Development and the evolution of its concepts have long been tied to the fate and history of modern Bangladesh. Any discussion of its effects will be laced with opinions on whether the aid enterprise – and the billions of dollars associated with it – have been effective in improving the conditions of Bangladesh’s millions.

On one hand, 1971 saw a broken, war-battered country with a massive population and no resources or infrastructure to speak of. The government had not yet stabilised, and the billions of aid dollars that poured in surely did land in the pockets of corrupt officials.

Click here for a large version of this cartoon image.

You are cordially invited to the inauguration ceremony of “The Right to Health”, an exhibition at Drik Gallery on Thursday, 30 October 2008 at 5pm. This exhibition is curated using different form of art media: cartoon, painting, personal stories and photography.

Mr. AMM Nasir Uddin, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh will inaugurate the exhibition as the Chief Guest.

Ola Hallgren, chargé d’affaires, a.i., Embassy of Sweden and Mr. Heiner Schnelle, Head of Development Cooperation Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany will speak at the occasion as the Special Guests.

The exhibition will remain open for all till 12 November, 2008 everyday from 3pm to 8pm.

Tanvir Murad Topu
Coordinator
Gallery & Exhibition
Drik Picture Library
www.drik.net
Address: House 58, Road 15A (New), Dhanmondi Residential Area, Dhaka
Tel: (880-2) 9120125, 8123412, 8112954

(Jan 20 – DHAKA) What do you do when a devastating cyclone strikes the area that you’re about to visit?

If your name is Michael Mangano, you raise funds from your friends and family and bring money for the relief goods with your own two hands. That’s exactly what the Boston graduate student did in early January.

Mangano used online merchant Paypal to successfully raise $1,005 USD (or approx 68,000 Bangladeshi Taka) for victims of Cyclone Sidr, especially in the hard hit Sundarbans region of Bangladesh.

Watch the video:

“It’s a kind of ‘do-it-yourself’ relief work,” says Mangano. “My whole trip feels much more worthwhile because of it.”

Mangano’s original purpose was to visit Bangladesh as a tourist and to meet fellow traveller and Information Technology Specialist Mikey Leung. Upon news of the cyclone, Michael decided to raise funds from his family and friends before his visit.

With Leung’s voluntary technology support, the duo produced a Youtube.com video from the field showing the relief goods being handed over, while a series of audio podcasts tracks their progress. The purpose of the volunteer work was to prove to donors that their funds were being used and to demonstrate the idea of “Relief Tourism” to a wider audience.

“The idea of relief tourism fascinates me,” says Leung. “If travellers only knew which organizations are trustworthy, they could help support Bangladesh’s development initiatives while experiencing them first hand.”

After bank fees, a total of 65,000 Bangladeshi Taka was donated to various branches of Rupantar, a Bangladeshi non-government organisation that is supported by several international donor agencies, including USAID, ActionAID and CIDA.

“This is responsible travel in action,” says Leung. “By taking away all gaps between philanthropists and benefactors, we cut out all the bureaucracy and experience the plight of cyclone survivors first hand. It proves to be an educational and positive experience for both local and visitor.”

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Funds involved:
-65,000 BDT raised after Paypal and bank transfer fees
-40,000 BDT ($580 USD) was used to purchase 17 fishing boats and milk for the village of Dhangmari
-20,000 BDT was ($290 USD) donated to an orphanage supporting child victims of the cyclone
-5,000 BDT ($75 USD) was used to purchase musical instruments in support of Rupantar’s cultural change initiatives

Background:
- Michael Mangano covered his own travel expenses personally—none of the donated funds were used for this purpose.
- Mikey Leung is currently researching a new Bradt travel guidebook to Bangladesh in which he plans to encourage travellers to visit Bangladesh in a bid to reduce poverty
- Rupantar is a well-known and respected organization supporting the development of Bangladesh’s south-western region. A branch of the organization supports eco-tourism in the Sundarbans.

Contacts:
DHAKA, BANGLADESH
Mikey Leung, Freelance Journalist and IT Specialist
+880 1714 361 173 // www.joybangla.info // joybangla.info [AT] gmail.com

KHULNA, BANGLADESH
Nazmul Azam (David)
+880 1711 829 414 // ret [AT] khulna.bangla.net

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA
Michael Mangano, Boston University
+1 617 721 4749 // mjmangano [AT] hotmail.com