Shohojogita

The organization SHOHOJOGITA is a Bangladeshi word which means “helping each other”. The principal vision is to help the rural poor widowed, divorced and destitute women by creating employment for them. SHOHOJOGITA is a non-profit and non-government social development organization and is in the process of registration from the Social Welfare Department of the Government.

SHOHOJOGITA dreams to establish a  society free from exploitation, oppression and injustice as well as a society where each individual will be able to live in peace, harmony and also fairly share all of the resources belonging to the community.

One of the products used by Shohojogita is the recycled cement bag. The bag is strong, durable, waterproof but still very light. It is ideal for taking to the beach, shopping or even to use as a nappy bag.

Our Bengali friends came up with this innovative idea in the aftermath of the SIDR Cyclone. The plain cement bags were very much in demand when the NGO’s purchased them to carry vital medicine and rations to the affected people in outlying villages.

The producers love receiving craft orders and when the women receive earnings from their craft work, they are able to spend this money on books, pencils, school fees, medicine, clothing and food.

If there is no work in craft production, the women will help their husbands, brothers or sons in the paddy fields which is hard, physical work.

Artisan’s stories ( from Shohojogita's website)

The poor women artisans are organized in cooperative groups. They are fully autonomous in managing group affairs by following cooperative principles. At present more than 400/450 female and a few male artisans are working under the banner of this organization. The artisans learn how to save a portion to their earning on a regular basis for future gainful investment. Since the artisans are the main concerns of SHOHOJOGITA, all its efforts and resources are shared to meet their needs and provide benefit. 

Handloom

The textile products are produced by traditional handloom technology. The producers are very skilled and talented although they have little or no  education. They receive training from SHOHOJOGITA and are now able to produce the cloth  themselves.

SHOHOJOGITA provides the raw material at lower prices and the producers are able to mix the dyes for color and take care of all other processes. They  work with  cooperative principles, getting fair-wages and  other facilities.
 
Actually, Bangladeshi women have been using these looms since immemorial days and the weaving know-how is being passed on through the generations. SHOHOJOGITA utilizes this ancient style, and through training and skill development it produces various quality items, which offer sources of additional income for their families. This has proved that rural uplift is possible to empowering jobless women’s artisans.

SHOHOJOGITA wishes to preserve the culture, to encourage modern development and to sell products in the markets both locally and abroad. If you buy, not only do you contribute to the livelihood of poor women, but also assist to preserve the cultural heritage globally.

Jute is eco-friendly

Jute is a vegetable fiber derived from the bark of an annual reed like plant grown mainly subtropical areas of Asia: Bangladesh, India, China and some other countries.

It is one of the great natural fibers in the world. The fiber from this plant is extremely versatile and has a wide variety of uses. Jute is bio-degradable and articles made from jute, unlike their synthetic counterparts, are easily decomposed. Thus, jute is the perfect ecological substitute for artificial fibers.

The women can easily produce many different types of crafts with jute applying their individual talent and expertise. They feel affection for and respect these kinds of work because the women have the possibility to attend to the family chores as well.

Needlework

This traditional and highly advanced arts and craft are produced by the women in a delicate way that demands a lot of time and creativity. We are able to offer more employment to women who have no means for livelihood.