The bag firm making an actual distinction to ladies’s lives — That’s Not My Age
Maison Bengal raffia bag
Sheenagh Day is a bloody good girl. The educated geneticist – with a BSc in Genetics from Leeds College and a Masters in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence School in New York – moved to Bangladesh (from the UK) in 2000. In Dhaka, she was working for Partners in Population and Development, an intergovernmental initiative created to enhance collaboration within the fields of household planning and reproductive well being; when an invite to go to a local people of girls making baskets (95% of the world’s jute comes from Bangladesh), changed into an eye-opening, nine-hour journey that utterly modified her life.
Sheenagh Day with villagers in Bangladesh
Historically in Bangladesh, women solely stay in schooling for a few years, as a substitute they’re married younger and anticipated to have kids. ‘These great ladies requested me to assist them to promote their product,’ says Sheenagh, ‘ They instructed me, ” We’re very poor, with little schooling and we wish our daughters to have a greater life than now we have.”‘
Describing her profession as ‘curly wurly like a double helix,’ in 2004 Sheenagh determined to return to London to arrange a Truthful Commerce firm, Maison Bengal, to assist the ladies promote their merchandise to the western market. Self-funding the enterprise, she began out with market stalls at Spitalfields, and Greenwich. Promoting stylish and easy baggage and baskets, designed by an artist good friend Jane Morter, who works on a contract foundation for the corporate. Folks appreciated the product. Inside 5 years Maison Bengal acquired a few massive orders from The White Company – and now sells in 37 international locations world wide.
Maison Bengal pops up at Ally Capellino
Listening to Sheenagh inform her unimaginable story, at an Ally Capellino occasion, not too long ago (recorded on Ally’s Instagram feed HERE) the delivery of Maison Bengal seemed like a really easy course of. So, I requested her if this was actually the case, ‘ It was moderately simple, but it surely took a very long time – as neither I or my suppliers had labored with the business sector earlier than,’ explains Sheenagh. ‘It’s been an natural progress, one step at a time as and when inexpensive. I by no means requested for out of doors monetary assist to hurry issues up. I had little or no thought of the way you grew a enterprise, aside from to easily carry on attempting to promote the products, and see what occurs,’
This success has meant an enormous change for the villagers. ‘Our suppliers might in all probability not have coped with a speedy progress, so it’s a good factor the enterprise developed because it did,’ continues Sheenagh, ‘The most important challenges, as soon as the enterprise bought to a sure measurement, have been actually to do with storage of the merchandise and discovering the fitting individuals to assist pack and despatch the merchandise.’ Working with an NGO, Maison Bengal ‘educated the neediest individuals’ – and supplied them with these new abilities.
Who makes your baggage?
‘For girls who by no means go away their village, it is a massive deal. They’ve much more financial empowerment than they’ve ever had. They’ll purchase cows, construct a home, purchase an electrical rickshaw for his or her husbands – however an important factor is to coach their kids, significantly their daughters.’
Realising the advantages of normal pay – in comparison with fishing and farming – the husbands at the moment are concerned in basket-making, too. Given the patriarchal nature of the society, this took surprisingly little encouragement, in line with Sheenagh, ‘As soon as they realised their wives have been getting a daily earnings, and the way a lot their household benefited from this important addition to the household funds; it wasn’t a problem.’
Additional Giant Jute Bag by Maison Bengal
Now 60, Sheenagh is altering ladies’s lives in a totally completely different method. Growing this enterprise mannequin has allowed her to have extra of an influence on ladies’s well being. With the backing of Maison Bengal, the village has gone from no well being care in any respect to having a small mom and little one clinic with a physician who comes each Friday (historically a Muslim break day). ‘ The rationale I left genetic counselling was often because I felt I couldn’t change issues. I might probably assist individuals make the very best, educated selections for themselves, however I couldn’t take the issue away,’ Sheenagh explains, ‘ With Maison Bengal we intention to attain sustained transformative change in individuals’s lives. To assist their kids fly and make their lives higher. And I’ve actually achieved extra when it comes to what makes me tick as an individual.’
Presently serving to 5000 ladies in marginalised communities all through Bangladesh, Sheenagh is happy with the progress Maison Bengal and its suppliers have made, however by no means complacent. ‘Many individuals now depend on us, so it’s important to maintain drumming up demand for the merchandise, designing new issues, and coping with the numerous challenges now we have to face (Covid, Brexit, fluctuations in forex alternate charges, the results of local weather change to call just some).’
Having labored with the unique Bangladeshi neighborhood for over 20 years, she has watched the kids grow-up. At the moment, two of the daughters are finding out medication and legislation, in Dhaka. The primary women from the village to go to college.
Maison Bengal maker
Sheenagh Day’s recommendation on making a distinction:
What would you say are the abilities required to attain all this?
I’d say persistence and willpower to see Maison Bengal achieve offering incomes to households. You might not count on fast success, it was all the time going to take time to construct belief, understanding and a marketplace for the merchandise. I used to be introduced up in France, we moved there once I was six years outdated, so attempting to speak if you don’t have a lot shared language is in my DNA. I’ve additionally all the time wished to assist different individuals not directly I suppose, and to really feel I used to be making a constructive change.
And what have you ever realized alongside the way in which?
That authenticity and enthusiasm are important, all through the entire provide chain, with artisan producers, suppliers, consumers and colleagues. That in the event you imagine in one thing sufficient, and work at it lengthy sufficient, bringing individuals with you all alongside the journey, one thing good will come out of it.
Any recommendation on making a distinction, serving to to vary the lives of others – and even your individual?
I’d say in the event you’re considering of adjusting paths in midlife, don’t be postpone by different individuals attempting to dissuade you; by telling you the concept is a step backwards in your profession trajectory, or that you’ll lose face, standing or credibility. If you happen to imagine in your thought, and suppose you can also make it work, then go for it!
Preserve issues easy, and all the time be genuine.
Store Maison Bengal HERE. The Maison Bengal pop-up is at Ally Capellino (9 Calvert Avenue, London E2) till 13 August 2023
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