Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg
von Linde has visited the Thanapara Swallows Development Society (TSDS) at
Charghat in the district on Tuesday to see for herself its present
development activities.
TSDS Executive Director Raihan Ali said here today that the envoy was
impressed by the hand-made goods produced in the TSDS, which was established
with Swedish financial support in 1972.
During her daylong visit, she was accompanied by the Counselor of the Embassy
Jacob Itat, First Secretary Anna Svantation, and Intern Miss Lindavrin.
The four-member delegation led by the envoy held a view-sharing meeting with
TSDS Executive Director Raihan Ali and Director Mahmuda Begum, Charghat
Upazila Chairman Fakrul Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer(UNO) Sohrab Hossain,
Charghat Pourashava Mayor Ekramul Haque.
The Pakistani Army had killed over 400 innocent villagers at Thanapara
village under Charghat upazila in the district on this day in 1971.
On that day, hundreds of people including women and children from Thanpara
adjacent to Sardah Police Academy, half-a-kilometer north-west from Charghat
Bazar, left their houses and took shelter on the bank of river Padma.
Later, the Pakistan army surrounded them and opened fire indiscriminately,
leaving as many as four hundred people dead. The area witnessed mass killing
of Bangladeshi freedom fighters during the Liberation War.
The brutal attack by Pakistan invaders killed the unarmed men and injured
many others in the Thanapara village that was later declared as a widow
village after independence.
Representatives of the Swallows in Sweden came to work for the victims of the
Liberation War in the devastated village in a post-war time in 1972.
Meanwhile, around 300 people both male and female of martyred families have
attained economic emancipation through income-generating activities related
to handicrafts and handloom industries at the village.
In order to create self-employment opportunities, they first established
weaving and initially started training 13 widows.
At present the TSDS employs about 350 rural backward women through handicraft
projects.
The women behind these stocks are making garments through the works of yarn
dyes, weaving fabrics, hand embroidery and sewing and the garments are
exported to almost eight countries of the world.
Children's day care and primary education activities are being carried out
with productive children, including fair wages, improved working conditions,
transparency and accountability, child labor avoidance, gender equality and
timely training.
TSDS Executive Director told BSS that they are working to eliminate the
causes of poverty in the remote village and to alleviate suffering.
The Thanapara village with areas of concentration focusing on skills
development for the affected women which led to the establishment of the
handicraft program and the marginal women are becoming self-reliant through
producing the products and selling those to the international markets, he
said.
Ali further said their mission is to empower the poor and underprivileged
population by eradicating illiteracy, creating health awareness and self-
employment, raising awareness among the landless for the rights of land and
empowering women by creating economic and social awareness.
Vision of the venture is to establish a democratic society by developing the
socio-economic condition of the poor.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha