KEWACHALA, Bangladesh (UCAN) -- A training program that a Catholic NGO runs for tribal and other poor women has enabled many of them to provide not only for their family's basic needs but also for their children's education.

Since 2000, the Organization for Human Empowerment and Development (OHED), led by lay Catholics, has given free training to at least 260 impoverished women and girls. OHED executive director Boniface Subroto Gomes says 185 of those program graduates are now self-employed.

The women come from Kewachala village in Sripur municipality, about 60 kilometers north of Dhaka; Thengamara village in Bogra district, about 230 kilometers north of Dhaka; and Tongi municipality in Gazipur district, about 25 kilometers north of Dhaka. About 15 percent are Catholic tribal women, 5 percent are Hindus and the rest Muslims, says Gomes.

During the three-to-six month training programs, participants learn to make traditional embroidered bedcovers called nakshi katha, to sew small mirrors and other decorations onto fabrics as applique and to sew clothes, among other skills.

During a Feb. 18 ceremony held at the OHED project office in Kewachala, 90 local women and girls received certificates for successfully completing their courses, held between January 2003 and December 2005.

They now are using their skills to make a living, according to Gomes, who said the training was financed by Caritas Bangladesh and his organization.

Rosina Islam told UCA News, "I am now making nakshi katha and applique products." The mother of one son said she earns about 1,200 taka (US$18) a month from this work, which she uses to support her five-member family, including her parents. Her husband recently went to Saudi Arabia to work, and also sends money home. As a result, Islam is able to save some of her income.

The 90 training program graduates in Kewachala have organized themselves into three savings groups.

"I enjoy my work. My husband, my father and mother also appreciate my work," said Islam, showing some of her work on display at the Feb. 18 event.

Another certificate recipient, Elizabeth Barman, told UCA News that her average monthly income of 1,000 taka goes toward paying the educational expenses of her two sons and one daughter, as well as other family expenses. Barman said she "loves" to make applique products, especially sewing mirrors onto fabric, with other women at the OHED office in the village.

Sabia Akter, a grade-10 student who learned to make nakshi katha and applique products in 2005, told UCA News she took the training to help pay for her studies. She said that she earns about 800 taka every month, which also helps support her five-member family.

According to Gomes, OHED is registered with the government as a nonprofit social-welfare organization. The lay Catholic said poor people and tribal groups such as the Garo, Coch and Barman have been benefiting from OHED since its inception in 2000. To date, 50 girls have received handicrafts training and 40 of them are now working part-time. He said these girls are paying for their education in addition to helping support their family.

Participants' products are marketed through Folk International in Dhaka, the only marketing agent for OHED.

According to Gomes, illiteracy and unemployment have kept local communities underdeveloped. He said his organization aims to uplift these communities with women playing a vital role. Gomes also said OHED has started a preschool program to promote school-going habits among young children, for which they need financial support from generous donors.

He said a 21-member governing body and a seven-member executive committee, all Catholics, direct OHED.

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