Project Khanum’s
Project Khanum’s
PROJECT KHANUM’S
No more looking away
Women trapped in sex work in Bangladesh deserve a way out.
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PUSHPA
meet rina
sold at 8 years old
Rina was eight when her aunt brought her to Dhaka.
She was promised an education. Instead, her aunt sold her to a brothel.
Rina spent years trapped in forced sex work. But she found a way out -through sewing.
She taught herself the skills, found work in garment factories and built a life that was hers.
Now, Rina runs the Mugda Training Centre in Dhaka. She teaches hundreds of women the same skills that freed her: sewing, cutting, nakshi kantha stitching. She helps them find real jobs in garment factories.
Rina gives them what no one gave her - a way out.
With support from Give Bangladesh, Rina has already changed hundreds of lives.
We're helping her reach hundreds more.
"I am not ashamed of my past, it is what it is. None of us wanted to become sex workers. Either we were sold, or fooled by brokers."
- RINA
TIME FOR YOU TO GIVE A SH*T
"THEY CHOSE TO DO THIS"
Choice requires options. Most of these women were trafficked, sold by family members, or forced into sex work by extreme poverty. When your options are starvation or survival, that's not really a choice.
The women in Project Khanums didn't choose this life - they're choosing to leave it. That's the choice we're backing.
"WHY DONT THEY JUST GET ANOTHER JOB?"
Without skills, education, or work history they can show employers, factory managers won't hire them. Tailoring shops won't take them on. Even domestic work doors close when people learn their background.
This training gives them a certificate, actual skills, and something they never had before: legitimate work experience. That's what opens doors.
"CAN'T THEY RELY ON FAMILY?"
Many were sold into sex work by family members. Others support parents, children, or siblings with their income - they're the breadwinners, not the dependents.
Frequently Absurd Questions
🪡 Sewing Skills Training
Two-month intensive programme with 45 classes per batch. Professional trainers teach factory-standard sewing techniques to prepare women for garment sector employment.
The garment sector is Bangladesh's biggest employer. These 72 women aren't just learning to sew. They're getting a direct route into stable, paid work on their own terms.
🏥 Health & Wellbeing Support
Medical consultations and health support throughout training, including menstrual hygiene products, HIV testing, and treatment for health concerns. We also run an on-site nursery so women with young children can attend without worry.
You can't train properly if you're unwell or worried about your kids. For many of these women, this is the first time they've had consistent access to healthcare. That changes more than just the training.
🏗️ Training Facilities & Materials
Rental space, equipment maintenance, utilities, and daily meals for all participants during the two-month training period.
Showing up costs money. By covering meals and a proper space, we remove the reasons women can't commit so they can focus entirely on building their skills.
🎓 Graduation Support
Completion certificates, meals for graduates, and celebration events recognising their achievement and new career path.
A certificate opens doors. But the celebration matters too. Many of these women have never been publicly recognised for something they've built. That sticks with you.
🚀 Job Placement & Follow-Up
Active job placement assistance connecting graduates with garment factories and tailoring shops, plus ongoing monitoring to ensure successful transitions and better opportunities.
Training without placement is half a job. We stay in the picture until these women are earning because the goal was never a certificate. It was a livelihood.
Here’s how your funds are being spent
Their Stories
"I NO LONGER HAVE TO WORK IN THE FIELD"
My husband sold me and my son to a trafficker. I gave birth to my daughter while trapped, with no way out. For a time, sex work was the only thing keeping my children alive.
Then I found the training. A sewing certificate. A factory job. A better factory job. Now I earn 14,000 BDT a month and live with my family.
— Khadiza Akter, Batch 14 graduate
"NO ONE DARES SAY ANYTHING OFFENSIVE ANYMORE"
The garment factory pays less than before. I won't pretend otherwise. But I don't have to groom myself at night. I can walk outside during the day and no one says a word.
I'm saving for a sewing machine. I'm putting my son through school. In Sha Allah, I'm going to raise him right.
— Lucky Begum, Batch 14 graduate
TWO WOMEN. TWO SONS IN SCHOOL. ONE PROGRAMME.
Khadiza and Lucky didn't know each other before the training. They came from different circumstances and different pain. But they graduated together, found factory work together, and are both raising their children on honest wages.
Project Khanums is built to do this again — 30 more times.
these women represent every one of us. we have a responsibility to help these women have a choice again.
Rokeya Khanum
Founder of Khanum’s
