Sewing Empowered Futures

The climate crisis is here, and Bangladesh is sinking. In this low-lying, densely populated country in South Asia, women are at the front lines, disadvantaged due to their geography and gender. Women and girls already face discrimination and inequality in society along with making up the majority of the world’s poor. Climate change worsens this, with women facing higher risks and greater burdens from its impacts, especially in situations of poverty, including increased risk of violence, child marriage, losing access to education, food insecurity, and loss of livelihood and housing. 
 
Rajakhali is a village on the coastlines of Bangladesh and is one of the most vulnerable places to climate change in the world. It is subject to intensifying flooding and natural disasters (i.e. catastrophic cyclones like Super Cyclone BOB 01 in 1991, considered as one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record), expected to worsen in the upcoming monsoon season due to climate change. Coupled with these threats, a culturally conservative society, and the suffering exacerbated by COVID-19, the women there are dealing with even more restricted access to economic survival opportunities. 
 
The devastating losses of livelihood and employment are felt community-wide, impacting entire families. Despite having some education, women experience a lack of opportunities for meaningful employment. Due to the struggles of poverty, cultural stigma, and lack of social support, they often are forced to replace their ambition with household work that is often thrust upon them in the name of supporting family.
 
Sewing Empowered Futures is about mobilizing a community-based approach for grassroots interventions that support marginalized, lower-income women in this rural, climate-vulnerable region in southern Bangladesh through resources and training that will support them in entrepreneurship and economic independence. Funds raised will support training programs in sewing, human rights, and entrepreneurship.
 
There is already a group of enthusiastic and enterprising women who are actively interested in participating, and local stakeholders are committed to a long-term partnership. The women in Rajakhali have already been engaging with training programs and want to grow their skills in entrepreneurship further - they know that having their own sewing machines will make this possible. This is an opportunity to help these women be financially independent and empower generations. The inaugural pilot program developed by BEACON supported 16 women, who were able to break intergenerational social barriers to working and be economic agents for the first time. Your donation will help this number rise and create new futures.
 
By sponsoring one sewing machine with $100, you are supporting the livelihood of an entire family. Every dollar counts. Sponsor a sewing machine and sponsor futures!!

Fundraising updates and stories will be posted on our Facebook event page
 
Sponsor a sewing machine and assist the women of Rajakhali
·     Cost per Sewing Machine: USD 100
·     Total Fundraising Goal: USD 4000
·     Targeted Units: 30
·     Targeted Recipients: 30 women residing in Rajakhali
·     Project Period: 4 months
·     Cost Allocation: USD 3000 allocated to purchase of Sewing Machines and USD 1000 allocated to entrepreneurship and human rights training infrastructure 

How you can donate?
·     International Donors: GoFundMe (click on hyperlink)
·     Bkash (within Bangladesh): +8801851133611 (Reference: Rajakhali) 

To confirm your donation via Bkash and help us institute a transparent record-keeping system, please send us a text to +8801746155347 
 
Let's work in unity and solidarity to get through this crisis together and help these women create better lives for themselves, by themselves. We are grateful for your support!
 
Project Partners:
·      UBC Climate Hub
·      #BacharLorai
·      Bangladesh Emergency Action Against COVID-19 (BEACON).
 
Fundraising Team
Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed I Personal Banking Adviser (TD Canada Trust) I Columnist (The Daily Star & Dhaka Tribune) I Co Founder #BacharLorai

Farhim Zaman | Senior Risk Consultant (KPMG US LLP) I Co-Founder (EDUTECH) I Co Founder #BacharLorai

Ashfaque Kabir I Founder (BEACON) I Development Practitioner and Consultant

Holly Benna | Climate Justice Research Collaborative (UBC Climate Hub) | Program Assistant (UBC ORICE) | BA, University of British Columbia Sociology 2021

Rwittika Banerjee | Climate Justice Research Collaborative (UBC Climate Hub) | Research Assistant (University Sustainability Initiative) | Undergraduate Student in Political Science and Economics at the University of British Columbia

Sagorika Haque | Climate Justice Research Collaborative (UBC Climate Hub) | Cultural Assistant (UBC English Language Institute) | Undergraduate Student in Political Science and Gender, Race, and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia