Bangladesh is a developing country with 160 million populations living in an area of 1,47,598 square kilometers. About half of its population is women living in a distressed and miserable condition. They are generally considered weak because they are mostly illiterate, unskilled and remain home doing no economic activities. They are not empowered, as they have little access to income-generating activities. As a consequence, they have no effective role in decision-making at various levels including family, workplace, and society. A large percentage of women live in rural areas where agricultural activities are the main source of livelihood.
Gender inequality in remuneration package including other privileges still exists in varying degrees in the non-governmental sectors. The working environment and the denial of access to opportunities stand as barriers to utilizing the full potential of women workers. In view of the mounting problems in the area of empowerment of women combined with weak bargaining power of working women, Neelima Akhtar Chowdhury a prominent women leader of Chittagong took initiative to form an organization in the name of AGRAJATTRA with the aim of making women self-reliant and empowered by incorporating the issues of women development in general and women workers in particular.
AGRAJATTRA is a non-profitable, non-political, non-governmental voluntary organization. It has engaged itself in comprehensive people-centered development activities since 1998. The ideology of AGRAJATTRA is to empower rural people with due recognition of their skill, knowledge, and experience. People will build their own village and their future through people’s participatory process based on human values aimed at the sustainable development of their life and society. They would be working with the spirit of love and trust equal right and self-respect without any discrimination of caste, creed, and gender. The development process will be holistic and Eco-friendly. Thanking over the poor socioeconomic condition of the powerless and suffering people of the backward villages, “AGRAJATTRA” was formed by some educated and energetic people by the inspired of Ms. Neelima Akther Chowdhury who is the founder of the organization.