This is definitely the country of very stark contrasts. Walking home last night I walked down a road half of which was completely adorned in beautiful gold lights. The lights were strung across the road forming a very long canopy, and then from top to bottom of a six storey apartment block - it was absolutely stunning. Gold coloured drapes, with gorgeous bouquets of white flowers, had been fitted to the entrance gate to the apartment block. It was utterly stunning. At first I though Christmas had come somewhat early, until I found out that this was a wedding!
This was clearly the wedding of people who had money - from the number of expensive, unbattered (very unusual here) cars parked outside, the guests in their beautiful wedding finery, and, of course, the number of lights adorning the road and building. The electricity bill alone must cost a small fortune!
Contrast this with the rick-shaw drivers, with their battered rick-shaws, which have seen better days and their ragged dirty clothing, and warn faces which tell their own story of poverty and hardship. I know many come from the slums of Dhaka where they live in a cramped one-roomed tin shack, no running water, where raw sewage runs openly straight in front of the doorways of the shacks, where the stench is truly appalling, where disease is rife, and where child mortality is high and life expectancy low.
Makes you think...
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Today I visited the MAF hangar, which is on the edge of Dhaka International airport. On the way to the hangar, we got stuck in a traffic jam - the level crossing barriers were down, and we were waiting for the train to pass through.
Interestingly, the railway line is completely open and anyone can just walk across it - the only place where there is a barrier is across the road which crosses the line. Health and safety issues are definitely not a priority here!
As we were waiting for the train to pass through, I watched the throngs of people milling about - some selling their meagre wares on the pavements, others just seemingly wandering about aimlessly. Amongst these, I spotted a small girl maybe aged about 3 or 4 and a boy, who I suspect was her brother, maybe aged about 6 or 7. They seemed to be on their own. The children were shabbily dressed, with no shoes, but the little girl stood out in particular in her bright pink (but dirty) outfit and her shaven head. Seeing girls with their heads shaven is not an uncommon site in Bangladesh - I understand it has something to do with head lice! These two children were standing on their own, side by side, on the edge of the railway line amongst the piles of rotting rubbish, but with their arms around each other - it just felt so poignant.
The train slowly rolled out of the station - the seemingly endless line of carriages were literally full to capacity, with people standing inside and in the open doorways, hanging out of the side. There were people on the top of every single carriage, either sitting or even lying down, together with their piles of belongings in big what sacks. There were even some people sitting on the tiny ledges on the side of the engine!
Once we eventually crossed the railway line, I suddenly became very aware of the air pollution, even though I was inside a car with the windows closed. The fumes from the traffic were clearly visible outside and it is not unusual to see people wearing masks over their noses and mouths.
On the entrance road to the hangar there were some people repairing the road. All building and road work is very labour intensive and is done by both men and women. I saw one lady carrying what looked like a very large container of cement on her head. She had wrapped a piece of cloth around the top of her head, which gave her a sort of level ‘platform’ on which to place the container.
There has been some building since I last visited the MAF hangar - with 3 new hangars being built adjacent to MAF. These hangars are owned by private individuals/businesses, and in one of them they were even repairing some Bangladeshi army aircraft. Despite the fact that the airfield is secure ie there are security guards at all the entrances to the airport and you need special permission from the Bangladeshi authorities to go to the hangar (which I had!), it did strike me as odd that at an international airport, you could have army aircraft being openly repaired, soldiers wandering about, Bangladeshi airforce planes taking off regularly from the same airstrip, international flights coming and going regularly, and people wandering about the airfield shooting birds! I might add that the birds are a nuisance in this instance - I saw hundreds upon hundreds of birds, which, of course, are a very real danger to aircraft. But where else in the world would this happen...?
We've lost the electricity several times in Dhaka today - so I'm posting this now just in case we lose it again!!
- Carolyn
Interestingly, the railway line is completely open and anyone can just walk across it - the only place where there is a barrier is across the road which crosses the line. Health and safety issues are definitely not a priority here!
As we were waiting for the train to pass through, I watched the throngs of people milling about - some selling their meagre wares on the pavements, others just seemingly wandering about aimlessly. Amongst these, I spotted a small girl maybe aged about 3 or 4 and a boy, who I suspect was her brother, maybe aged about 6 or 7. They seemed to be on their own. The children were shabbily dressed, with no shoes, but the little girl stood out in particular in her bright pink (but dirty) outfit and her shaven head. Seeing girls with their heads shaven is not an uncommon site in Bangladesh - I understand it has something to do with head lice! These two children were standing on their own, side by side, on the edge of the railway line amongst the piles of rotting rubbish, but with their arms around each other - it just felt so poignant.
The train slowly rolled out of the station - the seemingly endless line of carriages were literally full to capacity, with people standing inside and in the open doorways, hanging out of the side. There were people on the top of every single carriage, either sitting or even lying down, together with their piles of belongings in big what sacks. There were even some people sitting on the tiny ledges on the side of the engine!
Once we eventually crossed the railway line, I suddenly became very aware of the air pollution, even though I was inside a car with the windows closed. The fumes from the traffic were clearly visible outside and it is not unusual to see people wearing masks over their noses and mouths.
On the entrance road to the hangar there were some people repairing the road. All building and road work is very labour intensive and is done by both men and women. I saw one lady carrying what looked like a very large container of cement on her head. She had wrapped a piece of cloth around the top of her head, which gave her a sort of level ‘platform’ on which to place the container.
There has been some building since I last visited the MAF hangar - with 3 new hangars being built adjacent to MAF. These hangars are owned by private individuals/businesses, and in one of them they were even repairing some Bangladeshi army aircraft. Despite the fact that the airfield is secure ie there are security guards at all the entrances to the airport and you need special permission from the Bangladeshi authorities to go to the hangar (which I had!), it did strike me as odd that at an international airport, you could have army aircraft being openly repaired, soldiers wandering about, Bangladeshi airforce planes taking off regularly from the same airstrip, international flights coming and going regularly, and people wandering about the airfield shooting birds! I might add that the birds are a nuisance in this instance - I saw hundreds upon hundreds of birds, which, of course, are a very real danger to aircraft. But where else in the world would this happen...?
We've lost the electricity several times in Dhaka today - so I'm posting this now just in case we lose it again!!
- Carolyn
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Today I'm based in the MAF office in Dhaka working on a couple of projects and gathering information. We had a meeting this morning which went very well - it was good to be able to share information and ideas face-to-face and understand more fully the work of the MAF programme.
Working in the this particular area of Dhaka does cushion you a little from the difficulties, poverty and challenges facing the majority of those living in Bangladesh.
And so, at lunchtime, it was somewhat of a reality check to take a ride in a rick-shaw - its quite an apt name as they look very rickety, although in reality they're very robust to survive the huge potholes! They're quite an experience in their own right - the seats are very narrow and I held on tight as I kept thinking I was going to fall out every time we hit a pot hole!
Within a couple of minutes we're in a different district and the relatively clean streets turn to pavements covered with piles of rubble and rotting rubbish. There's young children in dirty clothing and no shoes standing on street corners - just inches away from the traffic.
There are many half-finished building projects - grey concrete buildings which are several storeys high, but the buildings have no sides - no protection from the elements ie they're just empty shells with no running water, sanitation etc. But, people are living in them, they have made them 'home'.
So many people have so little, and as I buy my sandwich for lunch (something I take for granted), I can't help but feel so guilty as I wonder how many of the people I've passed today will be able to have a proper meal today, let alone lunch?
Working in the this particular area of Dhaka does cushion you a little from the difficulties, poverty and challenges facing the majority of those living in Bangladesh.
And so, at lunchtime, it was somewhat of a reality check to take a ride in a rick-shaw - its quite an apt name as they look very rickety, although in reality they're very robust to survive the huge potholes! They're quite an experience in their own right - the seats are very narrow and I held on tight as I kept thinking I was going to fall out every time we hit a pot hole!
Within a couple of minutes we're in a different district and the relatively clean streets turn to pavements covered with piles of rubble and rotting rubbish. There's young children in dirty clothing and no shoes standing on street corners - just inches away from the traffic.
There are many half-finished building projects - grey concrete buildings which are several storeys high, but the buildings have no sides - no protection from the elements ie they're just empty shells with no running water, sanitation etc. But, people are living in them, they have made them 'home'.
So many people have so little, and as I buy my sandwich for lunch (something I take for granted), I can't help but feel so guilty as I wonder how many of the people I've passed today will be able to have a proper meal today, let alone lunch?
Monday 14 November 2011
Observations
It might only be six hours ahead of GMT, but somehow the combination of the loss of six hours and a night flight has thrown me somewhat. But it helps that the pace of life outside seems quite slow compared to the UK!!
I'm staying on the first floor of an apartment block. All the buildings around are apartment blocks and are laid out in roads running at right-angles to each other - very much like the American system. This particular area of Dhaka is one of the business districts where a lot of embassy staff, NGO staff and other business personnel live. The main road through the district is manned by security guards, and each of the apartment blocks has its own security gate and is permanently guarded. The security is relatively low key, but its there none-the-less. So, it means that its quite safe for me to walk around on my own - even after dark - but only in this district.
The walk from the apartment, where I'm staying, to the MAF office is just a couple of blocks down the road - about a 5 minute walk along the dusty roads - and is just interrupted by the odd car and the rickshaw's touting for business - and they're very persistent! So, given my slightly sleepy head I'm happy just ambling along the road, just like everyone else! And I can admire the beautiful flowers which adorn the buildings - and even a banana tree - along the way!
Compared to the Folkestone office where I'm based, the MAF Bangladesh office is quite small - but its light and airy and cool (oh bliss!). Today, there's just a few staff in the office, as the MAF aircraft went out early this morning, so the pilot, engineers and ground crew are all either flying or at the MAF hangar working and preparing for its return. The crew have had a busy 24 hours - they did two medevacs yesterday as well!
I should point out that the MAF hangar and the MAF office are in separate locations!
This morning one of our partners came into the MAF office to collect her ticket for her flight. She works for an organisation who have a project in Khulna, south eastern Bangladesh near the Indian border helping vulnerable women and children - it sounds so interesting and I'm very much looking to visiting the project and finding out more next week...
I'm staying on the first floor of an apartment block. All the buildings around are apartment blocks and are laid out in roads running at right-angles to each other - very much like the American system. This particular area of Dhaka is one of the business districts where a lot of embassy staff, NGO staff and other business personnel live. The main road through the district is manned by security guards, and each of the apartment blocks has its own security gate and is permanently guarded. The security is relatively low key, but its there none-the-less. So, it means that its quite safe for me to walk around on my own - even after dark - but only in this district.
The walk from the apartment, where I'm staying, to the MAF office is just a couple of blocks down the road - about a 5 minute walk along the dusty roads - and is just interrupted by the odd car and the rickshaw's touting for business - and they're very persistent! So, given my slightly sleepy head I'm happy just ambling along the road, just like everyone else! And I can admire the beautiful flowers which adorn the buildings - and even a banana tree - along the way!
Compared to the Folkestone office where I'm based, the MAF Bangladesh office is quite small - but its light and airy and cool (oh bliss!). Today, there's just a few staff in the office, as the MAF aircraft went out early this morning, so the pilot, engineers and ground crew are all either flying or at the MAF hangar working and preparing for its return. The crew have had a busy 24 hours - they did two medevacs yesterday as well!
I should point out that the MAF hangar and the MAF office are in separate locations!
This morning one of our partners came into the MAF office to collect her ticket for her flight. She works for an organisation who have a project in Khulna, south eastern Bangladesh near the Indian border helping vulnerable women and children - it sounds so interesting and I'm very much looking to visiting the project and finding out more next week...
Welcome to hot and sticky Bangladesh!
When I first visited Bangladesh about three years ago, I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by the enormity of it all - the poverty, the dirt, and the indescribable smell. And I wondered when I flew in this morning, whether I'd have the same reaction as I did then?
...My reaction was still the same! It rendered me speechless - completely unable to take it all in.
The crowds of people outside the main airport terminal begging; the women and children in particular begging, literally on the edges of the pavements; the women sweeping the outside lane of a four-lane highway; women washing clothes in the dirty river and hanging the washing on make shift lines; make-shift shelters on the pavements (where people live). There's the overcrowded battered buses (not sure how they don't topple over!); the little three-wheeled, battered tuk-tuk's; the rickshaws some of which are ridden by boys who don't look big enough for their feet to touch the pedals, let alone old enough to be working - all driving bumper-to-bumper (or what's left of their bumper's!) and vying for an ever decreasing piece of the road. I have absolutely no idea how there seem to be relatively few accidents.
The odd thing is that despite this the colours are vivid and vibrant - the bright reds, greens, oranges, yellows and blues of the women's clothing are a stark contrast to the overwhelming poverty.
I'm writing this blog, listening to the hustle and bustle of life outside - its not just the people chattering in Bangla, the cars and the continual beeping of car horns - but its also the unusual bird sounds - quite different from the seagulls of Folkestone!!
-Carolyn
...My reaction was still the same! It rendered me speechless - completely unable to take it all in.
The crowds of people outside the main airport terminal begging; the women and children in particular begging, literally on the edges of the pavements; the women sweeping the outside lane of a four-lane highway; women washing clothes in the dirty river and hanging the washing on make shift lines; make-shift shelters on the pavements (where people live). There's the overcrowded battered buses (not sure how they don't topple over!); the little three-wheeled, battered tuk-tuk's; the rickshaws some of which are ridden by boys who don't look big enough for their feet to touch the pedals, let alone old enough to be working - all driving bumper-to-bumper (or what's left of their bumper's!) and vying for an ever decreasing piece of the road. I have absolutely no idea how there seem to be relatively few accidents.
The odd thing is that despite this the colours are vivid and vibrant - the bright reds, greens, oranges, yellows and blues of the women's clothing are a stark contrast to the overwhelming poverty.
I'm writing this blog, listening to the hustle and bustle of life outside - its not just the people chattering in Bangla, the cars and the continual beeping of car horns - but its also the unusual bird sounds - quite different from the seagulls of Folkestone!!
-Carolyn
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