Umme Rukeyea and her team are preparing hand stitched products as per order

“A few years back, when my father had a brain stroke, our life became shattered, and we were in blue thinking about the uncertainty of our future,” says Umme Rukeyea, a young woman #entrepreneur from Chuadanga district.

Once she saw her mother stitching clothes, she felt enthusiastic and hopeful to have training in sewing. When she received training from LEAD Bangladesh, she started making clothes using her skill and knowledge. Later Umme initiated her social business in 2021, named ‘Umme’s Creation’.

Being an innovative and visionary young woman, she has observed that many women were already making hand-stitched products but selling them at a low price in her area. Then she thought, why not sell the products online to reach a vast number of people. In the beginning, Umme received very few orders through online platforms, but now more traders know about her work, so they are placing bulk orders. Now, she sells a wide range of hand-stitched clothing for women, men, children, and households. She has employed six women and two men in her business, making them self-reliant. The women working with Umme have become one of the key decision-makers in their families.

Though being heavily involved in the business, Umme continued her studies. She is currently doing her graduation, providing educational expenses for her and her younger sister, and bearing the family expense. Umme dreams of expanding her business and creating more employment opportunities and decent work for women, men, young people, and people with disabilities.

Umme presenting the products of her social enterprise in a programme organised by British Council

The Leadership for Advancing Development in Bangladesh (LEAD Bangladesh) project, funded by the British Council and implemented by CCD Bangladesh, IDEA, Shushilan, The Hunger Project, WAVE Foundation and YPSA, empowered 3,000 young people in the last two years in Bangladesh, positively impacting communities to achieve SDG 8, SDG 13 and SDG 16 through 240 Social Action Projects.