"Freedom for women is very important, like men, they should be given equal opportunity to work in all respects. Women should be empowered so they can earn their right and fight against all odds." - Beauty Ara
July 8, 2008 - Bangladesh has already achieved one of the key Millennium Development Goals (MDG) - gender parity in primary and secondary schooling. The country is on track to achieve most of the MDG goals, including the reduction of infant and maternal mortality.
Bangladesh is successful, in part, because of programs reaching out to women, especially rural women. One such program is the “Notun Jibon – New life” administered by the country’s Social Development Foundation with the assistance of the World Bank. So far, over 1,000 villages across the country have benefited from this community-driven program, which has provided critical village infrastructure in rural areas - such as improved schools, roads and bridges, and clean drinking water.
Under this program, elected committee members in villages decide on and oversee what needs to be done in their communities. Women hold an astonishing 80 percent of all the program’s decision making positions.
Gender Transformation
According to a recently released World Bank report, “Whispers to Voices: Gender and Social Transformation,” Bangladesh has been successful in enhancing the status of women because of egalitarian principles that the country has adopted since its independence in 1971.
Beauty Ara, from Mohodipur in Gaibandha district, is a community member benefiting from this program. Ara says she has seen a dramatic change in the role of women in Bangladesh. As a small girl growing up in Bangladesh, her family did not even allow her to go to school. Now she is part of her village’s decision-making process, and says she’s working to ensure that the entire community, both men and women, have a fair chance at receiving an education and jobs.
Morsheda Akhter Mili is from the Ajhupipar village that has benefited from the program. She says her village is steadily making progress. “The roads which are being constructed will be beautified by us through green plantation. We want to earn money by cultivating fish in the leased ponds of our village. Through our organization, we want to establish a grocery complex from where each of us can buy our required items. This is our dream.”
Cyclone Sidr
“Notun Jibon” was identified as the best instrument for quickly channeling funds to support livelihoods restoration at the community level during the aftermath of cyclone Sidr, which hit the shores of Bangladesh on November 15, 2007. The cyclone caused extensive damage to lives, property, livestock, and crops, with total damage and losses estimated at US$1.7 billion.
“When I recently visited communities affected by the cyclone, I learnt that they want development, not relief,” said Meena Munshi, World Bank team leader for the project. “They want to do it on their own, but need resources and technical assistance to get back on their feet.”
On July 1, 2008, the Bank provided $50 million in additional financing to the project. This project will provide them with financial resources to gradually restore their lives and livelihoods affected by cyclone Sidr. It will also help establishing community institutions that in the longer-term can identify, plan, and carry out their own development priorities.
Additional Resources
- 2007 Asia Floods The 2007 South Asia floods have killed some 2000 people and left millions homeless. In Bangladesh alone, at least 300 people have been killed and eight million displaced according to news reports. (Read More »)
- To the MDGs and Beyond Bangladesh has already achieved one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely gender parity in primary and secondary schooling and is likely to achieve several more by 2015. (Read More »)
- South Asia: Development Data A wide range of social and economic measures on South Asia, including links to the World Bank's most important online development databases. (Read More »)
- South Asia: Analysis and Research Compilation of all the World Bank's publications on South Asia, with 'search' options and links to analysis and research on other South Asian countries. (Read More »)
- World Bank Program in South Asia Launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.(Read More »)
For more information, please visit the Projects website.
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