rasheda added.