Heifer recently began operations in Bangladesh and, in August, received approval to start its first project. The project will assist 4,000 families through savings and credit programs, which will be organized within self-help groups. Heifer’s contribution of social capital is expected to improve microfinance. Area Vice President Mahendra Lohani shares more.
Name: Salma Akter
Title: Finance Manager
Location: Bangladesh
How long have you worked for Heifer? 3 months
What attracted you to work for Heifer? To work with an independent and very unique project approach.
What has been the most memorable experience you have had while working for Heifer? Working in Headquarters.
My education includes: Masters in Accounting, Masters of Business Administration (Major in Finance)
My hobbies include: Reading, Watching Cricket and Tennis
My family consists of: My parents
Something about me that you might not know: I am still single and am an independent woman looking for someone who really respects me and my work! I am workaholic, which is why coworkers may sometimes misunderstand me about my working time and deadlines.
What is the best thing about working at Heifer Bangladesh? The working relationship I have with fellow staff members and the work we do with project participants to implement a unique project model.
Food is the best way to learn about a place. Bangladesh’s heritage shines through its cuisine. At one time an outpost of the Mughal Empire, Bangladeshi food is based in a rich combination of spices and dried fruits and nuts. Mughal cuisine distinctly features gravies, pilafs, kebabs, and fruit like apricots, peaches, plums and melons.
The Bangladeshi approach to food
Photo courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance, Creative Commons
A true Bangladeshi meal is comprised of plain rice, khichuri ( a rice dish best described as “everything but the kitchen sink”), lentils, a variety of fish and/or vegetables and Indian chappatti (flat bread used for sopping up sauces and curries). The food can be very sweet or extremely spicy.
The use of fish and flaming hot spice pastes is what makes meal time unique and sets the cuisine apart from her neighbors, India and Myanmar.
Fish
As every Bangladeshi knows, “Machh e bhat e Bengali” (Bangla for fish and rice make a Bengali). However, don’t expect to eat a lot of sea fish. A land full of rivers, river fish are by far the most popular and valuable fish. The fish is fried in a spice paste batter and served with rice.
Ground spice pastes
A combination of spices, roots and green chili peppers are ground together and used to flavor everything from meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Spice paste flavor combinations can include ginger, garlic, red chili peppers, turmeric, onion, cinnamon, coriander, cumin or mustard seeds. Unlike in indian cuisine where the spices are popped in hot oil, in Bangladesh, the spices are ground together with a pestle and mortar.
Rice
There are four types of rice dishes, biriyani, pillau, khichuri and bhat (plain rice). Biriyani is rice cooked with chicken, beef or mutton. Pillau is the vegetarian version of biriyani. Khichuri is rice that is cooked with vegetables, lentils and fruit and is often served with meat. Bhat is plain white rice, served with every meal.
Hungry yet? Take a trip to Bangladesh without ever leaving home. Add some excitement to dinnertime and try this basic khichuri recipe.
Method:
According to the 2012 Social Institutions and Gender Index, a new tool developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) measuring gender equality, Bangladesh is ranked 63 out of 88 countries surveyed. A slight improvement from 2009, where Bangladesh came in at 90 out of 102 countries surveyed.
The SIGI introduces 12 innovative indicators on social institutions, which are grouped into 5 categories: Family Code, Physical Integrity, Son Preference, Civil Liberties and Ownership Rights. Each of the SIGI indicators is coded between 0 and 1; 0 meaning no or very low inequality, and 1, indicating very high inequality.
The SIGI results indicate that many of the world’s worst performers are located in the belt that stretches from Mali to Pakistan. The women of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa region, face the highest discrimination. Sudan, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone came in at last place on the SIGI rankings.
UN data shows that nearly half of the women in Bangladesh between 15 and 19 years of age have been married, divorced or widowed; a UNICEF study discovered that 33% of women between 15 and 49 were married before their 15th birthday.
In recent years, the Bangladeshi government has outlawed early marriages and raised the age for legal marriage to 18 for women and 21 for men. All persons must report a legal marriage, failure to do so results in a two year prison sentence.
Wedding in Dhaka, photo courtesy of Monjurul Hoque, Creative Commons
So, while it looks like these new rulings have played a positive role in the SIGI rankings, there are still outdated practices and cultural norms that negatively impact women’s opportunities.
Even though 83% of women surveyed disagreed or disagreed strongly with the statement, “It is acceptable for a man to have more than one wife,” Polygamy is still legal. According to both Islamic law and Hindu custom, mother’s are regarded as “custodians” of their children and cannot ever be a legal guardian. In the event that a woman is widowed, and her sons are over 7 and her daughters have reached puberty, the husband’s family has the right to take the children away from the mother. Same goes in the case of divorce.
A 2010 CEDAW report found that divorced and widowed women are more likely to be living under the poverty line than married and single, never-married women.
Photo courtesy of Ahron de Leeuw, Creative Commons
Traditionally, daughters inherit only half as much as sons. In the absence of sons, daughters can only collect their inheritance once all family debt and obligations have been taken care of. In Hindu and polygamist households, a widow or widows can only inherit as much as one son.
In 2011, the government of Bangladesh drafted the National Women Development Policy which will guarantee equal inheritance for both sons and daughters. The law has not yet been passed as there is debate as to how it will be enforced as it conflicts with local Islamic laws.
Bangladesh has also taken a step forward in the case of domestic and physical abuse towards women. The Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Act became law in 2010, giving women temporary to permanent protection and guaranteeing imprisonment of abusers.
However, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to land rights and agriculture. While it is legal for a women to own land in Bangladesh, they are often limited in what they are allowed to do with their land.
In the eastern provinces, 30% of households in Bangladesh are headed by women and are more likely to suffer from extreme poverty and landlessness. Despite their growing role in agriculture, social practices effectively exclude women from direct access to land. It is customary for a woman not to claim her share of the family property unless it is given willingly. Women often surrender their right to property in exchange for the right to visit their parental home and seek their brothers’ assistance in cases of marital conflict.
To learn more about the SIGI, take a moment and check out their slideshow:
Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.
Population: 161 Million
Native greeting: Apni kemon asen? (How are you?)
National currency: Bangladeshi Taka
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is located in in south asia and is bordered by Burma and India with the Bay of Bengal to the south. Dhaka, the capital, is located in central Bangladesh and Bengali is the official language.
Bangladesh continues to be one of the least developed countries in South Asia. About a third of the country floods every year due to the monsoon rainy season, severely hindering economic development.
Half of the country’s 161 million people live below the international poverty line and about 56% of Bangladeshi children are underweight. Luckily, The NGO sector in the country is very strong, and Heifer Bangladesh became an official country program in 2012.
Photo courtesy of Orangeadnan, Creative Commons
Heifer Bangladesh
Heifer Interventions: Bullocks; dairy cows and goats
Issues addressed: Livestock management, sanitation; education awareness; gender and social justice and community development
The program strategy for Heifer Bangladesh involves scaling up program impact by empowering communities to take charge of their own development. And, because gender inequality is such a serious issue, Heifer projects will work exclusively with women’s self-help groups.
There are currently five active projects in Bangladesh, providing inputs such as goats, chickens, dairy cows and vegetable seeds to over 1,200 families.