In these critical times, where the pandemic has devastated many Bangladeshi retail companies, SME businesses and our local Bangladeshi artisans, House of Ahmed LTD, hosted a family picnic for its artisans who have stayed by their side, supported them and kept their company afloat during 2020.
The family picnic, hosted by House of Ahmed on the January 10, had a very simple goal -- to ensure the artisans bring their families and enjoy a day of feasting, games, activities, and a fun, lively musical performance. It worked as a relaxing getaway to ensure the artisans press reset, bidding goodbye to the troubles of 2020 nd getting energized and motivated to work harder for 2021.
The co-founders of House of Ahmed, Ahmed Tuhin Reza and Tanzila Elma, along with their team worked tirelessly to ensure the day was as special to their artisans as it was to them. House of Ahmed secured a great location for the picnic in Banani DOHS, set a vibrant, colourful theme and decorations for their families and kids, and organized a great feast and fun activities for all the artisans. Some of the activities included musical performances by Tushar Rahman and Namrata Barman as well as many of the artisans who later took performed as well. A fun raffle draw was organized as well, where 20 prized gifts were distributed, among which were three cash surprise gifts; Tk 10,000 as the first prize, Tk 5,000 as the second prize, and Tk 3,000 as the third prize.
When asked, “What was the sole purpose of hosting such an event for the artisans?”, Ahmed Tuhin Reza, managing director and co-founder of House of Ahmed, he replied “After such a devastating year filled with hardships for the artisans and workers in the garments sector of Bangladesh, where artisans were being laid off of work and facing salary cuts everywhere, we, at House of Ahmed, felt that it was important to express our gratitude to our artisans for sticking by us through all the hardships, and continuing to work to generate revenue and bring the company back on track during the pandemic. It was our day to make sure they enjoy and feel refreshed and motivated for the upcoming year. Most retail companies would not be hosting a picnic like this to have fun with their artisans, the heart of the company; however, we felt it was important to take away the stigma and make sure our artisans -- who are the front-line soldiers of the company -- were treated in the best way we could offer. We obviously ensured everyone’s temperature and sanitization was checked, upon entry to the picnic. We must always follow safety protocols no matter what.”
Tanzila Elma, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder, House of Ahmed, also expressed her appreciation to sponsors such as Nestlé and Meghna Group Industries for providing family packs for all their artisans to take at the end of the picnic. The family packs consisted of many goodies such as noodles, soup, spices, and notepads to name a few. When asked, “We hear House of Ahmed has a new honorary director, how will it help you further spearhead more events and grants for the upcoming year, to ensure the betterment of artisanal livelihood and living standards?”, Tanzila replied, “Our new honorary director is none other than the legendary Bibi Russell, a strong advocate of “Fashion for Development”. Her life has been dedicated to ensuring the preservation of artisanal talent and their livelihood. I believe House of Ahmed and Bibi Russell, together, shall be a strong duo to ensure today is only one of the many events to come, where we honour artisans and their rich artistry. We are privileged to be working with her, and together we hope to secure and work on many more projects furthering our agenda to help more of our local artisans.”
