At the moment, I’m in Bangladesh. More accurately in northern Bangladesh. This land is amazing, there is no doubt about it. People are amazing; the food is amazing, everything is amazing except a few things that I’ll write some day later.
Anyway, like my own country Nepal, I saw that Bangladesh also is an NGO bazaar, which means a million non-governmental organizations working for the people, doing small and big miracles everyday and trying to reach the Millennium Development Goals very soon, and God knows what else more!
So far so good. But the problem begins when you find yourself, an undergraduate toddler, caught up into an NGO net and don’t understand the language they, the NGO people, speak. Can you imagine?It happened with me, and is still happening!
I’m working with one of the oldest and biggest and most reputed NGOs in Bangladesh which employs more than five thousand people and has hundreds of programmes in thousands of villages. My supervisor, research assistant and guides and all those people are nice and cooperative and it’s not difficult to understand what they speak and do and think, but I’m in trouble when I have to sit and talk and eat with other ‘big’ people, Bangladeshi and foreigners, in Rangpur, the NGO’s headquarters.
They never ask you where you are from. Instead, they ask, ‘where are you based in?’ NGOs are not interested in where you were born and attended primary school and had your first crush, but they want to know your present, the very moment what the hell you are doing and where. About a month ago, for the first time, one Toronto-based guy and another London-based lady asked me this question and since then more than a dozen people have asked the same question in the same manner. For the first time, it was kind of difficult to figure out what to answer. I was surrounded by the people who were ‘based in’ big cities like London, California, Toronto and Calcutta, but where I was based in? In fact, I’m based in Järvenpää. That’s the truth, but I don’t know why, I feel kind of shy to say, ‘I’m based in Järvenpää’. I know nobody knows about it, but still... Then can I say I’m based in Finland? No…cause people are mentioning the cities they are based in. I figure out instantly, one can be based in a city, not in a country. Then I think a bit and say, ‘Well, I’m based in Helsinki.’ ‘Oh, interesting!’ they say, I give a smile and my heartbeat rises for a moment.
‘Järvenpää is also a part of greater Helsinki,’ I think and console myself and move forward to the discussion.
Then exactly the opposite happens when you move down to the ground. When I’m in villages talking with ordinary, often very poor and illiterate, people and meeting small kids in schools, I encounter a completely different sets of questions. They are not interested so to say where I’m based in or what I’m studying or what’s the subject area of my dissertation. They start with where is my home. Yes, I like that sort of solid questions. They continue asking, where is my home, how many family members I have, what my parents and siblings do, why I came to Bangladesh, What is good and bad about this country, whether I’m married or not and so on. I don’t need to think twice about these questions, I answer them all in a second and think, ye huyi na baat!
Another problem with NGOs is that they are riddled with abbreviations. It takes ages to fully understand what those abbreviations really stand for. When I interview serious NGO workers, let’s say about their recent work (they call it intervention, by the way) it’s very likely that they would answer me something like this.
“RSRS is implementing the VGEPNB project which is an RBA funded by DCA.”
Can you make a sense out of this? I can’t.
Then you ask for an explanation and finally know the following things.
RSRS: Rangpur Saidpur Rural Service
VGEPNB: Vulnerable Group Empowerment Project in Northern Bangladesh
On the 1st of November, I again travelled to Panchagarh, the northernmost and very disadvantaged place in Bangladesh, where many people were eagerly waiting me. Youths of Hari-Bhasa union federation were waiting me to begin their community media workshop and guys at Tetulia were excitedly waiting to take me to an amazing (though very tiresome) tour to the Indo-Bangla tea garden, Banglabandha trade point and show me the Nepalese mountains from there.
However, most importantly, there were two kids who were waiting me not excitingly, but rather desperately. Sodiful and Ratna knew that they were going to get help to save their mother, but they didn’t know exactly when the help was coming. Our plan was to handover the money already before one week, but due to delay in bank-transfer and my hectic schedule in another district, we made it possible only on the 2nd of November. Mr Hasinur told me that instead of going to Phuljan’s home, we were going to a Federation office where a kind of formal programme was organized to handover the money. I personally didn’t like the idea that much, but still I didn’t interfere with the plan they had already made. Hasinur also told me on the way that Phuljan’s case had already been exposed in the local area and people from the Union Federation, schools and NGOs were also about to attend the programme.
All people were waiting us when we reached the place. We asked Phuljan about her recent health condition and talked with the kids too. The federation chairman Saidur Rahman delivered a short speech and conveyed his and his community’s thanks to the money contributors. After that, I handed over the money to Phuljan (total 16186.00Tk). They had also prepared an acknowledgement letter and handed over that to me. We also discussed about the next step they have to take and formed a group that’s going to help Phuljan for her treatment so that the kids don’t need to take stress. The group consists of a retired and renowned local teacher named Saiful Islam, a community health worker Hafizul Islam and a lady volunteer working for the union federation. Finally we took some photographs and I talked with other participants as well. Before we left, Phuljan cried and asked me to convey her huge thanks to those who have helped her and her family. I assured that I would definitely do that. We told the kids to study properly and not to leave school. But just before we were leaving, to my utter surprise, Sodiful came to shake hands with me and hugged me. This incident nearly made me cry.
I sincerely thank all of my friends, my blog readers and all the wonderful and generous people who responded our appeal and contributed for Phuljan’s treatment, ultimately giving a new life to that family and offering new prospect to the two little kids who were striving hard to find a treatment possibility for their ailing mother.
So far we have collected 171 Euros which is already 21 Euros more than the minimum amount needed for her treatment. It is, of course, very good that we have been able to raise little extra amount which will be of immense use for the family. For the sake of transparency, the contributors’ name and the amount donated have been mentioned below:
Silver Lining Creation (Charity fund) - €55.00
RISTO IMPONEN: €30.00
MD MIAH (& friends): €25.00
Veli-Matti Vähäkivijärvi: €25.00
KOKKONEN TIINA: €15.00
SARAJÄRVI ANNE ELISA: €10.00
MR. MANOJ BARTAULA: €6.00
JOHANSSON MARIA: €5.00
Total: €171.00 (Equivalent to 17100 Tk)
As the family doesn’t have any bank account, the money has already been transferred to Mr Hasinur Rahman’s local bank account and it will take upto a week to be deposited into the account. Currently I am doing a research fieldwork in another part of Bangladesh (in Kurigram) which is almost 5 hours drive from the village of that family. However, I am in contact with Mr Hasinur who is working in that particular area. The family has been already informed that they are going to receive financial assistance for Phuljan’s treatment and, reportedly, the news was a very pleasant surprise for them. Consultation with the doctors is going to be start soon.
On the first of November, I am going to visit that family and the money we have raised will be provided to the family on the same day. There will be local representatives, NGO workers and at least one community health worker present during the handover and, afterwards, we are planning that we will form a treatment assistance committee so that the family can receive other support during the treatment process and facilitate post-operation care as well.
I once again thank all of you who provided the money on time and made this charity possible. I understand that raising money is not an easy task, but due to generous people like you it has been possible. One of the donors donated all the money she had in her account just leaving 0.40 cents in there. Some people could not donate money, but gave us solidarity by sending messages and joining the facebook group. Some even went on to say that they burst into tears after reading the story on my blog and informed that they have been praying for the family. All these meant a lot to us.
Please note that we have formally closed donation request for this case now, so, now onwards don’t send any amount without properly contacting us in advance. All bank account information provided earlier has been removed not to make confusion. However, once again BIG THANKS to all of you and I will be available with further updates after November the 1st. Good luck to all of you!
I’m not a journalist, but sometimes you confront situations where you cannot stay without reporting or letting know others what you have seen and experienced.
Yesterday, in very northern part of Bangladesh, near Indian-Bangladesh border, in an area called Panchagarh, I met a 12 years old girl in a regular microfinance group meeting that microfinance institutions organize to collect loan repayment from their client. The girl was there to represent her mother and, not having any money to pay, she was there to request for a deferment of the payback schedule.
I was surprised by the presence of such a little girl in that meeting of the oldies. Through the help of my translator, I asked her that why she was there instead of her mother. She briefly replied, “She is sick.” The girl did not say anything more. She swabbed her dry leaps and moved away from there. When she was already gone, the other women told us about the family of that girl and the difficulties they are having after their father died nine months ago and, to worst, the only guardian they have left, their mother, is also suffering from cancer.
I explained the situation to the programme manager of that area from the NGO I’m working with. He, Mr. Hasinur, a very compassionate personal, agreed to visit the family with me and have more detailed information of the problem. This morning we took a motorbike and went to visit the family to their home.
In a corner of a village, we reached a little home made of straws. We saw that yesterday’s little girl in front of her house. After cooking some porridge for her ailing mother, she was getting prepared to go to school. Her fourteen years brother Sodiful, had already left home early in the morning, as usual, to work as a laborer somewhere in the city.
Till two years ago, Phuljan Rahman, 35, had a happy family. They had always been poor, but things were getting better as her husband, Abdul, was a laborious man. They had two kids who used to go to school; they owned a house, a little land, a cow and a couple of goats. Their little happy world started crumbling down when Abdul was diagnosed of brain cancer two years ago. They did everything possible to save him. They sold all of their lands, the house, cattle everything. They got help from a few (poor) relatives they had, the neighbors raised fund and she got some loan from microfinance companies. From all those activities they collected almost 150000 Tk (1500 Euros) and all money was spent for Abdul’s unsuccessful treatment.
After her husband’s death, Phuljan herself started working as a laborer, but kids continued to go to school. However, after few months, she herself became sick. When she went to the doctor, she got a reply that she has a cancerous tumor inside her stomach and that should be removed as early as possible. This was, obviously, another big shock to the family.
Phuljan tried her best to get some money for her treatment, but it wasn’t possible. All the assets of the family had been sold for her husband’s treatment and nobody gives her loan because she is not credit-worthy anymore. Neighbors and relatives also turn their head and don’t want to keep contact with her. Government has categorized her as a ‘vulnerable poor’ and all what she gets from the government is a few kgs of wheat grains every month. There isn’t any free medical help available. Fourteen years old Sodiful left his school and started working as a laborer hoping that he will be able to save little by little from his earning and one day will be able to treat her mother. His earning is so low (50-60 cents/day) that his dream is almost impossible to achieve.
Many of Phuljan’s dreams have already been shattered, but still she has one dream left. She wants to survive not for herself, but for her kids’ future. She wants to get cured, start working as a laborer and wants Sodiful back to school again.
After listening to Phuljan’s stories for almost two hours, I didn’t know what to tell and how to respond. I was completely shocked and swayed away by emotions. I have seen poverty, sufferings, hunger, death of a parent and so on, but I had never seen such a situation where after the death of a father, mother is waiting to die and two kids are struggling to meet their ends and there is absolutely no external help available. There are many sad stories in the developing world, but Phuljan’s story is identical to a horrifying chapter of a tragic novel.
Afterwards, we talked about the possible costs that would need for her treatment. She had already consulted a government hospital which was ready to give some discounts because she was categorized as hard-core poor, but anyhow, she needed to deposit 10000 Tk as an operation cost and for medicines and post-operation care, she needs at least 5000 Tk. Altogether what they need is 15000 Tk which is equivalent to 150 Euros only.
We didn’t promise anything to her, but said to her that if any help is available we will let her know. We returned to our guest house. Hasinur was also very sad. He didn’t speak that much. I could see that he is a generous man, but he also can’t do anything. The amount needed is almost equivalent to his two months salary and he has his own family to support.
We talked again about that case. We thought of various local possibilities, but nothing seemed viable. There are NGOs in every street and corner, but what they mostly do is huge seminars and big parties in star hotels. Phuljan has been the client of four microfinance NGOs for more than a decade, but now what she is getting from them is constant reminder notes and messages to ‘repay her loan as soon as possible’.
I had one option with me. The option is my friends- my friends on facebook and my friends from school. I talked to Hasinur that I can at least try once requesting my friends and if they show little generosity we will be able to collect 150 Euros within few days. If my friends skip one McDonald food or drink less beer this weekend or cut their ice-cream intake for a day, it will be possible. And I have belief on my friends that they will try their best to give a mother to already orphaned kids and give a new life to a mother who wants to survive for the future of her kids.
I sincerely request all of my friends and readers of this article to contribute as much as you can and save this family from being collapse. You can donate 1,2,5,10, 20 Euros or as much as you can.
If you have a European or American bank account, in order to minimize transfer cost, you can make a donation either by paypal or by bank transfer. (PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE RAISED THE AMOUNT NEEDED FOR HER TREATMENT SO TO AVOID CONFUSION BANKING INFORMATION HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS BLOG, IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION YOU CAN REACH US BY EMAIL OR PHONE MENTIONED BELOW- THANKS FOR YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE AND SUPPORT FOR A HUMANITARIAN CAUSE)
Please write Phuljan’s treatment on reference or message section. And please send a message to me after you make a donation or just before you are making a donation. If you are not in a condition to make a donation at the moment due to some reasons, for instance, you are away from your home and you don’t have banking cards with you, it is also possible that you can make the donation later, but you should confirm the amount you want to donate. We will count you in and arrange money to temporarily substitute your donation.
In Finland, it’s also possible to submit your donation to Mr Sudip Joshi, Diak-Järvenpää, Phone: +358442089009
If you are in Asia pacific or the Middle East, you can send your donation directly to the following account,
Please be sure that the money that you will donate will be spent on the cause which has been mentioned and all the donors will get proper proof that the money they have donated has been delivered to the above mentioned beneficiary (Phuljan) and for her treatment.
We hope that you will try your best to prevent a family from being collapse and give a new future to two little kids who are far far from you in a rural Bengali village, but equally love their mom as well all do.
This week I went to a very remote island village of northern Bangladesh. I have been in villages here in Rangpur and Thakurgaon also, but they are in fact, not that much like a village. They have electricity, access to road, hospital, school etc. However, the Brahmaputra island area (known locally as Char) has many villages which are not only remote from the mainland Bangladesh, but also most disadvantaged and neglected from the so called mainland and the regime in Dhaka.
Government is scarcely present in the region. There are virtually no government services. No schools, no clinic, nothing. And this region is the home for eight hundred thousand people.
Some NGOs are working there and providing services to the people. An integrated development project called Char Development Programme (CLP) is underway and we were visiting the place to get to know about their services and programmes they are running.
Finally, we went to a school run by the local community. There were almost 30-40 students in a class. They were energetic and smart, but were badly hit by poverty and destitution like some other children in South Asia and Africa. They sang song for us, they performed an amazingly good parade and danced as well. We introduced ourselves and in turn they also introduced themselves. While they were introducing, we asked them as to what they wanted to be in the future. Most of them wanted to big engineers, the rest chose doctor, teacher, pilot, army and so on.
I really wish that these dreamers will be able to achieve their dreams. If conditions are favorable, what they are dreaming is not impossible. However, if pace of reform and progress remains like this, most of them, sadly, will end up being rickshaw pullers, laborers,petty farmers or some of them will be swept away by river which runs madly just few meters far from their homes.
It is not only a challenge of Bangladesh, but many countries in the global south will have to think and work seriously to reduce poverty from the region and offer more opportunities to their people.
The visit was kind of reflection of my childhood for me. I was lucky to be relatively well off than those kids, but I also have the same experience of studying in a small room with too many kids with insufficient study materials and infrastructure and so on.
I personally donated some money to the school so that those kids will be able to get some educational materials at least for some time. Briefly speaking, I also told them about some similarities between their life and my childhood and told them to study hard despite all unfavorable conditions they have.
They gave a long applause and said us bye bye. I'm back from that village and preparing for another field work, but those little kids are still running in my mind.
Kahlil Jibran was a wonderful writer and still he is read by millions all over the world. 'The Prohhet' has been his all time favourite, and perhaps I hope you've already read that. If you haven't, I recommend you do that.
These quotes are original in the sense that they were not copied and pasted from any internet site. These quotes were compiled when I was reading Jibran's most famous writings. I did that last summer and got energy to post them today. This summer I studied nothing significant. I wonder what I will be posting next summer. Anyway, I will find some stuff if my blog readers continue to read my blog. Now you enjoy the quotes!
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.
If the other person injures you, you may forget the injury; but if you injure him you will always remember.
What difference does it make, whether you live in a big city or in a community of homes ? The real life is within.
In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.
Hell is not in torture; Hell is in an empty heart.
Knowledge is life with wings.
The real in us is silent; the acquired is talkative.
An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind.
Coming generations will learn equality from poverty, and love from woes.
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.
If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were.
This short film is a part of the Silver Lining Creation public awareness series. This is going to be promoted by some environmental organizations and also will be screened in short film (under five minutes film) festivals.
The film was shot almost within 20 minutes and after 30 minutes of editing and rectification, within less than an hour, it was ready! Still there appear to be minor errors, but well, we are not professionals and are at learning phase, so that is quite okay:))
People make promises and don’t keep them. That’s the thing with many people. I did the same. I promised to post my second and final part of ‘What to do in Nepal’ article already last weekend, but I didn’t. I couldn’t, in fact.
Those who were desperately waiting for my second post have already come back to their countries. They are angry with me, of course, but, fortunately, they are far in another continent. I don’t know what they would have done with me if I were just around them. Perhaps they would have asked for a death penalty or a lifetime prison to me or I would have been stoned to death for my infidelity!
Anyway, there are still many boys and girls who are planning to visit Nepal and I hope this trend continues and their grandchildren will also choose to visit Nepal even after one hundred years. Long live Nepal!
Now on this post, I briefly tell you what to do outside Kathmandu as a fifteen days visitor to Nepal.
If you have loads of money and don’t care about spending much, then, take flights to different cities. If you are a rich dude, please do that because tourism is one of the strongest pillars of the Nepalese economy and if you guys become too much stingy that’s not so good for us.
However, we know that all people who have white skins, wear black gogs, and speak English don’t always wear jeans stuffed with the green dollars ( note: I don’t want to talk about Japanese, Chinese and Korean species who visit Nepal every year, I should write for them separately) . So if you belong to one of them, the ones who don’t have that much money, always take mini or micro-buses while travelling outside the Kathmandu valley. Most of them are white in color, by the way. They are small, clean, cozy and everything! If you haven’t bought your tickets in advance, don’t be very shy, talk to a Nepali dude in there and pay as much as he or she has paid. Almost all Nepali people read religious scriptures at least once in their lifetime and try their best to follow them, but, sometimes, some of them, especially those who are working in private transportation companies, suddenly forget all those moral teachings and start cheating people. That’s why.
It’s not so common though.
Let’s share some of my personal stories. I was born and raised in a remote Nepali village and spent my childhood playing almost equally with my human friends and goats, and buffalo ‘friends’, so still when I think of Nepal it is all about that 80% villages we have all over the country. They are serene and peaceful lands where honesty persists despite poverty and sharing is common even in scarcity. My inner feeling about villages is that, unlike in cities, almost 99% girls and 97% boys don’t play with the virginity rules before they get married. That’s why you will see many robust boys and stunning girls in villages.
Nowadays, I have a home in Kathmandu and I am supposed to live there with my family when I’m in Nepal, but all I want to do is visit Nepalese villages and rivers and mountains. I know that people in my village have started calling me a disloyal Kathmanduist guy, but somewhere inside me, I still preserve that affection for my village and, frequently I remember all those boys and girls, my childhood friends, who would pluck apples and plums for me without expecting anything back in return. They are grown up buddies nowadays and most of them already have children who can pluck apples and plums if needed.
So for me, Nepal starts when I leave Kathmandu and Nepal ends when I enter Kathmandu. That’s the thing.
So when you leave Kathmandu, Nepal starts. Pokhara is not a village, but I recommend you go there. It’s a beautiful city with various lakes, caves, streams and Machhapuchre Himal is seen very near from there. I have seen many foreigners almost losing their mental balance in excitement when they see that shiny mountain so near. You can look at the picture below, but it is so DIFFERENT when you yourself are there.
When you’re in Pokhara, if you don’t have any friends or a guide, the best way is to take a taxi and visit the most interesting 6-7 places recommended by the taxi driver. If you don’t want to be extra generous, you don’t need to pay more than 20 dollars for almost 4-5 hours. My last advice for Pokhara visitors would be that don’t miss the sunrise view of Sarangkot early in the morning.
If you don’t have any plan to go for a trek, now, it’s wise to go to Chitwan from Pokhara. You’ll see wonderful villages on the way. Unless you are a part of a very strictly planned travel trip, it is good to spend some time in those villages. Meet the villagers, talk to them, eat their cucumbers and accept Nepalese tea from them. Don’t forget to poke their children and say Namaste and Dhanyabaad (thank you). After spending nice time in villages, you should rush towards Chitwan where all tigers, and crocodiles and rhinos are waiting you. I don’t want to tell you many things about Chitwan because one thing is enough. Do jungle Safari there. If you love rafting, the Trisuli River is on the way. It’s safe and relatively cheap as well. However, don’t try to do that in the monsoon season, otherwise, you’ll straight reach heaven from there!
You met the people; you enjoyed the nature and spent time with Nepalese animals also, now it’s time to be a bit spiritual. It’s quite easy to go Lumbini from Chitwan so I advise you don’t miss that. I wouldn’t come back without visiting Mecca and Medina if I were visiting Saudi Arabia and I would definitely see Bethlehem if I were to wander around Israel. Lumbini is the place where Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhist philosophy, was born 2600 years ago. He is considered to be the light of Asia, and some people, call him and worship him as God.
I’m not a Buddhist missionary worker, and have a lot of issues and problems pending with different gods and religions, but even as an agnostic I clearly know that religions do play a huge, both good as well as bad, role in today’s world. So try to visit this place as well. Coincidently, this place is only a few kilometers far from my village. When you go there, don’t forget to carry my greetings to my people, my trees, my rivers, my mountains, and my soil there.
I don’t want to write more than this. If it’s possible to extend your visit from mere 15 days, then go more towards west from there. Visit the mountainous regions and don’t come back without seeing Rara Lake. This is a wonderful lake which one Nepali king termed as ‘an amazing combination of all the beauties of heaven’. In fact, he wrote a poem about that lake. Not difficult to guess, he was in love with that lake. If you’re interested in forest and wildlife things there are many many places in the western region where you’ll forget your civilization and once again will have an opportunity to be wild and natural.
I should stop now. If you have any questions, send me an email to: mbhusal@gmail.com , I will surely answer, but not sure how fast. If it isn’t useful for you, your children will benefit from that, so don’t hesitate. Have a nice time in Nepal!
