Nasreen Sultana

Nasreen Sultana is working with Bangladeshi women to develop their leadership and managerial skills to prepare them for policy shaping positions in their communities and government. Nasreen’s work builds upon existing income generation schemes for women by training them to effectively use the economic and social power these programs have made possible.

Working in one of the most socially conservative regions of Bangladesh, Nasreen is helping rural women develop the leadership abilities that will enable them to enter the local social and economic power structure and assume decision making roles in the development process.

Nasreen's program provides employment opportunities in combination with skill development and encourages women to get involved in the process of development. She teaches women about the mechanisms of the local power structure and the organization of administrative bodies, provides them with information and training on women’s legal rights In addition, Nasreeen helps them learn more about and discuss development issues concerning women’s health, education, and other areas. When women combine this new knowledge with the economic power gained through income generation programs, Nasreen believes they will have the skills and influence to be able to enter into policy making positions on local governmental and administrative bodies.

The majority of rural women in Bangladesh are unaware of their legal rights and economic potential. They live within a patriarchal social system which represses them within their families and at the community level. This situation retards the development potential of 50 percent of the country's human resources. In fact, only 8.2 percent of Bangladesh's economically active population are women. Many development programs provide women economic support, but do not develop the women’s overall potential to participate in mainstream economic and political activity. Yet, women play a very critical role in agricultural production and economic development in the rural economy.

Women are chronically underrepresented in the local and national bodies that determine the course of Bangladesh's economic development. Their experiences in the non-formal sector and the crucial role they play in every part of their communities is not considered when determining economic, agricultural, and other development policies.

Nasreen knows that what one woman cannot achieve individually, a group of women can attain collectively. Her strategy, therefore, is to join rural women coming from a variety of different backgrounds into unified, dynamic groups to push for social change.

These groups will then be trained in skill development, motivation and leadership, and will be educated about local government structures, their legal rights, and development issues. Once in place, the groups will sustain themselves independently. The value of organizing rural women is well known. For example, one group of women bargained with Small Cottage Industries Corporation, convincing it to entrust them with the management of a small coconut factory. This provided employment for 300 women and also increased their prestige, dignity and status within the community. When women are empowered, so are entire communities.

To sustain this process, Nasreen will build linkages between the groups at district levels. The groups will be introduced to the local government and non-governmental organizations and the group members will be encouraged to participate in local elections, ultimately providing them with the political leverage necessary to continue to improve the status of women in Bangladesh.

Nasreen was born in 1958 to a conservative middle class family. Although she had to marry at an early age, she was of strong personality and conviction. She was determined to complete her master’s degree and hold a meaningful job, which she did successfully. Her first employment took her to a remote district—far from the city life she was used to. Here she earned the respect of the rural women with whom she worked. This was the beginning of her long career with the rural women of Bangladesh.

Despite the fact that Nasreen’s work has been halted on several occasions due to threats made by Islamic fundamentalist groups, she has persisted in the struggle to provide women the basic skills they need to use power effectively.