Bangladesh Blog: July 2012

"Ladies First" is not a universal rule...but it should be

Mon, Jul 9, 2012

June 8, 2012 - Forgive me, but I’m going to get on my soapbox for a moment.  The issue I am going to discuss within this blog post is one I hold very close to my heart:  Female inequalities.  Throughout the developing world, women are disproportionately affected by the hardships of poverty.  In general, women tend to suffer from higher rates of malnutrition and illness, have less access to education and employment, and are essentially viewed as being less valuable than their male counterparts.  In addition, women are often prohibited or discouraged from becoming involved in decision-making

Buses, Motorcycles, and Automobiles

Sat, Jul 7, 2012

On our way to Netrokona, we rode in a bus for nine hours. The bus, which was the size of a greyhound bus and had a 1970s cosmic flannel ceiling and maroon curtains over the windows, was relatively comfortable. After taking two pills of Dramamine, Kendra and I were sedated enough to carelessly look out the window or sleep as our bus passed similarly large buses at around 60 miles per hour, on a two lane road with oncoming traffic.

PEP in Action: Netrakona, Netrakona

Thu, Jul 5, 2012

June 6, 2012 - After spending a fairly uneventful five days in Dhaka, Ryan and I are finally back out in the field!  This time, our destination lies to the northwest of the capital city.  In fact, this particular upazilla borders the region in India that receives the most rainfall in the world!  As a result, although Netrakona is only about 100 miles away from Sherpur, the area itself tends to have a cooler climate and the vegetation is noticeably more lush and different from anything I have ever seen in Idaho.  However, Sherpur and Netrakona are also quite different from one another in way

A Local's Perspective

Tue, Jul 3, 2012

May 31, 2012 - (Please note that the following blog directly reflects the personal opinion and knowledge of one man.  Information presented is subject to error, although many of the arguments are extremely valid). 

Today, I cried for the first time since arriving in Bangladesh.

Less than Representative Democracy

Sun, Jul 1, 2012

Before we left the United States, I had done very little research about the political situation or governmental institutions in Bangladesh. After briefly examining Bangladesh, I understood the poverty situation to be, for the most part, an economic issue involving a lack of resources, low levels of job creation, insufficient credit systems for the poor and improper living conditions. While this was all true, I had completely ignored the political and social factors that contributed to this poverty and underdevelopment.