Poverty in Bangladesh
By Maisha Nanjiba
BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE
With an area of approximately 60,000 square miles and a population of about 154.7 million people, Bangladesh is evidently overpopulated. One of the many problems that Bangladesh faces on a daily basis. It is the foundation of many of the other heartbreaking problems that exist there, poverty is one of the most apparent problems it faces. Just walking outside of the airport landing after landing in Bangladesh you may see a dirt-covered beggar with ripped clothes. While walking to a relative's house the extent to which poverty exists in Bangladesh becomes even more apparent. Bangladesh has a poverty rate of 31.5% as of 2010 while America had a poverty rate of approximately 15% as of 2010. However, this shows the percentage difference. If we put this into perspective with respect to the population of both countries 15% of 314 million in America is a lot smaller in number than 31.5% of 154.7 million in Bangladesh. These statistics are astonishing considering Bangladesh is native many Bengali-Americans who have migrated from there for many reasons, primarily a better education and a better lifestyle. But, how much effort do we put into helping Bangladesh relinquish poverty.
Many of us Muslims in America originate from Bangladesh or places similar to a country like this. We escape our lives there to have a better life in America, but we're leaving the poor in more poverty, while selfishly choosing a better life for ourselves. What about those young children who have grown up on the streets not knowing what it's like to set foot in comfortable shoes or how it feels to be warm on a cold, rainy nights? Is it right to let them fend for themselves when they were born into such a life. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that if we bring the poor close to us, then God will bring us near him on the day of Resurrection. We shouldn't solely focus on making the most of our lives in America, but also to help the poor in Bangladesh be able to shape a life for them like we have for us.
Here's a short video for you to see how some people live their lives:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=478396215594201
WAYS TO HELP OUT
Bangladesh has been taking its first few steps in overcoming poverty and it has shown in the statistics. It has decreased its poverty from about 60% to about 30%. It has been recognized for its efforts. They have built social welfare programs much like the ones that are present in America. For example, the Rural Electricity and Renewable Energy Department II project has helped bring electricity to villages that are far away from the cities that don’t have any source of electricity or solar energy and the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Chittagong has provided thousands and thousands of people with jobs thereby effectively decreasing unemployment even by a small fraction. Grameen Bank, founded by Mohammed Yunus, is an anti-poverty organization that has had a huge impact on decreasing poverty in the past few years. These are just some of the programs that are working towards making Bangladesh a better place for everyone and decreasing poverty and unemployment. Bangladesh has already taken its first step, so why don’t we?
Petition
This is a petition you could sign to stand against the corruption of an anti-poverty organization in Bangladesh that was discussed above called Grameen Bank:
https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-the-bangladeshi-government-end-the-attack-on-grameen