Bangladesh



History
Bangladesh is a small country, mainly known because of the many floods and high poverty. It is surrounded by the Gulf of Bengal, India and Burma. It is a relatively ‘young’ country - in it’s past it was only a district, belonging to India named Bengal. From 1947 it belonged to Pakistan and it was named East-Pakistan. In 1971 it got it’s independence by winning a bloody independence war. After this war the country was named Bangladesh; land of the Bengals.
Bangladesh and the Netherlands have a lot in common. Both countries are flat, and both are delta countries, dealing with an ongoing fight against the power of water. Besides the flooding of it’s rivers, Bangladesh has to deal with cyclones hitting the south of the country, coming from the Gulf of Bengal. Three major rivers cross Bangladesh, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Megna. These rivers play an important role in the lives of the people of Bangladesh. Besides the anual floodings, they also bring a very fertile soil. This soil is a necessary tool for a good harvest.

Poverty data
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. With its population of over 131 million (2001) in an area of 147570 km2 (its size is only three times the size of The Netherlands, whilst it has 8.5 times the number of inhabitants), it is considered to be one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
In 1999 Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, had a population of 34 million. The exact amount is hard to give because it is unclear how many people live in the slums of the city,and personal registration is not obliged in Bangladesh. The average death rate of children is 1:15, as opposed to 1:7 in the slums. Due to bad living circumstances, childbirth situations are often so bad that 1:10 children die before the age of 5.

Migration
Many families move from the rural areas to the city of Dhaka, hoping to escape the poverty of the countryside. Due to migration Dhaka is overpopulated, which makes the chance of finding work very slim. Most of the migrated families end up living in the slums of Dhaka. Bad hygienic conditions, a high crime rate, and the hard life in the slums of the city, often create a vicious circle of poverty for migrated families and their children. In an attempt to stop migration, the government sent in heavy machinery to dismantle two of the biggest slums in Dhaka. Instead of returning to the rural areas, the inhabitants of these slums spread all over Dhaka; creating new, smaller slums.

Gender
Girls have fewer opportunities when it comes to education or health care. During her rule, Prime Minister Zia started a campaign to increase access for girls to medical care and education. One result of this campaign is that it has become easier for NGOs to approach parents about the necessity of education for girls. Still, when girls get married, poverty will often force them to take on underpaid short term jobs, instead of them finishing school or an eduaction.

Education
Illiteracy rates in Bangladesh are high. In 1996, about 62% of the people over 15 years old was analphabetic. The huge amount of children within a family, and the lack of availabable schools make it difficult for children to receive an education. This is due to a lack of educational facilities and high poverty rates, which force young children to work instead of study. Besides this, parents are often not motivated to send their children to school, or stimulate them to stay in school. Lack of knowledge and personal development often force children to take on an underpaid and hard job.