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Jhenidah market brings solace to women

AZIBOR RAHMAN, Jhenidah
Women with less fortunate backgrounds in Jhenidah found a new meaning to life through shop-keeping.
Widowed or divorced at early ages, the women now proudly own and run shops at Kola Bazar in Kaliganj where the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) built eight shops dedicated to women under its village bazaar development project in 2007.
Customers now flock to the women's market, as it is a new venture in Jhenidah district. Apart from Kola Bazar, there are two more women-run markets in Jhenidah: one at Holdeni Bazar under Sadar upazila and the other at Purapara Bazar under Moheshpur upazila.
These shops, mostly displaying cosmetics, groceries, custom tailoring, clothes and tea, have been allocated only to women in distress.
Those outlets are now a preference for
customers, as women shopkeepers do not tend to haggle over the price.
Eight women shopkeepers who have been successfully running shops at Kola Bazar are Shahanara Khatun, Sathi, Kohinur Khatun, Rafeza Aktar, Durga, Dipa Rani, Johuraand Rizia Khatun.
The market is strategically located between two unions, Jamal and Kola, and is nine kilometres off the Kaliganj upazila headquarters. The market attracts a lot of buzz on Saturdays and TYiesdays, two shopping days that pulled in customers from about 40 villages.
There are two banks, a secondary school, a madrasa, a primary school, a post office, a revenue collector office, police outpost and an agricultural office in Kola Bazar.
Sathi, a cosmetics shopkeeper in Khalkula village, told The Daily Star that she was married off at the age of 12. Misfortunate gripped her as her husband died soon after. But she decided not to
remarry and lived with her only daughter Epti and her mother. She invested Tk 10,000 on the shop, which now stocks products in excess ofTk 2 lakh.
From daily average sales ofTk 800 to Tk 1,000, she garners Tk 200 to Tk 300 in profits. However, she hopes to manage a line of credit to help further expand her business.
Kohinur, a divorcee, runs a tea stall at Kola Bazar. Even with a meager level of income from the stall, she meets all the demands of her sister and mother, who live with her.
Rafeza, another shopkeeper, said she broke down after her husband left her for another woman. She earns Tk 150 daily from selling cosmetics and maintains her family. Despite all odds, the 22-year-old said she is now happy as she is independent.
Sumaya Aktar, an eighth-grader at Ulla Dhakil Madrasa in Boro Dauty village and a customer, said she purchases cosmetics and notepads from the women's market.