Sharmin Sultana trained in Food & Beverage Production at Prism and now runs Safa Agro & Food in Jashore. This is her account, in her own words.
I am Sharmin Sultana — a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur. Today I run my own business and dream new dreams. Behind that are years of struggle, failure and the courage to start again.
My working life began in 2015 at Jashore 250-Bed Hospital. I was leading an ordinary life. Later I married, and despite everything I tried, that marriage did not hold. It was the hardest period of my life; I was broken and deeply distressed. My mother and my younger brother stood beside me, and their love gave me the strength to begin again.
I had decided never to marry again. In the end I met a good person and married a second time, and another blessing came: a child. With her came a new question — how do I work and still give my daughter the time she needs?
The training
At exactly that moment the SICIP Tourism & Hospitality ISC Programme at Prism Hotel Management & Skill Development Institute opened to me, and I was able to train in Food & Beverage Production.
The training changed more than my cooking. I learned business planning, product quality and hygiene, food safety, marketing, sales and management — how to turn a skill into a business that lasts. Most of all, it gave me the courage to think of myself as an entrepreneur.
Safa Agro & Food
I had already sketched a business plan before the course. When my daughter was two months old, I found the courage to begin, and Safa Agro & Food was founded.
Starting was not easy. My baby often lay in one corner of the shop while I worked. I was a mother and a businesswoman in the same hour, and many days I was exhausted. My family kept me going.
The greatest thing this business has given me is that I can keep my child close and still work for myself. The fear of having to leave her behind for a job has faded.
Sharmin Sultana
Alhamdulillah, we are in a better position than before. My husband and I work at it together, our income has grown, and I live with dignity, confidence and peace of mind, through my own work. I have learned to dream new dreams again.
My dream is to make Safa Agro & Food bigger and better, to produce food that is high in quality and nutritious, and one day to create work for other women.
This is not simply the story of starting a business. It is the story of a woman who met difficulty, fell, and stood up again; of a mother who wanted her child close while she built a future; and of an ordinary woman becoming a confident entrepreneur. I believe that with opportunity, good training and proper support, a woman can change not only her own life, but something in her family and her community as well.