Bangladesh: Here Today, Half Gone Tomorrow?

by Jan Stürmann

At the Torapganij flood-displacement camp in Bangladesh, women spin thread for the men to weave into saris on hand-powered looms. Once they survived on subsistence farming. But sever flooding in August 2007 washed away their land, displacing them and nine million others. Then Cyclone Sidr struck on November 15th, destroying a half-million homes. Now all these refuges have left are their spinning wheels and looms.

International Development Exchange (IDEX) wanted to show how one of their partners - Social Advancement Through Unity (SATU) - was coping. SATU provides micro-credit loans, education, and flood relief in 283 villages across Bangladesh.

Flooding is normal in Bangladesh, as each year monsoon rains, rushing from the Himalayas, deposit nutrient-rich silt in the lowlands. The replenished soils, enables farmers to grow three rice crops a year. But nine million people displaced is not normal. A number of factors – all man-made – exacerbate the floods: Firstly, Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world. Population pressure forces people to live on flood-prone land. Secondly, deforestation causes run-off and soil erosion problems, flooding fields and villages. And finally scientists predict by 2025 one-sixth of Bangladesh will be underwater if greenhouse gasses emit at the current rate. Where will the displaced 30-40 million people go? Already illegal migration – including sex trade – thrives along the Bangladesh/India border.

From a macro-perspective it’s hard to feel hopeful. But in the villages you see a resilience deeply rooted in a culture skilled at living a tenuous existence on fickle land. Entrepreneurial villages form independent vortexes of self-reliance. After the country banned plastic bags, a young man took out a small loan from SATU to start a business making paper bags. Twenty women in his village now have jobs. Printed on each bag: My Choice.

To see videos made for IDEX about Bangladesh go here or here

Jan Stürmann On behalf of International Development Exchange