Bangladesh - is there any hope?
Think Bangladesh, and instantly the mind conjures up images of cyclones, floods and poverty. It is undeniable that Bangladesh is continually presented as a country of disaster to the rest of the global community. Nonetheless, to dismiss an entire nation as a hotbed of trouble and hopelessness only causes more damage. Bangladesh is in fact fighting to improve its economic status; the country still has much development potential.
I recently visited rural Bangladesh, and witnessed the expected – areas rife with poverty, where people struggle to access basic necessities, including safe drinking water. In fact, most people can’t afford for their children to go to school. It is very common for children to drop out of school to earn money for their families, often by driving “rickshaws”. I visited some schools in Nikrail, the pupils were working incredibly hard for their exams, though despite their determination, many factors continued to hinder their educational development. There was barely any light in the classrooms, which was unquestionably damaging for the children’s eyes. Additionally, many of the children I met had been at school all day without being given any food; however the school soon hopes to be able to provide their pupils with food so they can concentrate better and keep motivated to stay in their education.
Though Bangladesh has achieved gender parity in primary school enrolment, far fewer girls complete their education in comparison to their male counterparts. Of the 67 million adults that are illiterate in Bangladesh, 42 million are women (Source: DFID) – thus a key aim in Bangladesh’s development would be to break down the barriers to girls’ education. The main problem is gender perception – women are not valued as equals to men. In fact women are often made to leave school early to get married and then have children, leaving no time to have a full education and career stemming from it. As a result of the role of women in Bangladeshi society, to truly release girls’ academic potential, it is important to put a special focus on girls during their education.
In the Nikrail area, I came across many women that left school in their early teens. This is a typical occurrence all over Bangladesh, however one that will hopefully one day be eradicated. To improve the situation, my sister and I set up a charitable organisation, called “Arohon” (meaning “climb”) which will be opening a women’s education centre teaching basic numeracy and literacy skills. By teaching such basic skills, women will have many more career opportunities opened to them.
As a result of poverty around three million children (half of which are girls), miss out on state primary education (Source: UNGEI). Consequently, Arohon will also be supporting the extension of a currently struggling public library, so that local citizens have free educational resources available to them.
Though it can be argued Bangladesh is plagued by natural disasters and that this should be the prime area of focus, education must not be sidelined. An improvement in education would lead to an increased income. With an increased income and more educated citizens, including scientists, engineers and doctors, there is hope that Bangladesh will adapt better to the effects of climate change. Perhaps it is a mistake to perceive Bangladesh as a country that cannot be helped in the fight against poverty and disaster.
For more information on the charitable organisation Arohon, please visit http://www.arohon.org.uk/
I recently visited rural Bangladesh, and witnessed the expected – areas rife with poverty, where people struggle to access basic necessities, including safe drinking water. In fact, most people can’t afford for their children to go to school. It is very common for children to drop out of school to earn money for their families, often by driving “rickshaws”. I visited some schools in Nikrail, the pupils were working incredibly hard for their exams, though despite their determination, many factors continued to hinder their educational development. There was barely any light in the classrooms, which was unquestionably damaging for the children’s eyes. Additionally, many of the children I met had been at school all day without being given any food; however the school soon hopes to be able to provide their pupils with food so they can concentrate better and keep motivated to stay in their education.
Though Bangladesh has achieved gender parity in primary school enrolment, far fewer girls complete their education in comparison to their male counterparts. Of the 67 million adults that are illiterate in Bangladesh, 42 million are women (Source: DFID) – thus a key aim in Bangladesh’s development would be to break down the barriers to girls’ education. The main problem is gender perception – women are not valued as equals to men. In fact women are often made to leave school early to get married and then have children, leaving no time to have a full education and career stemming from it. As a result of the role of women in Bangladeshi society, to truly release girls’ academic potential, it is important to put a special focus on girls during their education.
In the Nikrail area, I came across many women that left school in their early teens. This is a typical occurrence all over Bangladesh, however one that will hopefully one day be eradicated. To improve the situation, my sister and I set up a charitable organisation, called “Arohon” (meaning “climb”) which will be opening a women’s education centre teaching basic numeracy and literacy skills. By teaching such basic skills, women will have many more career opportunities opened to them.
As a result of poverty around three million children (half of which are girls), miss out on state primary education (Source: UNGEI). Consequently, Arohon will also be supporting the extension of a currently struggling public library, so that local citizens have free educational resources available to them.
Though it can be argued Bangladesh is plagued by natural disasters and that this should be the prime area of focus, education must not be sidelined. An improvement in education would lead to an increased income. With an increased income and more educated citizens, including scientists, engineers and doctors, there is hope that Bangladesh will adapt better to the effects of climate change. Perhaps it is a mistake to perceive Bangladesh as a country that cannot be helped in the fight against poverty and disaster.
For more information on the charitable organisation Arohon, please visit http://www.arohon.org.uk/
Add a Comment
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Comment by Azaan Akbar on January 26, 2010 at 16:16 -
That's absolutely brilliant to hear, and indeed I will give the site a visit and hope that I can get involved.
Also, another point - right now, this article seems ''Bangladeshi'' dominated, however (careful not to say anything politically incorrect), I would encourage everyone to join and pledge in - not just because Bangladesh holds some of my origins but also because it is important we help a country as Bangladesh (not disregarding other countries) as they hold fundamental exports to all the world, and, with correct leadership, see Bangladesh to be a well-regarded country in the world tommorow.
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Comment by Mitu Khandaker on January 26, 2010 at 0:48 -
In reply to Azaan (as Maherunesa is busy travelling right now, so may not be able to comment herself for a while):
I'm Maherunesa's sister, and we are both actually the cofounders of the new charitable organisation that she mentioned in her post - we're also British Bangladeshi, and are unfortunately all too aware of the corruption in Bangladesh. Indeed, it's one of the many reasons we decided to start this cause - because we're raising and handling the money ourselves, and distributing it directly to the rural grassroots organisation (who have a proven track record) ourselves.
I absolutely agree that you should, with countries such as Bangladesh, be wary of where your money goes, particularly bigger charities which may give aid to the government. That's why we're doing things differently with Arohon, plus we'll be video blogging our progress to show those who generously support us EXACTLY what is happening to their money. We hope you'll consider supporting us at http://www.arohon.org.uk/ :)
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Comment by Azaan Akbar on January 21, 2010 at 17:43
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As a Bangladeshi myself, I will, of course, hear you out in such a desperate plea, that too a plea which cannot be ignored.
With regards to climate change, Bangladesh is a country that is more likely to adapt, especially in the event of frequent flooding, but it is also a country that will be a victim of. particularly, rising sea levels. In this respect, it is undoubted that the global community should consider the risk factor upon Bangladesh, and more adversly, the risk upon all countries in ''the same boat'', shall we say ironically?
However, with regards to help, I have a perhaps bold statement to consider.
Undoubtedly, Bangladesh is a country with mass poverty, lack of education and further endless problems, particularly involving development and aid. However, charity begins at home.
If the government ITSELF is corrupt, no other country can possibly save Bangladesh. With a government that welcomes a development such as the recent Basundhara City, the 3rd largest shopping mall in South Asia (or perhaps largest, please correct me if such), and considering that there are malls/plazas galore in Bangladesh, why can it not look to welcoming aid, and not from NGO's or third-party divisions, but from itself. There is no other way to put it: the Bangladeshi government is corrupt. There are many, many insider stories of the government and its dealings within its members, and I am not a conspirasist, no, but I know of this because I have connections myself to current Prime Minister and such. And it is disgraceful of the selfishness of these people (perhaps it is not as much as other countries, but still). I still, however, encourage every single person to do what they can, to support this charity and other further charities. Just be careful as to where that aid goes.
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