Travelling Positively (Free!)
Posted on 29. Dec, 2009 by Mikey Leung in 2. Practical Information, Free Travel Tips
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While traditional tourist thinking keeps people away from supposed disaster zones such as Bangladesh, there’s another way of looking at such disheartening situations. Visits to the country are in fact a real opportunity to do something positive for communities in need, like building houses for cyclone or flood victims, or helping a slum education project to operate more efficiently and save costs. By contacting certain organisations before your arrival, it is often possible to set up low-cost volunteer placements that can make a holiday to Bangladesh both memorable and very positive for the local community. In Bangladesh, this form of travel is already fairly common and there are plenty of opportunities available to assertive volunteers.
There are also a number of internships available in the country where for a nominal fee you can be exposed to the work undertaken.
A few caveats first. Certainly the country attracts a fair number of wellintentioned do-gooders wanting to save the world, but do be aware that the experience of volunteering in developing countries such as Bangladesh often brings up more thorny questions than it solves. Much of the change these volunteers want to create is more often manifest in themselves than in their outside surroundings. In other words, if you come on a volunteer experience you must remember that local people are also here to teach you about yourself as much as they want to learn from you. It also helps to leave patronising attitudes at home – Bangladeshis have long endured negative perceptions towards the country. For your sake and theirs, do remember that you are dealing with people who know what development is. The simple reality is that many Bangladeshis suffer for a lack of opportunity, whether that be fiscal, educational or employment. That probably also explains why when given the opportunity, most Bangladeshi people fervently seize it with both hands. Pre-departure, the best thing you can do is your homework. Learn as much as you can and set your expectations properly about what you hope to achieve, and talk with former long-term visitors to the country if you can. Learn the local language as much as possible before your arrival, and do realise that the climate, food and cultural conditions of Bangladesh will take your health to task during a stay here. While this may seem very daunting, the intensity of the Bangladeshi experience will undoubtedly prove to be memorable and rewarding. From previous experience, the RDRS has found that interns who are motivated and committed, adaptable and able to work on their own prove the best interns and both parties gain most from the experience. Although the RDRS provides reasonable living conditions in its guesthouses (there are five main guesthouses, in Dhaka and the field), living in northern Bangladesh can prove very challenging and demanding – there is little freedom of movement, and foreigners (especially women) attract attention wherever they go, which can be difficult for those not used to it. There is little or no evening social life. Visitors are expected to fit into prevailing cultural practices and norms so as not to cause offence. Visitors may also find the same Bengali food monotonous and unappetising for weeks on end. The summer months are also very hot and humid (averaging 34–36°C and with 95% humidity) which can be energy-sapping. Communications are also problematic. It is possible to telephone Europe or North America (though charges are high); email/internet communication exists. Owing to political circumstances there may be frequent strikes often extending for several days when all transport stops and interns should remain indoors. In the summer months, including the monsoon, flooding does occur which is unlikely to affect the interns directly but may limit their movement. Finally, the RDRS is a busy working NGO – there may be no staff member with much time to assist or supervise an intern, so the intern may have to fit into the travel arrangements of others to visit the field. Occasionally other interns can become disillusioned and this can unsettle even those who are relatively satisfied. For those who can adjust to these conditions, an internship can be a rewarding experience and the RDRS has been privileged to have had a long list of interns who have adapted, and benefited personally from the experience as well as contributing to the work of the organisation and articulating its work abroad. The RDRS also has experience of a few who were not satisfied, or found the circumstances oppressive. Normally, interns are expected to have some maturity – so anyone below age 23 would need to be highly motivated. Some previous exposure to developing countries will also help overcome the initial ‘shock’. Bangladesh Rural Improvement Foundation www.brif.org. Has worked with international volunteer-sending organisations in the past, but now accepts applications to volunteer. Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed www.crpbangladesh. com. Needs volunteer physiotherapists or occupational health therapists, but also accepts skilled volunteers for other tasks. Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh e-mail: info@habitatbangladesh.org; www.habitatbangladesh.org. Supports groups of volunteers to do relief work but also regular construction programmes. LAMB Project e-mail: stwc@lambproject.org; www.lambproject.org. A Christian hospital facility located at Parbatipur, 24km east of Dinajpur. Accepts short-term volunteers for various health-related needs. The Dhaka Project www.thedhakaproject.org. Accepts volunteers for their project in which slum children are given free education, healthcare & food. AYAD www.ayad.com.au. Paid placements for recently graduated Australian youth. Has a significant presence in Bangladesh; opportunities here are based on the local skills required. Hands on Disaster Response e-,ail: info@hodr.org; www.hodr.org. Supported a volunteer team in reconstruction after Cyclone Sidr, but works in other disaster regions of the world. Volunteers are provided with meals & accommodation & only need to pay for travel expenses to get to the project site. Idealist.org www.idealist.org. A repository of volunteer opportunities. Do your homework on organisations before accepting a post. Volunteers for International Development Australia www.vidavolunteers.com.au. A similar programme to the AYAD programme, but for a longer placement period & focusing specifically on poverty-reduction activities. Volunteers for Peace www.volunteerforpeace.org. USbased outfit with a database of international volunteering opportunities, including Bangladesh. Voluntary Service Overseas Canada www.vsocan.org. Volunteer-sending organisation for professional, skilled workers. Has a Bangladesh programme. Typical volunteer placement is 2 years but short-term placements are increasingly common. BRAC e-mail: internship@brac.net; www.brac.net/get_involved.htm. Also hosts research & student internships for those interested in familiarising themselves with the activities of one of the largest NGO in the world. wCawnwad.ciiadna .Ignct.ecran. aOtifofenrasl Dsoemveel olpimmietendt Aingteenrcnyships to Bangladesh through Canadian education institutions, particularly Humber College in Toronto (www.humber.ca). Fulbright Program www.fulbright.state.gov. US State Department programme that sends American scholars to Bangladesh for courses of study or research projects. Grameen Bank e-mail: g_iprog@grameen.com; www.grameen-info.org. Offers exposure internships at reasonable costs to students & researchers (for further details see box, page 000). Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) e-mail: rdrs@bangla.net; www.rdrsbangla.net. Northwest Bangladesh’s best & largest NGO. Supports an internship programme from the North Bengal Institute in Rangpur (for further details see box, page 000). Transparency International Bangladesh e-mail: info@tibangladesh.org; www.ti-bangladesh.org. The organisation responsible for publicising the incidents of corruption in graft-ridden political system of Bangladesh. Naturally, internships here would be very challenging. www.stuffyourrucksack.com is a website set up by television’s Kate Humble which enables travellers to give direct help to small charities, schools or other organisations in the country they are visiting. Maybe a local school needs books, a map or pencils, or an orphanage needs children’s clothes or toys – all things that can easily be ‘stuffed in a rucksack’ before departure. The charities get exactly what they need and travellers have the chance to meet local people and see how and where their gifts will be used. The website describes organisations that need your help and lists the items they most need. Check what’s needed in Bangladesh, contact the organisation to say you’re coming and bring not only the much-needed goods but an extra dimension to your travels and the knowledge that in a small way you have made a difference.The Internship Experience with RDRS
Volunteer Organisations
Bangladesh
International
Stuff your rucksack – and make a difference!
