DHAKA, March 22, 2024 (BSS) - E-commerce became a godsend for women empowerment during Covid-19 pandemic in the country as a lot of women opted for online platform to display their sellable items in front of the customers, ushering in new hope to become entrepreneurs.  
 
Twenty-one-year-old Maria Sarker came back home from Kolkata due to Coronavirus situation. She was studying at a music school for four years course there at that time. Covid-19 forced authorities to shut her school which compelled her to return home. After coming back home she was passing idle time. She was feeling bored as she was nothing to do at her home. Even, she could not meet her friends due to Covid-19.
 
One day, she thought that she would do business online. She communicated her friend in Dhaka and told her to send some three pieces and sarees. After getting those items, at first she communicated her local friends and some senior sisters in Rajshahi city. She sent pictures of her products. And surprisingly, her all items were sold out within only three days. She got profit of Taka 3,000 while she invested 15,000.
 
It was the month of July when she started the e-business. Now, she is passing a very busy time with her business. She earned profit of Taka 20,000 last month by selling garment items.
 
A large number of women became financially solvent through e-business amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Most of the business and institutional establishments were shut down in the country as well as the world due to epidemic that brought a massive change to the normal lifestyle.
 
Like other parts in the world, demand and popularity of the online as well as e-commerce business started rising to a greater extent in Bangladesh.
 
As a result, some young entrepreneurs built an online business platform with exceptional and diversified local products properly utilizing information and communication technologies.
 
'Women and e-Commerce Forum' has already become one of the largest online business platforms as the number of participating members in the platform has exceeded around 10 lakh making many women as successful entrepreneurs.
 
Like Maria, 45-year-old Masuam Akther became unemployed due to Coronavirus. She used to run a dance school. But, her school was shut down and her income was also stopped. She fell into deep crisis as her husband also became unemployed.
 
In the last June, she started selling food items through an online food valley. She just cooked the items and delivered those to deliverymen. In the first month she earned Taka 10,000. Now her income is raising gradually.
 
Masuam said it was very difficult to run the family as ‘me and my husband had no income’.  “Later, I started selling food items. Now, I’m so busy at my kitchen,” she added.
 
She viewed that the e-business is playing a vital role in generating identity of the women which is very important in terms of women empowerment.