Intervention makes such a difference!

WaterAid has worked in Khulna and the south west area since 2005 with the help of their partner organisations, Nabolok, Shushilan and Rupantur. We went to visit a slum in the city of Khulna where Nabolok had worked. There was a national strike by the main opposition party in Bangladesh that day, and no vehicles were being used (except rickshaws) between sunrise and sunset, so we walked to the slum. This was brilliant as it enabled us to experience city life instead of just viewing it out of the car window. We did end up being followed by a huge crowd of children by the end of our journey though!

When we reached Aziz Bosti, I was immediately struck by the difference to yesterday's slum. The pathways between the houses were wider, and were paved. The people of the slum greeted us and invited us to sit with them as they explained the project, and they looked healthier, happier, and more well-kept than the people of the slum we'd seen the day before in Dhaka. We sat with the community who explained to us how they had set up a committee to prepare a social map of the slum. They mapped the community, detailing the situation of each house, as well as identifying adequate and absent services, such as tube wells and latrines. Each household was split into categories: extreme poor, poor, or middle class, dependent on their income. The people in the extreme poor category can't afford to eat 3 meals a day on a regular basis. 'Poor' means that they can usually afford to eat 3 meals a day but can't afford any education for their children, or any medical supplies or doctors when they're ill. The committee then established links with Nabolok (the partner organisation in Khulna) to identify the infrastructure needed in their community and develop the options together. The really refreshing thing for me was to discover that the community themselves all contribute towards the wells and latrines. Each household contributes a set monthly amount, which is dependent on which category they are in. It struck me that all people need is a little bit of financial help, and some advice and knowledge - they have the passion and desire to improve their situation. After the required infrastructure had been decided on, a second committee was created which was in charge of sourcing labour and materials, and a third committee monitored the quality of the work as it was being built - it was incredible to see a mini version of a water company in a community in a slim, half way around the world.

The difference that really struck me from today compared to yesterday was the future plans of the two communities we met. In Dhaka, when I asked about their hopes for the future, the women talked about hoping that their children would marry one day. When I asked the same question in the post intervention slum in Khulna, they went through a long list, including repair and maintenance of their existing assets, building new ones, and even going as far as improving the slum in general by building new roads and erecting lampposts. They can see a future for themselves, and aren't just existing day by day. It was so inspiring to realise that someone giving so little in this country has such a profound effect on someone's life in Bangladesh.