FROM TRAINING TO THRIVING— "SHE BUILDS HER FUTURE" SHARES STORIES OF WOMEN SHAPING TOMORROW, ONE STEP AT A TIME.
Cooking Up Courage
Shoshani's Flavors of Dreams
Sitting in a cozy, colorful bamboo eatery nestled along a tree-lined road in Rangamati, a determined woman stirred her simmering curry with practiced ease.
Her name is Shoshani Chakma — chef, owner, and a proud entrepreneur with her own business in the center of a Rangamati town.
A JOurney towards dreams
Shoshani learned to cook early—by necessity, not by choice.
Born into a modest family, Shoshani learned the art of firewood cooking, spice balance, and serving with dignity.
“When life got tough,” Shoshani says, “I learned to add flavour, not complain.”
Shoshani grew up surrounded by the flavours of home. Raised in a small Chakma village, she learned to cook by watching her mother feed a household full of love, but little money.
Her journey was never easy — navigating poverty, expectations, and the struggle of being a woman trying to run her own business.
“Cooking was how I first learned to care for others,” she shares.
A Turning Point
When UNDP Bangladesh’s Women and Girls Empowerment through Education and Skills in Chittagong Hill Tracts, supported by Global Affairs Canada, reached her village, Shoshani saw a chance to dream bigger.
She enrolled in the Food and Beverage training track out of three options.
“I never imagined I’d open a restaurant or bakery,” she recalls. “But the training gave me better skills and recipes for business, not just home-cooking.”
Building the Dream
With a UNDP-endowed grant of BDT 30,000 ($180) for seed capital, community support, and her own savings, she opened her kitchen with restaurant.
"I got a small grant and took another loan and got an oven," Shoshani recalls, "From penury to serving high-profile clients sometimes, we have come a long way!
From serving five meals a day to managing staff, Shoshani runs the show with grit and grace.
A Taste of the Future
Today, Shoshani earns a steady income and employs two other women.
Her restaurant is a gathering spot for neighbours, tourists, and tired bus drivers. Moreover, high-profile visitors to Rangamati often crowd her restaurant.
“I cook for freedom,” Shoshani smiles. “Each plate carries the proof that women like me can build more than homes—we can build futures.”
“Every dish I cook is a reminder that we women can rise — not just survive, but thrive.”
Credits:
© UNDP Bangladesh