Bangladesh may not hold any architectural wonders of the world or majestic cities but the character of the people and their extraordinary hospitality is overwhelming.  I have traveled in India, China and much of
Southeast Asia and never experienced anyone like the Bangladeshi people.

To adequately explain and even comprehend what this group has experienced in the last week is a challenge.  My comments are only on a high level but I hope to include more as we have time to digest.

Village tours of BRAC

Our massive entourage of nearly 30 people descended on the small village communities supported by the NGO called BRAC.  The tour included meetings with a local 1^st tier microlender and Village Organization (VO). 

We joined in some song and dance with a BRAC Primary School

A BRAC official delivering some legal training services

BRAC’s holistic approach to poverty alleviation is seeing some significant results.  I believe this model was the most appealing to our group due to the inclusion of education, healthcare and religious agendas in addition to microlending.  Only 30% of BRAC’s $265 million of operating income for 2006 is received from donations.  The remaining funding is derived from the variety of businesses (textiles, tea production, fisheries etc), investment income and service charges on the village loans.

Grameen, BRAC and the Ayesha Abed Foundation are all located next to each other and compete on similar services

Two nights in a Grameen community (Joyshagor Motshokhamar)

Much to my surprise, we ended up living inside a remote village outside Bogra for several days with spotty electricity.  A lush jungle surrounded the village of bright green rice patties spotted with small huts of sheet metal and clay.  This was a nice change of pace from the BRAC bus tours. 

The Grameen community is supported by large-scale fishing and rice harvesting operations that provided both food and income for the residents.  Grameen reported some 6,000 people are involved in the area’s fishing business with nearly 50% had moved on to become self-sufficient micro-business operators.

Our large group of 30 naturally attracted large groups of curious onlookers at every point in our journey.  The blond hair, fair skin and height were something of a mystery to many in Bangladesh.  Villagers traveled as far as 11 km from neighboring farms just to see our spectacle.  The village community never asked us for money or tried to sell anything (in stark contrast to the cities) but were just content watching us.  Our “celebrity” status was only gained from the type of our passports. 

Muhammad Yunus outlined one of his successful social business partnerships with Danone yoghurt (Danon in the US) in his latest book.  Danone and Grameen worked together to produce a low-cost but nutrient rich yoghurt to sell to the poor of Bangladesh.  A few of us on the trip visited this same factory and were impressed by the modernity of the operation and the quality taste of the yoghurt. The $1 million partnership is sure to turn some social profit and build the Danone brand.

Visit to Asif Shah Mohammed’s home village

The highlight of the trip was our time in Asif’s village and the royal welcoming we received from a local school.  Our vans were greeted by banners, flowers, food and crowds of people.  After a home cooked meal with Asif’s mother, we departed down the road to the school to an arena of nearly 1,000 people. 

The school had invited us as honored guests to their sporting day of races and athletics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsjU-o9P6Zk

Other events of the day were a tour of the local jute factory and an emotional visit to a community hospital. 

Return to Dhaka

At one of our last nights in Dhaka, we were joined by an extraordinary panel of leaders from the finance and banking sectors of Bangladesh.  The speakers included investment bankers, hedge fund directors and a chief economist from the UN.  One of my key takeaways from the presentation was how optimistic the guests were about the future of Bangladesh’s economy.  Growth may be hovering around 5 percent currently but the major barrier to preventing an 8 or 9 percent growth is due to the lack of “political maturity.”

Safe Volunteers

Our trip was escorted by a team of translators from an organization of event volunteers called Safe.  These volunteers spent countless hours asking our questions and explaining the answers of the village communities.  I found the Safe volunteers to also be a tremendous source of insight into the people and culture of Bangladesh.  Our volunteers consistently went far and above the call of duty to aid us in our travels. The general friendliness, curiosity and extraordinary kindness became a true reflection of the Bangladeshi people as a whole.

On my return flight home, I somehow made friends with the official who was stamping my passport.  He began asking me questions about our trip and of my impressions on Bangladesh but became so interested in our program that he offered to buy me a cup of coffee at his break.  Just another example of the unbelievable kindness.  I certainly took him up on his offer.

Vanderbilt

We were fortunate to have a quality group of students this year.  The conversations at meals and quiet individual reflections seemed to lend me a sense of hope that this initiative is beginning to make students think differently.  Project Pyramid is still young with plenty of room to grow.  Our critics are still frustrated with a seemingly lack of action or minimal impact from this organization.  It does not make much sense to travel halfway across the word just to observe extreme poverty.  I suppose we are still defining and discovering with these trips.  If nothing else, this experience forged a relationship between Vanderbilt, BRAC, Grameen and Bangladesh which can be leveraged by all partes for future projects or careers.  As last thoughts

A local library to provide better access to information rental fees with vocational training and education.  Usage fees can account for materials and upkeep.  

Farm equipment rental center of modern farming machinery can improve crop output per farmer.  General rental fees would bring in revenue for maintenance and the initial investment. 

A health center to provide basic medical services and provide infrastructure for the villages.  BRAC and Grameen (Grameen Kalyan) have experimented with healthcare operations. 

Thank you Ryan, Asif, Bart, Cal Turner and the classes of 2008 and 2009 for such a memorable trip!