Disability rights, neglected, taken away.

Protection of human rights for persons with disabilities (PWDs) is a world wide problem...social problem across borders. Moreover, the public awareness about these issues is hardly existent, also across borders.

One of my favorite activists and journalists, Ann Curry, together with MSNBC made this chilling video as they went undercover to evaluate mental institutions in Serbia.

I've been putting off writing this entry because I thought it would be best to provide you with images of these hard-working people so that you can see what I am talking about. But every time I went out and I saw a good photo opportunity, I felt embarrassed and guilty for just wanting to take their photo. I can't talk to them because I don't speak Bangla. I can't explain to them that I am advocating for their rights, nor can I convince myself that my motivation is just. If I could only shake of that guilty feeling, I might have been able to get more pictures.

There they are, on the street in the scorching sun or in the relentless downpour, between the cars, buses, rickshaws and trucks, inhaling exhaust fumes and taking in the abuse from passengers and drivers, who only see them as an annoyance on the road. There they are, asking for mercy or for a taka or two.

And there I was, during my first few weeks in Bangladesh, terrified. Terrified when they approach me on the road with all imaginable and unimaginable sorts of disabilities, abnormalities, disformations and diseases, crowding in around me with their hand in front of me, begging. I say terrified because I have never seen such disabilities, at least not in person, and terrified because I couldn't get away unless I gave them some change.

But now I think, what is it that made me feel so uncomfortable? Is it the fact that I should give him/her some money; change that I sometimes have and can give without disadvantaging myself, or a larger note which I am reluctant to give. Why is it that we are ready to give small change but never enough for a decent meal? We think that this job, that one of begging for food for his/her family, is only worth a few pennies? Or do we only give a few pennies because it makes us feel good that we helped, no matter how small the amount is, thinking that he/she will get more change from others and that will add up to a nice amount?

Or are there other reasons why I felt uncomfortable? Am I afraid that if they touch me and hold onto my hand I will inherit whatever it is they have? That would be rather childish!!! But why do we move aside, go around them, avoid them and ignore them?

Yes...why do we ignore them?! They're not our problem, they are not our responsibility, is that what we're thinking? Let the government deal with them, right? Knock, knock....unless we live in Sweden or Cuba, where there are better social programs, we know that this will never happen!

Maybe I am writing because I feel guilty for every time I pass them on the street and don't offer help. Perhaps I can give some change, but I think, like the rest of you, this isn't my job. Isn't it so easy to alienate ourselves from their problems, to pass them on the street and not to think about them for more than five seconds it takes us to go around them?

In the society in which we live, we are only fighting for ourselves. The sense of community, comradeship, and concern for others' well being is swallowed up by consumerism and the selfishness of the capitalist culture where we only give to get something in return. So what do we get in return by giving someone some change? Not more than being left alone, right?

But what do we get in return if we change our way of thinking? To change our attitudes about homeless and beggars so that with the change we give, we also give opportunities that you and I have. Not just the opportunity to go to school and to find a decent job, but how about giving them basic human rights, such as the right to food, health care, and shelter. What if we teach our friends, family, children and the future leaders to protect basic human rights of all people, no matter their disability, their class in society, their wealth. Maybe then we'll have less people on the street begging for survival.

We might not be able to change the outcome of a beggar who has been on the street his whole life asking for mercy, but if we protect their human rights and give them some opportunities, maybe their children will be sent to school instead of the street. Some of us might live in different societies where there is help for homeless and beggars, but here in Bangladesh, their fate is left up to people who pass by them, people who give them money, people who ignore them, people who abuse them.

So maybe I can reason taking a few photographs of people on the street whose job is to beg. I can reason it because I can write about them, I can urge you to think about them differently. I can urge you to teach your friends, family and children that we should make some changes in our society so that instead of just giving them money when we pass them, we give them hope, opportunity, and most importantly, their basic rights. Because when we give them what is given to us on a silver platter, we not only give them a chance for a dignified live, but we give them a motivation. We give them a chance to dream that "I, too, can become something more. I, too, can be my own creator".

For all the cynics out there, imagine this scenario. You're born into a family of beggars, born in the park or in the back of some street. Your life begins on the street, and your life begins by begging. Day in and day out, you are carried in your mother's hands to ask for money until you can walk and do it alone. Your education is limited to what you can learn from people like you, from passengers who give you money, from police that abuses you. Your parents don't tell you about other options in life, because they were born on the streets and their parents were born on the street and so this cycle continues. Maybe some of them have asked for help from government institutions, maybe they were shooed off, maybe there isn't room for all of them. So in those days of trying they are not begging, therefore they are not eating and their children's bellies are empty.

Doesn't it sound unimaginable, like this cannot possibly happen because there is too much wealth around us?

But it is all too real in the parks of Dhaka, in the streets of Sylhet, in front of the mosques and behind the dumpsters. It is too real for the children who are left on the street to ask for mercy, and too real for anyone with disabilities as that is the only occupation left for them. And it is also real that people, like you and I, will pass them and offer some change, not only immune but distant to their suffering.

But we cannot be so immune. I refuse to believe that we live in the world of "the survival of the fittest" without any moral obligations. I refuse to look the other way, and that is how I overcame my guilt and will post pictures to encourage you to to fight for human rights and to inspire others. Whether we believe in a religion or not, and whether we have strong moral values or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

And so slowly I overcame that terrified feeling, and not by becoming immune to it, but by understanding their situation, their suffering. By understanding that they are neglected; written off as a lost cause. And that is why I am writing this entry!

In front of the mosque in Sylhet, the line forms of persons with disabilities and others, begging.

A family taking some rest on the street, their home.

Teenagers harassing a person with disabilities, give him some change for an autograph and cracking jokes.

A visually impaired person selling pens on the street, pushed aside by people walking by, and trusting they will give him correct change.

A woman with disabilities living in the park where she is also working. Begging.

A lake and park in Dhaka next to the Parliament Building is not only for recreational purposes, but also a home to many homeless and disabled persons and children.

This young boy and his brother were begging in the park. They told us that they stay in this park and their parents are also begging.

Posting these pictures so that you see what I see...

Written by Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet and a 1913 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature, and it just so happens that I am in Bangladesh where he is widely celebrated. After having listened to a 7 year old kid recite a poem by Tagore, I couldn't resist posting a poem that speaks to me and my unpredictability of where the future will take me...

red dust...
this country road is endless
magic on my mind...
Ah! for whom do I stretch out my hands
spread myself on this dusty road?
the road lures me out of my home
eagerly it twists around my legs
it snatches me out of my rest
will it show me some new heart?
magic on my mind...
does it have some hidden treasure
at some bend along the way?
or, will it simply trap me
with some new burden?
Oh, where will it end?
I do not know I can not know
magic on my mind...

Translations by: Haider A. Khan

This entry is a part of series summarizing a trip to rural and remote villages in Bangladesh to observe the impact of micro-credit program. Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project, joins us. To read the whole story, start in the reverse order beginning with blog titled "Trip: Washington to meet Dhaka".

Arrival to Dhaka port by crossing Buriganga River

Woke up to a down-pour and walked outside to watch the small boats crossing the river carrying either cargo or people. Did not forget the experience of last night when our boat collided into an oil-tanker head on which left the front side of our boat pushed in and made our captain head to the shore. To my disappointment, we did not have to evacuate but continued the journey where everything else went smoothly, read boring.

We interviewed Rashed Rahman, a blind man who came to BERDO for computer training. BERDO provided computer training to 10 students teaching them how to use basic programs like Microsoft Office and how to browse the internet using JAWS (job access with speech) Software. Rashed was one of those students and upon the completion of the training BERDO helped him find a job at HSBC bank where he works as a telephone operator. He is 39 years old, and a very bright self-taught man who learned English by listening to radio broadcasts. He wasn't able to get a job before the training, even with a masters degree under his belt. He tells us that he hopes to move up the latter and get a better position in the future because he is fully capable of doing more.

Rashed Rahman took a job at HSBC thanks to the computer training received at BERDO

BERDO provided the computer training to a group of students for six months, but due to the lack of funding they are not able to continue with the program. Expenses were not so high since BERDO already has the computers for use, but the teachers' salary and the transportation costs for students to attend the training is difficult for BERDO to provide. The training is offered to students free of cost and upon the completion, BERDO works together with the students to find them a job. So far, BERDO has been able to create jobs for 42 people with disabilities, and if they can continue to provide computer training to visually impaired persons, I am confident that this number will be much higher.

After observing Rashed in action at the HSBC we come back to BERDO to spend some time with the students of the blind school. Iain could not stop filming the children who were trying to impress him by reciting Qur'an and screaming out the English phrases I taught them. Observing the school, the students and the teacher, Iain was even more eager to meet with Mr. Atiquer Rahman who has already provided donations for BERDO's students and is committed to do more.

Mr. Atiquer Rahman, Bangalee born who now resides in Florida, has been working to help the poor and distressed people in Bangladesh over the years. He was a chairperson of FOBANA (Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America) which is an organization that conducts fund raisers, among other things, to raise money for the people who need it in Bangladesh. He is also the President of Bangladesh American Chamber of Commerce, and in spite of his hectic schedule, he finds time to visit different NGO's and hospitals to asses what their needs are. Mr. Rahman welcomed Iain and I at his house for a strategic chat about the future plans how to best assist these organizations in Bangladesh who are striving to make a change.

Mr. Atiquer Rahman, President of Bangladesh American Chamber of Commerce visiting BERDO

At the end we are left to ponder which way to go; four days and 7 programs later, what can make the most impact???

Do we help BERDO emphasize it's micro-credit program that is proving to be a success with 84% regular repayment rate? The same program that provides income to persons with disabilities who would otherwise have to rely on welfare and mercy of others.

Or do we help BERDO find donors for the computer training to people with visual impairments giving them a better chance of finding a job? It's proven to be successful and BERDO already has the computers for use.

Or do we focus all our energies to help improve and expand BERDO's school for visually impaired students who otherwise would not have access to school? Aren't the children the next generation leaders??

It is hard for me to decide, and I assume BERDO faces the same dilemma since they are running seven different programs with little funding. And instead of focusing what can yield the most benefits to the biggest number of people, we are analyzing what is BERDO capable of doing in an efficient way. Which one of these programs can generate enough interest to attract donors??? Isn't that the key? Donors are the key.

This entry is a part of series summarizing a trip to rural and remote villages in Bangladesh to observe the impact of micro-credit program. Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project, joins us. To read the whole story, start in the reverse order beginning with blog titled "Trip: Washington to meet Dhaka".

I decided to skip the 7:30 breakfast, praising sleep over food and when I walked outside to meet the crew, Iain was still waiting for Saidul who apparently also need more time to rest. Plan was to go to Banaripara, which is an hour away from Barisal, and a place that was badly affected by last year's cyclone. The scenery on the way to Banaripara is striking, rice fields, banana trees and vast open greenery.

A man working in the fields of Banaripara

We were deciding which group to visit out of 86 groups in this region, which beneficiaries to interview out of the ones who were affected by cyclone and received donations collected by AP, and when to meet the staff at Banaripara.

First we met a group in Kundihar village which is only 6 months old and has 20 members, 7 of whom have disabilities. This time BERDO's medical doctor, Rafiqul Islam, was present so the discussion turned to health care. Rafiqul goes to different villages to meet with the micro-credit groups during their weekly meetings and he provides them with education on basic preventative methods, but he also sees patients who are sick and who need prescription for medicine.

When we asked people why they joined the group and what they hope to get out of it, along with the access to credit, many of them stated that they are hoping to receive some medical treatment. One woman came to the group meeting and brought her daughter who has cerebral palsy and said that she joined the group last week to receive a loan for a business which will allow her to save money so that she can take her daughter for treatment.

At the same time, I wasn't surprised to hear, that most of the group members visit village doctors (aka a witch doctor - a person without any medical training using superstition to diagnose a problem and to prescribe treatment). At least for now, this group will have BERDO's doctor to ask for advice, given that they find him in time during his runs to 86 different groups.

After finishing the meeting with Kundihar group, we went to BERDO's office in Banaripara for a lunch. In Bangladesh, it is common that each office has a kitchen and a cook who prepares snacks and lunch for the staff to eat together. Close to the office in Banaripara lives Sabbir, a beneficiary who received a donation of about $25 dollars from AP because he was badly affected by the cyclone. He purchased an old rickshaw from the loan BERDO provided him, and he used the donation from AP to fix the rickshaw which he operates alone even though his left side is partially paralyzed. This loan allows him to help his family by generating some income, and although it may not be enough to cover all family's expenses, but it does give him a sense of worth and pride.

Sabbir with his rickshaw is hardly making ends meet

Due to devastation and destruction of last year's cyclone which affected BERDO's beneficiaries of micro-credit program, AP collected donations from individuals during Christmas 2007. $1,140 dollars was sent to BERDO to distribute to those who couldn't make ends meet. 44 members received support ranging from $15-$37 dollars because many of the them either lost homes, livestock and/or land and were struggling to feed their families. It is hard to imagine that $1,000 can have an impact on so many people, but it is because BERDO donated every single penny and selected those beneficiaries who were truly desperate. If any of you reading this would like to donate $10, $20, $100 or any other amount to help a family in need, please contact AP for instructions.

On the way back to Barisal, I was asking about the song I heard earlier, a national antham written by a great Bangalee poet Tagore, and before I knew it, the whole staff broke into a song singing with soul and deep respect for their country. Many of the people I have met have told me that they might not have much in terms of material possessions, but they have pride, honesty and hope.

We exited the car in front of a tailor shop to meet one of the stars of BERDO's micro-credit program. His name is Shafin Aldan, a 39 years old male with a deformed foot since birth who has been with BERDO for 9 years. BERDO likes to keep Shafin as a member because of the positive example he portrays to other people with disabilities. With the loans from BERDO, he is able to run a tailor shop, employing two people, and he even has 4 rickshaws that he is renting for profit. Being with BERDO for such a long time, he has received training on different issues and he speaks out eagerly to the group members to advise them and motivate them with their new businesses. The members of the group look up to him as a man who was able to overcome the barriers of his disability and it gives them motivation.

Shafin Aldar - a star of BERDO's micro-credit program

We squeezed past the people who surrounded the tailor shop to check out our cameras and listen to us speak, and we got back to the car to catch the boat back to Dhaka concluding our Barisal visit. I wondered what we can accomplish in such a short time, running from a place to place with enough time to smell the coffee but not enough time to taste it. I guess when the resources are scarce, you do with what you have, and now I can only hope that we had some luck on our side.

This entry is a part of series summarizing a trip to rural and remote villages in Bangladesh to observe the impact of micro-credit program. Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project, joins us. To read the whole story, start in the reverse order beginning with blog titled "Trip: Washington to meet Dhaka".

I am awakened at the crack of dawn as our boat was pulling into the port recklessly and bumped two other boats trying to squeeze between them. A wake-up call alerting me that I am still in Bangladesh just in case my dreams carried me elsewhere.

Early morning arrival to Barisal port on a boat carrying about 1000 passangers

We headed for BERDO's office in Barisal where we were welcomed by BERDO's staff and hot breakfast of tea, pitas and roasted vegetables. I sneaked to Maksuda parents' house for a quick outdoor shower by the tube-well because I know what lies ahead: a whole day of village-hopping to meet the beneficiaries of the micro-credit program.

We arrived to meet the micro-credit group in Jagua village, but it seemed like we were there to meet the whole village as everyone gathered to see what the fuss was about. The group has 29 members and seven of those members have some type of a disability. We made our introductions short and started bombarding them with questions because we were short on time, like most of the Westerners always are. I was taking their answers with a grain of salt because we were discussing their personal matters, such as profit and family status in front of the whole village in a country where respect and family image dictate actions.

In this group there are three mother-daughter teams where a mother received a loan on behalf of her child with disabilities and when appropriate, both will work together to repay the loan. Silpi, who is mentally challenged, and her mother Salehar received a loan which they used to purchase cows to rent out for cultivation. This business doesn't require much physical work from the mother or daughter which is good for them because Silpi's mother is an older woman and Silpi cannot finish the job alone.

Mahmuta and her daughter, who has multiple disabilities, repaid their loan that was used to buy a cow for milking business and now are awaiting for the second loan. In this case, Mahmuta does all the work because her daughter is too young to help. Then, there was Mukul, who is blind, and her mother who used the loan to purchase clothes and then sell them door-to-door for a profit. Both are equally involved in the business, and Mukul doesn't let her mom do all the talking which made me happy because she feels the ownership of this business too.

Silpi and her mother at the weekly meeting

The idea of composing a micro-credit group of disabled and non-disabled members is to integrate the disabled members into the community life-style. By working together in groups where they receive education about human rights, including those people with disabilities, BERDO is hoping to overcome the stigma that people with disabilities are a burden to their families and community. Providing loans to people with disabilities, who sometimes need help from families, proves that they are capable of generating income and that they should not be excluded from such activities just because they have some form of disability. While observing the group in their interaction with each other, there was no sense of discrimination towards the people with disability. Moreover, there was no difference between the disabled and non-disabled members leading me to conclude that this group has overcome that awful stigma.

Two hours later we only finished few interviews, so we scheduled to meet some families in the late afternoon at their homes where they could talk to us more freely. We met Aslam, a 26 year old, who is the leader of Jagua group and suffered a stroke from high fever after which he became paralyzed and lost his job as a bus supervisor. He has had to deal with accepting his disability, the loss of land and cattle sold by his family to cover his medical treatment, and the negative perceptions of his fellow villagers.

Now, Aslam is running a grocery shop with the loan provided by BERDO and is only making a profit of 100 taka per day, which is equivalent to $1.50/day. With this profit he supports a family of 5 and he is hopeful that with the second loan his father can purchase fishing equipment and will be able to sell fish at his grocery store. Aslam informed us that people treat him differently now that he is working again, and they don't refer to him as "that lame man", but call him by his name.

Aslam and Saidul at Aslam's house

We finished two more interviews before sunset, and by this point we were clearly exhausted resulting in confusion and forgetfulness as we were interviewing. But this didn't stop Iain's journalist nature from coming out in full swing snapping pictures, filming videos and chatting with everyone. I observed him as he interacted with others in a compassionate and friendly manner and I tried to learn from a man who has worked for Guardian, the International Herald Tribune and the BBC. After dinner with Saidul and BERDO's staff, Iain and I sat down for a cup of tea and some sweets to exchange our notes and prepare for the next day.

To read Iain's blogs about Bangladesh or where other fellows are working, visit:
http://iainguest.wordpress.com/

This entry is a part of series summarizing a trip to rural and remote villages in Bangladesh to observe the impact of micro-credit program. Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project, joins us. To read the whole story, start in the reverse order beginning with blog titled "Trip: Washington to meet Dhaka".

Saidul headed towards the airport to pick up Iain while I was left to finish some work and then to pack. Around 5pm we meet at Saidul's house where his wife, Maksuda, spent most of the day preparing scrumptious snacks which only took us few minutes to devour. We were eating fast also because we had to get to the port to catch our overnight boat, and the journey to the port is the crucial one because one never knows how much time to devote to it: 30 minutes if everyone left town and there is no traffic, and anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours in a normal traffic flow.

Introductions were fast at first as everyone was double-checking their baggage to make sure nothing was forgotten, but once we settled into our boat cabins, the interview began. Iain was jotting down notes and we were all listening about Saidul's childhood and what lead to his blindness. He said that he was sick for a while due to a fever and his sight was getting worse with time passing until one day it was gone all together. He cannot even remember any faces or things, but he still has a recollection of some colors especially green, blue and red. He said that his mother thought he wouldn't survive, but he recovered and set out to get an education and carry on with his life just like any other person.

With the assistance of his friends who read books to him so that he can transcribe them in Braille, he finished high school, university and then masters in philosophy. Upon his masters, he worked as a professor for several years but all along he was planning to form an organization to represent and assist people with disabilities.

We sit there listening and taking notes about his life and the obstacles he overcame, and not once did I feel that he was disabled. He is fully capable of achieving his dreams and to call him disabled would be an insult because he is only visually impaired. This is the same message that is he arguing and hopes others will see as well, that persons with disabilities don't need services and welfare, they simply need basic human rights just like everyone else. I think about that as we were served a typical Bangalee dinner of rice, fish and vegetables which was so delicious we were licking our fingers clean, and I was back to the happy mode.

After dinner, Iain and I stepped out onto the deck to enjoy the views of so many boats passing by illuminating the river and to finally cool off in the breeze of the open air. Few minutes of talking, Iain felt like an old friend I hadn't seen in a while, and the while conversation floated so smoothly we did not notice the morning was creeping in. Recalling the memories of Bosnia during war was what possessed our minds, but we did not forget that both of us are working on a completely different issue now - advocating for the human rights of persons with disabilities.

For all pictures, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26685510@N08/page2/

This entry is a part of series summarizing a trip to rural and remote villages in Bangladesh to observe the impact of micro-credit program. Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project, joins us. To read the whole story, start with this blog and work your way up.

Iain Guest, the Executive Director of Advocacy Project (AP), accepted the invitation to visit BERDO and meet Saidul Huq for the first time. I was also excited and anxious to meet Iain because he is the co-founder of AP and my boss, a professor on human rights at Georgetown University, and an expert on the Balkans having worked there as a journalist during the conflict. Before reaching Bangladesh, Iain traveled to Bosnia and India to meet the AP Peace Fellows working there.

Saidul Huq, the Executive Director of BERDO, invited Iain to visit BERDO because he is thankful to AP for their continuous support and he wants to continue this partnership because it helps BERDO advocate for persons with disabilities. Saidul and I planned every hour of Iain's stay in Bangladesh, from the moment the plane lands up to the last minute it leaves. However, we left it up to Iain to deal with information overload, lack of sleep and over exhaustion on his way to meet other fellows and partners in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Working in the non-profit sector in Washington DC, Iain informed us of the buzz generated by micro-credit as an approach to development and empowerment. Therefore he was eager to evaluate BERDO's community-based rehabilitation program that uses micro-credit to integrate the disabled and non-disabled members of the community, while at the same time providing them with access to credit. In addition, Iain wanted to meet the beneficiaries of micro-credit program who were affected by cyclone last year and who received small donations form individual donors collected by AP during Christmas in 2007.

BERDO staff and I felt quite lucky to have an expert like Iain evaluate our work and provide us with suggestions. Iain's expertise lies in the information production and working with civil societies, so I was ready to take notes. I felt that I really needed some advice how to make an impact and train BERDO's staff to use internet as a tool for information sharing so that they can expand their reach in promoting awareness of people with disabilities. I am finding many difficulties in training BERDO's staff to advocate because of the language barrier, all except Saidul have minimal English knowledge. This makes it close to impossible to advocate on international level, and I wonder will anyone be able to carry on with this work after I leave.

Maybe I need to shift gears and take different approach in working with BERDO? Maybe, and probably, I should extend the duration of my stay with BERDO because three months just isn't enough time to leave a solid footprint. Having Iain here to share my thoughts and frustrations will help clarify some issues.

The following four blogs will summarize our trip to Barisal and the stories of people we met.

For all pictures, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26685510@N08/

In the previous blog I talked about micro-credit as an approach to development and I mentioned how organizations are being creative in minimizing the operating costs in an effort to provide credit to the poor. Well, BERDO's creativity lies in the way they incorporate different services into the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program while providing micro-credit to the poorest people in the community - the disabled persons and the poor women.

CBR group of 25 members including 5 who are disabled. A woman is receiving a loan on behalf of her disabled child.

BERDO initiated the CBR program to help integrate the disabled persons into the community by forming groups with disabled and non-disabled members (non-disabled members must be women and poor). The members of the group, anywhere between 20 to 30 people, are provided with small loans of 5,000 - 10,000 Taka ($73.50 - $147.00 dollars) and are trained to overcome the stigma associated with disabilities. The group will make a decision together who will be the next recipient of the loan and they pressure each other to save money each week for the repayment of the loan.

What makes this micro-credit approach stand out is the fact that BERDO offers benefits, along with the credit, to empower people with disabilities to become productive members of the community. Those benefits are: (1) motivating and inspiring persons with disabilities to engage in income-generating activities; (2) educating the family members of the importance of sending their disabled children to the school; (3) training teachers in the community schools to better assist children with disabilities and to engage them in the classroom; (4) leadership training to the non-disabled members of the group to influence the community to change the perception of disabled persons, which is that persons with disability are a burden to society; (5) continuous training for BERDO's staff, especially the field workers who are providing assistance and education to the CBR beneficiaries; and (6) providing assistive devices/mobility aid to the beneficiaries who are disabled.

This group's name is "Lucky" and they have 20 members including 3 disabled who are not pictured here.

When I visited some of these groups, the members were eager to tell me what they are doing with the loan and what impact it has had on their life. Most common uses for the loan were: opening up a small grocery shop/kiosk, purchasing and renting a rickshaw, buying a cow for milk business, sari (national dress)design, rice business, etc. None of the members had defaulted on the payment of the loan and the majority of them have already tasted the fruits of their labor, including some of the disabled members of the group. One disabled member, Mosin who is 23 years old, bought a cell phone which is used by the members of the community for a fee, and he has made enough profit to be able to get married and start his own family.

Mosin was able to get married thanks to the income-generating activity he started upon receiving a loan from BERDO.

As of today, there are 136 CBR groups operating in different villages in two districts of Bangladesh. Total number of beneficiaries is 2245, out of whom 313 are disabled members. BERDO started this program in 1995 and many more people have received the loan, started a business, and graduated from the program. The repayment of the loan is divided into 45 weeks, and the interest they pay is 12.5 percent per year. For instance, if a member takes out a loan of 5,000 taka (s)he will have to pay back 5,625 taka at the end of the year, which means that 625 taka will be used to pay interest. The interest payment will be dispersed into 45 weekly installments, equaling 14 taka per week, which can buy you about 3-4 cups of cha (tea with sweetened condensed milk that everyone drinks on daily basis, including me). So in dollars, a loan of $73.50 will incrue interest of about $9 for the year, which will be paid in 45 weekly installments of $.20cents.

With this program, BERDO is empowering the poorest groups in the community by focusing on disabled members and women, not just through micro-credit, but through advocacy and training. In my observation of the program, I have concluded that the appropriate steps are taken to incorporate the disabled persons into the community and to break the stigma that disabled persons are a burden to the families and to the society because they are incapable of being independent. However, I think the empowerment of women in this program is not as strong because too many women are collecting the loan which then is used by their husbands and/or sons who are managing the business side of it. The training that is provided by BERDO is mostly to benefit the disabled persons, and not enough motivation and/or training is given to the poor women who play a big role in the CBR program. I have strongly argued for improvement of the program by suggesting to introduce a requirement for receiving a loan - which is that a woman must be involved at least 50 percent in the management and daily operations of the business. If women are the means to influence the community to break the stigma of disability, then these women must take on a bigger role in the income-generating activities so that they will have more power and be able to exert pressure on others.

In 2005 Press Release Kofi Annan stated the importance of women empowerment as the most effective development tool:

"Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity or to reduce infant and maternal mortality. No other policy is as sure to
improve nutrition and promote health. No other policy is as powerful in increasing the chances of education for the next generation".

I think this is true also for the development of persons with disability since most of them as children face lack of nutrition, access to health care, and education which prevent them from becoming productive members of the society.

(Read the comments bellow - great information added)

Microfinance approach to development and alleviation out of poverty has spurred many arguments and debates. Wide agreement about the goal of microfinance - to improve the welfare of poor - has been criticized as just another business venue with no honest intention of alleviating poverty in the world. Many studies have proven that micro-credit can help alleviate poverty for some people because it gives them access to credit which then can be used to generate income. Just as an overview, here are some common misconceptions and debates regarding microfinance to introduce this topic for now because I will be writing about BERDO's involvement in micro-credit in my next blog.

MYTH ONE: Microfinance institutions cannot reach the poorest groups because it would be too costly to identify them and provide motivation for income-generating activities.
WHY IT'S A MYTH?
It's argued that microfinance institutions cannot reach the poorest groups because operating costs are high and because it is costly to identify who are the poorest people in the community. However, for the past thirty years, microfinance institutions have been able to do both - cover their operating costs and identify the poor people. Of a total global population of 6 billion, the percentage of persons living in extreme poverty (those who live on less than $1 per day) is over 21 percent of the world population (Gail Arch, Microfinance and Development). Microcredit Summit Campaign reports that as of December 2004, 3,164 institutions have reported reaching 66,614,871 people who live on less than $1 per day when they took their first loan. By all means there is more work to be done, but microfinance institutions have proven themselves successful many times over in providing financial resources to the poor people. And in regards to high costs of identifying poor persons in the village, Microcredit Summit Campaign launched a poverty measurement tool-kit to show that poorest families can be identified at low costs and it includes: a participatory wealth ranking and CASHPOR house index. Participatory wealth ranking is a method where the community identifies who the poor people are and CASHPOR method is based on the ranking of the house for each family. These methods show creative and inexpensive ways that can be used when identifying poor people proving that microfinance can minimize some of their costs.

MYTH TWO: If an institution succeeds in reaching the very poor, it cannot become financially self-sufficient.
WHY IT'S A MYTH?
Critics argue that many microfinance institutions cannot reach the poorest and be self-sufficient at the same time. However, case studies conducted by Microcredit Summit Campaign show that full self-sufficiency can be reached by organizations serving the very poor clients and an analysis of 114 microfinance institutions also proves the same (Simanowitz and Walter). SHARE and CRECER mostly provide micro-credit to poor women requiring no collateral of them, and most of the loans are under $100. These microfinancial institutions serve large number of clients, whom they charge higher interest rates than what other credit institutions charge, therefore thy can cover the costs for their operations. Furthermore, these institutions use their resources more effectively and pay their staff lower wages in order to minimize operating costs. Some also avoid bringing in new technology - but this can be dangerous in case of disasters or accidents.

MYTH THREE: An institution that reaches the very poor and charges them high interest rates will only add to the debt burden of these families.
WHY IT'S A MYTH?
There is a general belief that when a microfinance institution is self-sufficient while serving the poorest people, it will only burden the poor persons because it will charge them high interest rates which can force the family into deeper burden if they cannot make payments. This is a valid argument because of the high interest rates charged by the microfinancial institutions, typically between 10 to 35 percent (Chowdhury, The impact of micro-credit on poverty) and also because these poor persons live in unstable environments. Poor people are affected more deeply by droughts, excessive rainfalls, sudden deaths and/or illnesses which can halt the repayment of the loan. With that said, repayment rates of micro-credit are somewhere around 95 percent which means that most of them did not end up getting further into debt. I don't know the repayment rate for regular credit, but just remember of all the news about home foreclosures, and you'll get the picture.

Whether microfinance can reach the poorest people, whether it's moral to charge such high interest rates, and whether their intentions of alleviating poverty are sincere are all debatable concerns. What's not debatable is the fact that poor people do not have access to credit, and now thanks to microfinance institutions this is changing. It is argued that the due to the expansion of micro-credit in the developing countries, families are experiencing significant impact because it leads to stabilization of income and therefore access to food, health care, education and other services. Another major contribution of microfinance is the impact on society by allowing and insisting on women to be part of the market.

Access to financial services and micro-credit is not the answer for everyone but for those poor people who are seeking financial services. Micro-credit alone cannot be the sole factor for the "extremely poor" who are in desperate need of clean drinking water, medicine, nutrition, basic education and some training skills or empowerment to embark alone on a income-generating activity. I don't believe that micro-credit or microfinancial institutions have the capacity to lift people out of poverty because extreme poverty is a condition of hunger, low income, lack of services, exclusion and powerlessness, and therefore poverty alleviation encompasses a spectrum of degradation requiring a spectrum of policy programmes - not just financial services. But it will create an income for the poor.

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After conducting some observations of BERDO, it came to my attention that there were no medical records for the students admitted to BERDO's Blind School. I wanted to find out if there are any treatments that could improve the sight for these students but the only diagnoses were provided by the village doctors since most of them came from villages. Therefore, I urged BERDO to let me take students for a proper eye-exam and luckily the executive director has friends at the National Institute of Ophthalmology (NIO) in Dhaka who were eager to help.

Doctors and staff at National Institute of Ophthalmology perform eye-exams for all students at BERDO.

Upon the visit to NIO, it was decided that three out of seven BERDO's students qualify for cataract surgery which could improve their vision up to 20 percent. This was great news for them because it gives them a possibility for navigational vision which would allow them to move around more freely. Reasons why BERDO has not provided full eye-exams for the students are due to lack of financial resources and personnel to assist them to the hospital. Of course I jumped at this opportunity and spent days at the NIO with the students and wonderful doctors and staff who agreed to provide free cataract surgeries, including all medicine prior and post surgery.

The costs per surgery, including the medicine and hospital stay, are about $25-$30 per student which is a price most of them cannot afford even though it means having the opportunity for a better life and more possibilities. It is estimated that 3,734,700 people are either blind or have a low vision (Source: Orbis), and since 40 percent of the population lives below national poverty lines, they are not able to afford these medical expenses. As I said before, around 80 percent of population lives in the rural areas where medical facilities and services are
limited, such that only 20 percent of ophthalmologists work in rural areas. That means, 125 out 626 ophthalmologists in Bangladesh serve the rural population, which is estimated to be around 115 million people (source: Orbis).

The executive director and the teacher explain the possible outcomes to the students.

Fortunately for the students at BERDO, their costs were covered by NIO and the students were psyched to learn they will have free cataract surgeries. Prior to surgery, the executive director explained to the students the possible outcomes hoping to prepare them in case there were no improvements in their vision. However, these students are still children and it is hard for them to grasp the situation fully and this became quite clear to me after one student had no
improvement at all. His spirits sank low, and I wondered if I had done more harm than good. Back at the school, everyone was waiting for our return and the students tell me that they are happy that two of their friends will be able to see better. I was somewhat relieved to see Saiful (the student with no improvement) interact with students in much better spirits and he proved to be much stronger than I thought. Thanks to support of his friends at the school, I have even caught a smile on his face that same day.

Thanks to Dr. Syed Maruf Ali, the director of NIO, all three surgeries were provided free of cost and I was allowed a special visitors pass during surgeries.

No doubt these children are the lucky ones to have the access to such services, and I am still awe-struck how easy and fast all of this happened. Just last week I was contemplating where to take these students for an eye-exam and today they are already recovering from surgery. I am hopeful that in the near future many more students will have the same opportunity because there are about 400 non-governmental organizations working in Bangladesh on disability issues, most of which are focused on blind and visually impaired persons. Together they are raising awareness of the need to provide services to these people and there is much talk about what should be done next. I do think that International Community should review their approach, especially when it comes to fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, because they should focus on the disabled persons more since these people are the poorest in the community. But for now, the disabled persons in Bangladesh will have to rely on the NGO's and government institutions which can only do so much.

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Ten out of thirty five BERDO's employees are disabled. Two of them tell me about their life with disability and what lead to these conditions. These stories also give me a sense of what happens to other 650 million people in the world who live their life with disability.

Ms. Firoza Khatun works at BERDO as an assistant and she is quite lucky to have a job and an income.

Ms. Firoza Khatun was three years old when she contracted poliovirus leaving her lower body underdeveloped. Her parents didn't take her to hospital on time because they didn't think this was curable, and she never had any rehabilitation. She managed to finish high school, but she had to wait three years to find someone to assist her on the way to school because school was far away. Firoza also studied two years at the university, but didn't finish due to memory problems. She waited for a number of years before finding a job, and at no point did she receive any assistance from government. Now she is an assistant at BERDO and is able to live alone.

Another disabled employee of BERDO is Mr. Unusur Rahman who teaches at BERDO's Blind School. He is visually impaired since age two due to typhoid fever. His parents didn't take him to the hospital because they didn't think anything was abnormal with his high fever. He didn't visit a trained medical doctor until eight years old, which drastically reduced his chances of recovering his sight. His parents kept visiting the village doctors, who have no medical training. He started primary school when he was twelve years old because his parents weren't aware that there are schools for children who are visually impaired. He finished high school and spent two years at the university but didn't finish due to financial
difficulties. He is married to a visually impaired person, who lost sight also due to typhoid fever. His wife managed to finish university, but isn't able to find a job for three years now.

Mr. Unusur Rahman is a teacher at BERDO's blind school - the School of Happy World.

Firoza and Unusur are two of many people that I have met who are suffering from a disability. They are two out of 650 million people in the world who are living with disabilities. 520 million of these people (which is 80%) live in rural areas in the developing countries. 426 million of them live below poverty lines (Source: ILO). One can easily say that poor people are disproportionately disabled, and disabled people are disproportionately poor (Source: Akhil Paul). Furthermore, most of these impairments are caused by malnutrition and poor sanitation, and therefore could have been prevented with some basic services. Could have been, but were not!

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) was put in place as a human rights instrument with a social development dimension to protect rights of PWDs and to help break this vicious cycle of poverty and disabilities. The UN Convention makes a paradigm shift in approaches to PWDs - moving away from viewing PWDs as objects of charity towards viewing them as subjects with rights who are capable of making decisions about their own life and taking care of themselves. Eighty-eight countries ratified the UN Convention, including
Bangladesh, but as I have discovered through research and spending time here, there are laws in Bangladesh to ensure rights for persons with disabilities, but very little action.

Bangladesh government enacted Disability Welfare Act (Act of 2001) to emphasize the need to identify all persons with disabilities and provide them with identity cards which would help them in accessing public and private amenities/utilities. Seven years later, disabled employees at BERDO still don't have these identity cards. The Act led to a creation of a National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons. The Act also covers these areas: prevention, curative treatment, education, health care services, rehabilitation and employment, transportation, social securities and self-help organizations.

Ministry of Social Welfare has been the leading ministry catering for all issues of people with disabilities in Bangladesh since early 1960s, including the areas of education, employment and rehabilitation. Many argue that Social Welfare Ministry isn't equipped to handle issues such as education, rehabilitation and employment of the PWDs, and that these areas demand an active involvement of other ministries and departments. Furthermore, the country has not yet integrated concerns of PWD in any of its generic laws other than the Welfare Act which makes me question how will the PWDs get those 10% of the jobs promised by the government (a part of the Welfare Disability Act - 2001)?

Also I am questioning Ministry's budget allocation and project's priority as I glanced through their website and found projects they are funding, and projects that are under revenue budget. To give examples, there are three projects funded by the government concerning PWDs: (1) Establishment of Bangladesh Rehabilitation Institute for the Disabled which reported zero cumulative physical progress, but 5,950,000 taka ($87,500) were released for this project; (2) Establishment of six vocational training institute in six divisions for the orphan and disabled children which reported 5% cumulative physical progress while 84,681,000 taka ($1,245,309) was released; and (3) Establishment of Training and Rehabilitation Center for Distress Youth and Disabled reported 40% progress and 14,900,000 taka ($219,118) released (Source: Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh ). Let me point out that two out of these three projects are not solely focusing on PWDs, but are combined with other marginalized groups therefore it is hard to access how much attention is devoted to PWDs alone.

When I asked disabled employees at BERDO what change have they noticed since Bangladesh enacted the Disability Welfare Act in 2001, they reported there was no improvement in their life or any assistance offered to them. Another common argument I heard was that they don't want charity and welfare services, but they want what is rightfully theirs such as access to education, rehabilitation programs and possibilities of employment. Just as the approach discussed in the UN Convention, disabled persons in Bangladesh are waiting when that approach will be the main focus here. They are patient because they know the country is strained for resources, but they are hopeful it will be in the near future.

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Reading about Bangladeshi culture and their way of life definitively prepares one for the experiences awaiting, but in no way can it train a person to develop patience when annoyances occur and it doesn't get rid of old perceptions and expectations about professional and personal life. Not that I have any intention of tossing out my habits and previous expectations, but I am eager to develop another mindset to be able to fully understand the issues at stake and also to stop reaching for my Bosno-American solutions which only seem to complicate things.

When it comes to my professional life here, I am scrambling to find a medium as many of my coworkers are eager to know all details about my private life. Being raise in United States - the country of individualism - which is something I strongly detested, I still feel uneasy when questions are posed about who I go out with, male or female, when did I come back home, and what did I do. Maybe it bothers me because in my mind I already decided that I will be judged even before they have a chance to say anything, but then that feeling seems justified
by all the advice and comments that I have received about appropriate behavior for a woman. So after searching for my patience and for ways to deal with such questions, I discovered that it helps to be just as nosy and hit them back with same questions, which then diminishes the interrogation.

On a happier note, I feel that my coworkers treat me with respect and value my input even though all of the management positions are held by male employees. Aside from the interruptions when speaking and the times I have to argue my point repeatedly, I feel no difference in the treatment because I am a woman. I wish that I could say the same about how the local women are treated here and so I feel that I am given this treatment just because I am educated and from
a country where women's rights are protected. It is embarrassing to experience this firsthand, meaning to be treated differently than a fellow female employee or a female family member right before my eyes, and there isn't anything that I could do or say about it without offending the people involved.

I also feel limited about being able to go places and especially constrained by the time as it is inappropriate and unsafe for a woman to be out of the house at night, but women here face additional restraints because of so many cultural expectations placed on them. It is true that women's rights have been getting more attention from government and development organizations, and there are signs of women breaking the cultural constraints. This can be seen in a more relaxed way women dress, increasing employment participation in parliament, and by an increase in the rate of enrollment in primary and secondary education for girls. With that said, there is more to be done, and especially much more for the poor women as they are in the worst position in the
country.

So here is this cultural difference for which I am learning to find my patience and hope that sometime in near future the situation will improve, and women will have more rights and better access to opportunities. I have heard people in Bangladesh argue that women need more opportunities and some feel that there is a constraint due to religion and the way many people interpret it. I would say that I agree to a point because on numerous occasions on a visit to the mosque I was escorted to the back entrance, not for foreigners and non-religious persons, but for women. Definitively there are other reasons beside religion why the adult female literacy is only 30.8 percent compared to 49.9 percent for adult males, and why poor women are at higher risk for illness due to malnutrition, numerous pregnancies and hard work. Is it culture, religion, or something else? I don't know; I am puzzled!!!

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I am not a big fan of zoos for reasons obvious to animal lovers and animal rights activists, but since there aren't too many opportunities where to take students who are blind and visually impaired, we decided to go to zoo anyway. I did suggest to go to a music venue or a game park which all students can enjoy equally, but limited financial resources keep recreational activities to a minimum and at a low
budget.

The center where I am staying is running a school for blind - The School of Happy World - which is two years old and only has seven students. The students range in ages from 7 to 12 and are either in first or second class. Only one student lives outside the center with his family, and the others live here, far away from their villages and families. Still they are quite lucky to be receiving an education since the government schools are ill-equipped to provide education to students with disabilities, and therefore they are excluded from schools.

The School of Happy World is a home to six children and every once in a while there is just enough money for a field-trip. Some of you have asked me "How will
they enjoy the zoo since they can't see?", and it is a valid question to ask. Some of the students in the group are visually impaired so they share with others what they see. The system this group of students has developed is astonishing. They help each other move around by holding hands and informing each other of obstacles on the road such as steps or mud puddles, they help one another to the bathroom and the ones who can see explain quite enthusiastically and descriptively everything around them.

There were other components of the zoo which made this a memorable visit for the students and I, which were the powerful smells of animal waste and their unanswered howls. Animal rights aside, this alone can be a guide for the blind persons because all
throughout the zoo you can hear animals howling. I assume it is because of the poor conditions in which the animals are living. This is the dirtiest zoo I ever visited and I could continue for pages about the animal abuse there, but it is necessary to remember that in a country like Bangladesh there are human rights which still need to be granted and protected before one can begin to think about issues as animal rights.

About 13 million people in this country are disabled, including physical, speech and hearing, visual and intellectual impairment. Sadly, most of these impairments are due to malnutrition, lack of clean drinking water and no access to affordable health care. Furthermore, most of these impairments are preventable with minimal health education and some basic services. Because of such a high rate of disabled persons, it is hard to believe that government hasn't done more to prevent these impairments or to provide services to persons who are disabled so that they could have a chance of earning their own income. This is why it is admirable to look at The School of Happy World and their objective to educate these children to be self-dependent.

Although, the size of the school is very small, their hopes are big and with increased funding they are prepared to accommodate more students. Who knows? Maybe they'll even have enough resources to create an environment for these children where they can play more and will be able to learn many other things outside of this center?! For now, their basic needs are met which is more than you can say for millions of others who are still waiting for their turn.

It has been a while since my first blog entry and the reason is my inability to decide what to write about first. I am overwhelmed with everything different and exciting that I can't decide if I should write about the climate and the people, the culture and traditions, or about BERDO's lovely staff and all of their accomplishments.

I am writing this draft by hand, which is a method I use most often for writing because of so many power outages. On average, the power goes out about three times during regular working hours, for an hour each time, which leaves BERDO's staff on standby. For some of us working long hours in the developed countries this would be a treasured break if it ever happened, but for the staff here this means lower productivity as one sits around and waits. To make it a bit more challenging, the Internet connection seems to be worse during regular office hours, and if one should download large files or upload pictures on the website, it is best to do it before 7am. Rise and shine!

In today's society much of work and most of communication is conducted via computers and Internet, and the people working in developing countries face additional obstacles as they struggle to keep up with newer technology to allow for more efficiency. BERDO would like to purchase a generator to be able to keep the computers working during power outages, but so many other things make a priority
than this one.

Another factor to consider for the working environment is the climate and its impact on people's
ability to work and be productive. Maybe I am only speaking for myself when I say that the profound heat and humidity make my head fuzzy. Also, I am sure that overtime people get used to these working conditions. But the severe weather reaching 100 Fahrenheit and the intolerable humidity in the summer makes me less productive as I am constantly wiping sweat of my face, refreshing in the bathroom, and always on the lookout for the best breeze in the office. And the worse is yet to come as the rainy season brings floods and cyclones, but I guess that will be a topic for another entry.

Finally, I wonder how BERDO has been able to achieve all their accomplishments especially considering the fact that 10 out of BERDO's 32 staff are disabled, including the executive director who has been blind since age 6. Amazingly, BERDO has been working on the development of people with disabilities for 17 years and they have been expanding their organizational
activities to provide more services and raise public awareness about disability issues. I guess you can call it hard work and determination, in spite of all of obstacles they encounter.

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Map of Bangladesh

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Before I take my first breath of thick and polluted Bangladeshi air, before I stutter my first Bangla word to the rickshaw driver hoping that he speaks English, and before my perspective starts to transform due to real life experiences, I feel the necessity to start this blog in a way that we, westerners, analyze country's development and the quality of life. Although I am aware of its limitations, I choose to begin with this approach to allow myself, and others, to see how incomplete of an evaluation this is, especially when compared to later stages of my blog which will be written after having some first-hand experience.

Another reason for starting with countries' overview is to present disability issues as a part of Bangladesh's overall development and to note that there are several problems facing this country. Most of these problems require immediate assistance therefore creating a situation where they are competing with each other for financial aid and support.

Bangladesh is a poor and overpopulated country with 8 to 9 percent of total population disabled and most of them lack access to medical facilities, education or job market (BERDO). Many people would think that the recipe for success would be to provide and improve education and health care, but this is where things get complicated in a small country of 55,584 square miles with a population of 153 million where 45 percent of people live bellow poverty line (CIA World Factbook).

Furthermore, 56.9 percent of the population is illiterate and less than 40 percent have access to modern and affordable health care (UNDP). According to Millennium Development Goals report, Bangladesh is on the right track to halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015, however 39.7 percent of children under five years of age are underweight and 19.5 percent of total population sustains livelihood below minimum level of dietary energy consumption.

As one can see, poverty rates for this country are overwhelming, including disabled and non-disabled persons. However, having a disability adds another level of difficulty. "If poverty lines are adjusted to reflect the fact that disability absorbs substantial amounts of both time and money, poverty rates for disabled will be much higher" (Amartya Sen). This is why it is vital to provide health services and assistance to the groups that are vulnerable because of this vicious cycle of poverty and disability where one feeds the other. Poor people are more at risk of acquiring a disability due to lack of access to good nutrition, health care, sanitation and safe living and working conditions. The barriers to education, employment, and public services prevent their escape from poverty.

Government of Bangladesh is showing interest in tackling these problems and it enacted legislation in 2001 to protect the rights of the persons with disabilities, the Disability Welfare Act - 2001. The progress is slow and there is a general feeling that disability is not a priority. I argue that disability needs to receive more attention from government and donors because it is so much easier to prevent an illness than it is to treat it. Most of people who are disabled have preventable impairments caused by malnutrition and poor sanitation. These people are lacking basic human rights. Healthy people have a passion for work and fulfillment therefore they will be able to take care of themselves and at the same time, alleviate some of the burden on the government.

To give a complete picture of Bangladesh, here are some fact facts:

History
273-232 B.C. The Mauryan Empire ruled the area.
750 A.D. Buddhism brought by the Pala dynasty.
1150 Senas bring Hinduism to the region.
1206 Muslims take control of Bengal.
1650 The British begin arriving in Bengal.
1858 British Raj begins.
1947 India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain.
1971 Bangladesh declares independence from Pakistan.
(credit:"Bangladesh: Enchantment of the World", by Tamara Orr)

Government
In 1972 Mujibur Rahman became prime minister and few years later he was assassinated and a new government took control in a coup. After that, Bangladesh has had two female prime ministers (Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed). Momentarily, a military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. Elections are due by the end of 2008.

Geography
Bangladesh is situated between India and Burma, and it is slightly smaller than Iowa. About a third of this country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Natural resources: Natural gas, arable land, timber, coal.

People
Population: 153,546,901 (2008).
Religion: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1%
Literacy: 43.1% (definition: age 15 and over who can read and write)

Economy
Economy has grown 5 to 6 percent over the past few years. Problems are associated with delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms.
GDP composition by sector: agriculture 19%, industry 28.7%, services 52.3%.
Population below poverty line: 45% (2004)
(credit: CIA World Factbook)