Needlework like embroidering, spangling sarees, ornamental stitching on women's wears has turned into an effective venture for the unemployed and distressed rural women in changing fortune in recent years.

Some 42,000 unemployed, poor and distressed rural females, including housewives, young girls and divorcees, have attained self-reliance through working at home or smaller enterprises in Rangpur division as the prospective venture continues to grow faster.

According to sources at the different government and non-government organisations, needlework adds additional values to female clothes making those high-priced in the country's sophisticated markets, including the capital city.

As a result of continuous success, needlework has been getting the shape of a growing cottage industry attracting local entrepreneurs as well as different organisations to change the rural macro-economy and alleviate abject poverty.

Dozens of the successful rural women have now launched their own enterprises after getting necessary training and assistance from the different government and nongovernment organisations and local traders.

With the assistances of RD RS Bangladesh alone, more than 2,000 unemployed and distressed women, victims of repression and violence, divorcees, widows and physically challenged women have so far achieved self-reliance through needlework at homes.

Entrepreneur Abu Bakar Siddik has set up mini garment factory at Dimla upazila

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headquarters under Nilphamari district to promote skill development of rural women and established eight more production centres to enhance needlework and handloom garment industry.

Many trained women have been working at his production centres set up at the villages of Dimla and Domar upazilas in Nilphamari after getting training from his mini garment factory.

Like the other successful women at these centres, Rasheda, 35, Lipa, 21, Rafia, 38, Ambia, 35, and Samina, 32, said they are earning Tk 5,000 to Tk 6,000 every month now to lead solvent life with their family members and children.

Entrepreneur of spangling industry Chand Mia said he had expanded the

venture generating employment for about 350 poor families in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur through creating expert embroidery and ornamental stitching artisans.

He supplies simple sarees, spangles, anti-pipe, dhania puthi, tire puthi, petpipe, phooljori, laljori, sadajori, dhole spangle, stitching inputs, yarns and threads to the women to make those attractive through ornamental stitching, embroidery and needlework.

"After finishing needlework, each of the saree is being sold in markets of Dhaka at Tk 9,000 to Tk 30,000 while the saree made by more skillful persons is sold at higher price of up to Tk 42,000 in the aristocrat markets in the capital city," he said.

As the venture continues expanding, most of the women of all ages in the village have turned into craftspeople to decorate sarees with ornamental stitching and embroidery to earn minimum Tk 800 to Tk 1,000 weekly.

Successful craftswomen Mollika, 32, and Shameema, 28, said women of the village now earned between Tk 3,000 and Tk 4,500 monthly with double incomes before the Eid-ul-Fitr and Durga Puja festivities.

Similarly, over 1,000 women of all ages have changed fortune through embroidery, ornamental stitching, 'jari', 'puthi' and spangling works on sarees, three-pieces, scarf and other female clothes in different villages under Sadar upazila ofThakurgaon.