Brief history
of grassroots:
Grassroots is a
Social Enterprise of PROTTYASHI and is being used as a market engagement
platform for the products made by the artisans supported by PROTTYASHI
livelihood programs. PROTTYASHI has been implementing livelihood projects
at Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar to promote economic empowerment of people trapped
in the cycle of poverty. To ensure sustainable market linkage and improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people, PROTTYASHI established
Grassroots in 2015 for helping local artisans, craftsmen and small-scale
enterprises promote their products.
Since the arrival
of the Rohingya influx, PROTTYASHI has implemented several livelihood projects in
Cox’s Bazar to strengthen crisis affected people’s
economic resilience, create income-generating opportunities, and improve their
overall well-being amidst the emerged humanitarian crisis.
PROTTYASHI has linked
the local artisans, craftsmen, and small-scale enterprises of Cox’s Bazar developed
under the livelihood projects with Grassroots for marketing their products,
enhancing their skills, and connecting them to broader economic opportunities,
further contributing to the community's financial stability and growth. In this objective, 2 shops have been set up at Laboni and
Sugandha Point, along with 25 kiosks in various hotels across Cox’s Bazar.
To broaden the extent and reach of Grassroots, PROTTYASHI has
developed electronic version of this initiative in the form of e-commerce
platform (www.grassrootsbd.com) with the support of
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2022.
Grassroots is particularly contributing to the objective of Livelihood
and Skill Development Sector (LSDS) in
humanitarian response to increase the resilience of vulnerable populations and ensure
sustainable market linkages. PROTTYASHI plans to extend market linkage support
to different partners under LSDS in Cox’s Bazar encouraging them to promote
products of their livelihood beneficiaries through Grassroots. Through this initiative,
PROTTYASHI aims to make Grassroots as an open market integration tool for the
LSDS in Cox’s Bazar.
This platform showcases a range of items, including handmade crafts,
home decor, clothing, accessories, and traditional art. Grassroots has an
effective marketing strategy that utilizes social media, digital platforms, and
community events to increase visibility and attract more customers. The
enterprise emphasizes quality, authenticity, sustainability, and social impact,
contributing to the economic development of targeted communities. Grassroots
plans to expand its scope both home and abroad, creating a worldwide market for
handmade products from Bangladesh.
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