photo provided by Wilm Van Bekkum
When Australian post-grad student Nerita Taylor decided to come to Bangladesh last year, her family and friends were surprised and shocked in equal parts. As it is for many abroad, Bangladesh to them called up images of floods, cyclones, poverty and corruption. Going to a country like Bangladesh, which is literally non-existent on the world map, seemed surprising to many of them. ‘I was then completing my Masters in International Development and had long wanted to live and work in a country very different from my own,’ says the young Australian. ‘I was also looking for something more personally challenging in my work as an Occupational Therapist. The opportunity to come to Bangladesh in the heart of Asia offered a unique experience.’
What Nerita’s friends and family didn’t know is that her decision to visit Bangladesh and volunteer for humanitarian work here adds her name to the ranks of a new breed of travellers, who are opting out of the conventional ‘backpacking through India’ or ‘clubbing in Thailand’ holidays for a nobler option: Voluntourism. At present the trend is becoming increasingly popular as more and more young people like Nerita come from the US, EU and the rest of the world to volunteer in countries like Afghanistan and our very own Bangladesh, literally off the map as far as tourism goes. They come from different places, different cultures, different backgrounds and speak different languages. Yet what draws them to these backward countries is perhaps the two feelings they share — compassion for fellow human beings and an interest in different cultures.
Over the past year Nerita has been volunteering to assist the training of Occupational Therapists at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), in Dhaka’s Savaar. ‘Not surprisingly, I’ve learnt an incredible amount from this experience both professionally and personally. I have also been immensely inspired by the enthusiasm and passion with which my colleagues work to establish the profession and provide much needed services in the area of rehabilitation,’ she adds.
Several organisations around the world like the VSO, WFP and the various wings of the UN, as well as the local governments, are providing such young volunteers with these opportunities. It was through one such organisation — the Australia Youth Ambassador of Development Programme — that Nerita came to Bangladesh in September 2005 as a volunteer. At CRP, like many other volunteers, Nerita works closely with the people who suffer acute states of paralysis and treats them. ‘Each day has brought new and unique experiences, particularly in working with those whose lives have been filled with tragedy, loss, hardship and impacted on by disability,’ says Nerita while speaking about her work as a volunteer at CRP. ‘I remember an instance in an outreach clinic I attended when I met a remarkable man who was born without arms. I was struck by the immense personal challenges he had overcome to become a role model in his community and was humbled by this experience.’
For most of the voluntourists who come all the way to countries like Bangladesh, the motivation comes perhaps from the unique experiences that await them.
For young Marion Grimm of Switzerland, the decision to come to Bangladesh for volunteering was more of a personal challenge for her — that of adapting to a completely different culture and the many traditional habits and practices that she had never seen before. So she stepped into a land which people avoid. Nevertheless, Marion took up the challenge because she wanted to discover not only the culture but also feel the unique satisfaction of having made a difference through her work. Settling down into a remote area like Sitakunda was a challenge much bigger than she had expected. Like many others coming to Bangladesh, Marion took about a month to adapt to the local life, culture and community. However, she soon overcame the difficulties and commenced work with the YPSA (Young Power in Social Action). In another month she stepped onto the field level.
‘My main job was to help teachers in a local NFPE (Non-Formal Primary Education) school. Everyday I visited a school where each class had thirty children. During the first month I mainly observed the teaching methods as well as children’s behaviour, and tried to find out what kind of ideas and concepts I could introduce to them.’ Though Marion had a lot of ideas at hand, there was one factor that prevented her from coming closer to those children — her language. She therefore took up the next great challenge — to learn Bangla.
‘The point of learning Bangla was to get closer to them.
Then I could teach them some English and Mathematics, and also correct their exercises,’ explains Marion. For her it was the discovery of a new language and a new way of coming closer to people from a very different background than hers.
‘Before I came to Bangladesh a lot of people asked me, “Why have you chosen to go to Bangladesh? It is one of the poorest countries in the world and floods and cyclones hit it every year!”’ Such responses from other people are common for people volunteering to come to Bangladesh. It was true in case of Nerita, Marion and even Sarah.
‘When I told my family and friends about coming to Bangladesh, they just freaked out!’ says Sarah Barnett Louise, a Briton. Sarah came to Bangladesh last year through the VSO and is currently working at Rupantar, an NGO in Khulna. What Sarah experienced at the beginning was not simply a challenge but a test that many fail to pass. ‘I felt as though I was dropped in the middle of nowhere; in a place I didn’t know with people I didn’t know. It was my decision to come to Bangladesh and I had to live with the ongoing frustration of homesickness and getting lost now and then,’ says Sarah, now able to laugh at her teething pains. ‘All my life in Britain I lived an independent life and when I came here I realised I had to take help from people and ask for directions. That was when I came to know how hospitable and supportive Bangladeshis are.’
Not only do these volunteers come and help the people in whatever way they can, some even work in extremely difficult and insecure conditions and stake their lives with the single determination of being able to make a difference. To many Bangladeshis, they come as blessings.
Thirty-year-old Ann Lily from Bahaginan in the Philippines is a volunteer from VSO. She works with Zabarang Kalyan Somity and the NGO called ALO in remote Khagrachhari in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Besides her work as a management advisor, Ann is working hard with local movements to establish rights for women in the area. ‘Now some of them know that they can speak up for themselves,’ says Ann.
While speaking about her experience in the Hill Tracts she laughs at the concern of the military for her protection during violence and other incidents. ‘I told the military men that they are dealing with a Filipina who has lived in a country with three ongoing wars and I don’t have any fear while moving around there.’
These volunteers often come to the Third World countries to experience a new culture and perhaps a change, but often, at the end of it all, they find themselves personally involved and ready to sacrifice everything and come forward to help people less fortunate than them. These sacrifices do not earn them any prizes, but often leave a significant mark on their lives. The benefits of ‘voluntourism’ are not only evident in Bangladesh or Afghanistan — it has had life-changing impacts on the people who volunteer for such work.
The outstanding achievement of young Toshika Kitahar has received worldwide appreciation. She single-handedly collected funds to build an entire girls’ school in a remote area caaled Ragh in northeast Afghanistan. As a UN Volunteer with the World Food Programme (WFP), Toshika was determined to make the education of females a priority. It was her single-minded determination to build the first ever girl’s school in Ragh that brought her success. Starting from Afghanistan and places across the globe, this young woman persuaded companies, donors, countries and anyone and everyone she met to contribute. In the end her fortitude and compassion led to the opening of the first girls’ school in Ragh. ‘The last time I visited the project site, the girls, their parents and local authorities were excited to have a new girls’ school. They may not be aware of my personal commitment to the project, but to me it is not important if they know about me or not. The most important thing is that the girls have access to, and receive, quality education,’ says Toshika in a report published in the World Volunteer Web. She is still campaigning for about $35,000 that is required to pay off all construction costs which totalled $181,000.
Be it Ann or Toshika, their successes have not remained unsung. Although in many cases people who benefit from these activities remain unaware of the volunteers’ contributions, their success stories have an impact on many. The extent to which the commitment of the volunteers can take them is at times astonishing. Their selfless determination more often than not defies all obstacles. The barriers of weather, culture and especially language cannot prevent them from doing their best. Some like Marian and Sarah try to learn Bangla to get closer to the people they are helping.
To others like Yunyun Fhahni Paryani it is a challenge to communicate with the locals through any means possible. This young Indonesian woman has done a study on children in emergency situations, ‘Response to Cyclone in Bangladesh’, which seeks to reduce the vulnerability of children during natural disasters by deepening the understanding of child protection methods. At present she is volunteering for Children Protection issues in emergencies and visiting various coastal areas like Atiya, Nihjum Dwip, Chittagong, Patuakhali, Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar, which are the areas that are most affected by cyclones.
Knowing little English and no Bangla, the greatest challenge for her is to communicate and understand the issues she works on. ‘I cannot grasp what people say if they speak fast in English and my grammar in written English needs to be improved. So I am working hard on it and hope to break through the language barrier,’ says Yunyun, who remains determined not to let the language barrier keep her away from the rest of the volunteers who reach out to help the disadvantaged and poor in various areas.
Increasingly more people from different parts of the world are taking up voluntourism, be it during vacations and in between jobs. Nowadays many young students volunteer to travel to underdeveloped countries during study breaks. Most come with little or no experience, but leave with a lot of it. Many struggle through the challenges and return home victorious, many come back for more and some simply fall in love with the new life.
‘There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t think of my time in Bangladesh in some way,’ writes a young Canadian, Jocelyn Helland, in an e-mail to New Age. ‘I fell in love with Bangladesh, its culture, its ever loving and hospitable people who made me feel at home.’ Three years back Jocelyn was one of the many young graduate students who had applied to Young Professionals International (a Canadian government project) that focuses on partnering with Canadian universities to sponsor young Canadians who have recently graduated from university to work professionally abroad. Jocelyn was immediately accepted and sent to Save the Children (UK), Bangladesh, where her work centred on advocating a more child-sensitive Poverty Reduction Strategy for Bangladesh. ‘I was fortunate to join such an amazing, intelligent and passionate team of people working hard to promote children’s rights!’ adds Jocelyn.
Like most others, Jocelyn’s perceptions of Bangladesh changed dramatically once she started her work here. ‘The people of Bangladesh are strong survivors, are proud patriots and have a very generous spirit. My Canadian culture has many things to learn from the Bangladeshi culture,’ says Jocelyn, who had not expected Bangladesh and its people to have such an impact on her life.
To Jocelyn, voluntourism has given her an unforgettable memory. For Sarah Barnett, it has changed the whole concept of home. Coming back to Bangladesh after a two-week holiday, she explains, ‘Now going to Britain is more like going away from home. It is not possible for me to leave this country after getting so attached to its culture and its people. It feels good to be back in Bangladesh, back to my home.’
I TRAVEL, THEREFORE I AM
photo by Andrew Biraj
Australian Volunteer Nerita Taylor came to Bangladesh in 2005 and is a volunteer at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, in Savar, and assisting in the training of occupational therapists.
On arrival I was first struck by the colour and intensity of Bangladesh. Having lived in a more remote regional area in Australia with few people across large distances, Bangladesh was quite a change. I have so many amazing and memorable experiences that will remain vivid in my mind long after I have returned to Australia. Riding rickshaws, drifting down rivers on small wooden boats, walking amongst the tea fields in Sylhet and crossing the ocean to St Martin’s Island are just a few. Each day has brought new and unique experiences, particularly in working with those whose lives have been filled with tragedy, loss, hardship and impacted on by disability. One instance I recall is from an outreach clinic I attended when I met a remarkable man who had had no arms since birth - I was struck by the immense personal challenges he had overcome to become a role model in his community and was humbled by this experience.
What I knew of Bangladesh before arriving was fairly limited to what I’d read through my studies but being here brought the images alive. Not knowing quite what to expect, being in Bangladesh didn’t so much change my perception of the people and its culture as develop one. Initial impressions of Bangladeshi hospitality, strong family ties, the sense of community, particularly in village life, the language and music are all things that I have come to see and appreciate as part of the rich cultural interplay and complexity of life here. Most rewarding has been sharing my experience with friends and family back home for whom Bangladesh is now an intriguing and not so distant a place.
My experience in Bangladesh has not only broadened my world view but instilled in me greater compassion and an appreciation for the complexities and differences between cultures and different ways of living. The sometimes difficult challenges of living and working in Bangladesh have not outweighed what I have gained, and what I hope others may have gained, from this unforgettable experience. Whilst many may believe volunteering is simply a way of biding time, to me it has been the beginning of a journey to someplace else and an enriching one at that.
‘BANGLADESH IS A STRANGE
COUNTRY, WHICH I LOVE’
photo by Andrew Biraj
Wilm van Bekkum, a Dutch VSO volunteer works for Green Hill in Rangamati as a management advisor. He recounts his experiences.
It was in 2004 that I was trying for an international job. I wanted to live for a longer period in a country of different culture and traditions. It was through an advertisement that I came to know about VSO looking for management advisors as volunteers. I immediately, took up the volunteering position in Bangladesh over Kenya.
Bangladesh is a strange country, which I love. It is totally different from all my travel experiences in the last 10 years. The people are very friendly and hospitable. Even when a family has nearly nothing for themselves, if you come to visit them they will put everything they have on the table. Not eating is not polite but if you take too much you know they won’t have any left for themselves.
We live and work in local areas between the Bengali communities in Rangamati, in my case also between the indigenous communities. After nearly two years, I have a good understanding of life in Bangladesh. I’m happy and satisfied with the opportunity I had and the possibility to feel the Bangladeshi life.
VOLUNTOURISM OPPORTUNITIES
FOR BANGLADESHIS
Voluntourism has set a trend across the globe. Recent trends suggest that even Bangladeshis are availing themselves of such opportunities. Today an increasing number of young students are crossing borders for undergoing international experiences through traineeship and volunteering.
A number of organisations across the country are providing such opportunities for young people. BRAC, for example, has set up links with countries like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, etc and is opening up more doors for the young to avail themselves of international experiences.
In a year BRAC has approximately around 150 volunteers coming in from different parts of the world. 'There are also Bangladeshi students returning to volunteer. We would certainly love to provide international opportunities to Bangladeshi students who volunteer in other branches of BRAC across the world,' says Mohammad Abdur Rahman, senior trainer and coordinator of BRAC's internship programme.
Another innovative platform for the young to avail themselves of international opportunities is AIESEC, which has been working with four leading private universities of the country: NSU, BRAC, IUB and AIUB. Since AIESEC Bangladesh started operation in 1999, it has offered young Bangladeshis a new kind of opportunity with its international Traineeship Exchange Programmes. These consist of exchange experiences, which come in the form of management, development, technical and education internships. Ranging from eight weeks to eighteen months, these programmes allow students to work with a myriad of companies, NGOs, governments, universities and other organisations. It is through this platform that more and more students are getting international experience and attaining greater confidence.
'I feel that every individual must avail himself of opportunities such as these, to know oneself better, to have a clearer idea of ones capability and be a more processed entity in order to serve ones society,' says Maria Chowdhury who went to Turkey through AIESEC. Maria went on a 10-week tour of an educational traineeship under the World Project based on the idea of minimising racial differences through visits to Turkish schools and helping them to communicate in English, and also by presentations.
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
photo by Andrew Biraj
Ann Lily from the Philippines has been staying in Rangamati, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, for a year. She jots down some her memorable moments associated with Bangla phrases she learnt here and also a note to her family.
Aste aste bhai. This phrase I immediately learnt to avoid accidents in the streets of Bangladesh — while riding the rickshaws, CNGs and taxis. For the first three months I was holding my breath and desperately clutching the seat, but now I am just cool about it.
Bujhi na. Moving from the plains of the north to the Hill Tracts was tough. Seeing me wearing a tribal skirt, some teachers thought I was a Chakma and spoke in that language, so when I did not answer, they shifted to Marma, and lastly Tripura. When I said, ‘Ami bujhi na’, they said, ’Oh, you are bideshi’. I have now learnt to speak the CHT tribal language, which is a mixture of Bangla and Chinese.
Banglish, Chakmish and Marmish. To overcome the language barrier, and because most of the staff wanted English lessons (which is outside key result areas of VSO), I told the NGO staff to speak in a mixture of languages until they gained confidence. I studied Bangla for a month and they studied English in school, so I said, ‘It is no shomoshya. Or in Chakma — bujong?’
About the Hill Tracts
The Hill Tracts are safe and beautiful, albeit remote place with diverse cultures. I told my bondhu military officers who check on us on a monthly basis, ‘You are asking a Filipina with three wars going on in her country to be careful’. There are incidents of violence, but confidence building takes several decades.
