Mohchhena Begum and Afroza Siddiqa: A Freelance Success Story in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh’s thriving capital, Dhaka, a story of fortitude and self-propelling creativity unfolds. Mohchhena Begum and her progeny Afroza Siddiqa are storming the conventional walls by their stride into the gig economy. With an early marriage, Mohchhena always dreamt of ensuring a higher education for Afroza. Encouraged by her mother’s dreams, Afroza not only embraced education but also launched herself into the freelancing world.
An Education-Freelancing Duology
Even as she pursues Sociology at Tejgaon College, Afroza is also making waves as a graphic designer, thanks to her training in the field. She has found phenomenal success on well-known platforms like DesignCrowd and Freelancer.com. But her ambitions go beyond self-advancement, as she started educating her mother and local girls about freelancing, consequently driving empowerment in her local community.
The Freelance Star Rises in Bangladesh
Since 2005, the gig economy has seen a steady climb in Bangladesh. Active encouragement from both the government and the private sector has led to a soaring increase in Bangladeshis taking up freelancing, pushing the estimated numbers to around 650,000 to 1 million. The booming freelancer community has considerably boosted the national income. To foster this growth, the government has rolled out specialized training and banking benefits for freelancers through smart cards, thus setting the stage for the forthcoming fourth industrial revolution.
Women in Freelance: Marching Towards Equal Participation
Although these rising stats are promising, female participation in freelancing needs a significant push. This gender discrepancy demands a higher focus on encouraging female involvement in this industry. Efforts such as those by Mohchhena and Afroza could be instrumental in closing this gap and building a more inclusive and egalitarian society.
Recently, the Bangladesh Bank has streamlined the process for cash incentives for freelancers, particularly those in software and IT-related services, within the international market. Freelancers have been receiving a 4% cash incentive on their earnings since September of last year. This benefaction has bolstered the number of online workers and enticed a growing number of youth into this sector. The upshot of these initiatives? An impressive $300 million pouring into the country through ICT service exports. This showcases the immense potential of the freelancing sector in Bangladesh and the influential role it can play in defining the country’s future.
