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is the official Muslim greeting used in Bangladesh.
The colors of this page are roughly the colors
of the Bangladeshi flag. In July, 1998 through my part-time studies in the Graduate
Program
of International Relations at St.
Mary's University in San Antonio, TX, I had the opportunity to
travel to Bangladesh for one month to visit the Institute for Integrated Rural
Development (IIRD). The
following pictures will not in any way give you the full effect of the trip,
but I hope that through them you will
be able to share some of my experience with me.
The Institute of Integrated Rural Development (IIRD) has many projects in Bangladesh, most of which are dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in society. Through their programs, women learn both vocational and financial skills and begin to take a more active role in society. These women at left are attending a meeting where they discuss their finances and savings, and pay back loan installments. Loans are of the micro-credit variety, and are small business loans at low interest.
Click here for a 2001 America Magazine article on IIRD.
IIRD's main headquarters are in Dhaka, the capital city, but at the time they also had
four outlying projects. I visited the Dhunat Integrated Rural Project (DIDP),
which is located in the depressed northwestern sector of the country.
Because Bangladesh is so wet during the summer, due to the monsoon, transportation is often limited. We visited projects using whatever vehicle was available. Sometimes a car was open for use, but mostly we used dirt bikes, which allowed us to get into areas where we wouldn't have been able to take a car. Here I am posing solo on a bike, though we usually fit two to three on these mechanical steeds. Riding and driving in Bangladesh is an exercise in letting go for Westerners - if you think about it too much, you'll never get into the car or onto the bike.
As Americans, my companion Rick Breitenstein and I often attracted a lot of attention, especially from children. They congregated around us, and it was a real fun time when the cameras came out. The children would rush the camera, as if getting closer to it would make a better picture. Here, while I walked across a levie between rice paddies to a project, I helped a young boy bring his brother along.
It was very difficult to tell the genders of young children apart, except for one thing. Though the boys and girls dressed alike at a young age, the girls often wore jewelry, such as earrings, bracelets and nose rings. Megan asked me once whether there was any significance in the nose ring. I was told by our guide that women wear the nose ring to indicate marital status. One side meant married, the other not married, though he said that younger and more elite girls were foregoing this custom in greater numbers.
One day, while I was in my room, a group of brightly garbed people came through and stopped and looked at Rick and I. One young woman was more elegantly dressed than the rest (6th from left), so I ran to get a picture, catching them as they were about to enter this dwelling. The man on left had been just been married to the finely dressed woman only 3 days earlier, and her female relatives were making a visit to their home.
Even though IIRD works to enhance the status of women, some customs and traditions continue. Rekha was a maidservant, who was employed with Sofiq, one of the project's staff at the time, and his family. She most likely came from a family that could not support her. For room, board and clothing she took care of Shoshi, and did other household tasks such as laundry and cooking. Rekha did not go to school. When she reached a certain age, Rekha was most likely released from her employment back to her family and an arranged marriage.
When I asked my guide why Rekha couldn't get time off for schooling, he replied that she would have opportunities for adult education after her release. I wonder where she is now, and if she was encouraged to take up those opportunities.
After my visit to Bangladesh, I visited Thailand for three days. One of my goals was to get my picture taken with a Buddhist monk - I'm not sure why. When I approached this monk at an out of the way temple in Bangkok, he was a bit surprised and sort of amused that I would just want to get my picture taken with him, but he kindly acquiesced to my request.
Thanks for looking at these pictures. If you wish to know more about my trip to Bangladesh,
please contact me and I'll be happy to tell you more!Page last updated July 22, 2005
