From Fuchka to Fashion: Humaira’s Journey with SIYB

Humaira turned a small fuchka venture into two growing businesses with support from SIYB training under the ILO ISEC Project. Equipped with new skills to plan and manage, she is now a confident entrepreneur and a role model for young women in Cox’s Bazar.

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh -  Umme Lutfa Humaira is a young student from Goldighir Paar in Cox’s Bazar. She is an Honours second-year student and also the eldest daughter in her family. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her family faced financial pressure like many others in her community. At that time, she decided to support her family in her own way. Using only her kitchen, she started selling Fuchka (Crispy Hollow Balls with Spiced Water) and Chotpoti (Spiced Chickpea Salad) online. The response was quick. Orders started coming from neighbours, students, and office workers. “It felt amazing that something I loved doing was giving me income,” she said. “It made me believe I can dream bigger.”

With growing confidence, Humaira opened a second business called “Mahira Collection”. She sold jewellery, handbags, and dresses for women. Later, she even began importing products from China. But while her businesses were flourishing, she did not have proper training. She was mainly relying on guesswork and hard work. She wanted to grow but did not know how to plan her business in the right way.

In 2024, Humaira was invited to the Boishakhi Utshob (Bengali New Year Festival) that occurred at the Best Western Hotel by the ILO-ISEC Project. There she met the project team and shared her interest in learning how to manage and grow her business. Soon after, she was selected for the Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) under the ILO ISEC Project. The SIYB training helped her understand how a business really works. She learned how to calculate costs and profits and how to plan sales and promotions. She learned how to manage money and how to think about the future of her business instead of only daily income. For the first time, she could see her business with a clear direction.

After the SIYB training, Humaira changed the way she worked. She improved her product planning and managed her expenses better. She restructured both her food business and her fashion business. Her sales became more stable and her confidence became stronger. In early 2025, she received the Moyorponkhi Star Award in the Entrepreneur category. “I felt seen,” she said. “And I felt ready for my next chapter.”

Today, Humaira continues her studies and operated two growing businesses at the same time. She is planning to improve her packaging and branding and hopes to open a small shop in the future. Her journey shows how the SIYB training under the ILO ISEC Project helped turn her small effort into a real business. From a young student selling food from her home, she has become a trained entrepreneur and a source of inspiration for other young women in Cox’s Bazar.

Her story proves that when young women receive the right skills and guidance, they can change their own lives and support their families and their communities with strength and confidence.