By Aklima Khatun and Mohammad Fahim Sayeed
In the narrow, bustling lanes of Rangpur, a quiet revolution is unfolding—led not by policymakers or development agencies, but by women like Begum Rokshana Akter Banu. Against the backdrop of a rapidly urbanising Bangladesh, where access to safe sanitation remains a challenge for millions, Rokshana is not only providing essential services but also rewriting the narrative of women’s participation in the sanitation economy.
Her journey began in 2018, when she worked as a Brand Promoter for Water & Sanitation for Urban Populations (WSUP), an international organisation focused on strengthening urban water and sanitation systems in low-income areas. It was a role that opened her eyes to the urgent demand for reliable, affordable sanitation services in her community—and planted the seed of a bold idea.
“Why not me?” Rokshana asked herself. It was a question that would set her on an unconventional path into the male-dominated world of faecal sludge management. Partnering with another aspiring entrepreneur, she launched Messrs. Shofi Enterprise, a small but ambitious business offering toilet-emptying services to homes, schools, and factories across Rangpur. Together, they pooled limited resources—a Vacutac machine for desludging, basic office space, and a team of five workers—to provide a critical service in a city where safe waste disposal is too often an afterthought.
Over the past five years, Shofi Enterprise has grown into a vital player in Rangpur’s sanitation ecosystem. Each month, Rokshana’s team services around 40 toilets, directly benefiting more than 12,000 people. From private households to factories, the demand for safe, hygienic waste management is steadily rising, providing a reliable income for the business. On average, Rokshana earns between 30,000 and 50,000 BDT (£220–£370) a month—a modest but vital contribution that supports both her family and her expanding enterprise.
Yet, despite her success, Rokshana’s path is far from smooth. The Vacutac machines, essential for desludging septic tanks and latrines, are prone to frequent breakdowns. Repairing them is both expensive and time-consuming, eating into her profits and disrupting service delivery. Inflation is another relentless foe, pushing up the cost of pipes, tools, and fuel—expenses that small businesses like hers must absorb. Meanwhile, narrow, congested streets make it physically difficult for desludging vehicles to reach households, and misinformation about the safety and importance of professional sanitation services further complicates her work.
But for Rokshana, these obstacles are just part of the job. Her entrepreneurial spirit is rooted not only in financial necessity, but also in a deep-seated belief that safe sanitation is essential to her community’s health and dignity. It is this commitment that drives her ambition to eventually establish her own fully independent enterprise—one that serves even the most marginalised households in Rangpur and creates stable livelihoods for women like herself.
Rokshana’s story is emblematic of a broader shift happening across Bangladesh’s sanitation sector—one where women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles, challenging gender norms, and reshaping local economies in the process. With support from organisations like WSUP, these women entrepreneurs are building not only businesses, but also resilient communities equipped with safe, reliable sanitation services.
This focus on women-led enterprises is part of a wider recognition that gender equity and sustainable development are deeply intertwined. By creating opportunities for women to enter and thrive in traditionally male-dominated sectors, Bangladesh is unlocking both economic and social benefits. Women-led businesses, studies have shown, tend to reinvest more of their profits into their families and communities, driving wider health, education, and economic gains.
For Rokshana, the future is still unwritten—but it is hers to shape. As she balances the daily demands of running her business with the long-term goal of supporting her children’s education, she embodies a new vision for urban sanitation in Bangladesh: one where women are not just beneficiaries, but leaders, innovators, and agents of lasting change.