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Welcome to Dhaka Shishu, Bangladesh

 

About Dhaka Shishu Area Development Program, Bangladesh

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. For this reason, people from various parts of the country migrate here looking for job opportunities and food. Since they have no place for accommodation, they dwell in slums. Around 45 percent of the migrated population is slum dwellers.

It is a densely populated area. The living conditions of these slums are very poor and unhygienic. The majority of the population in this area earns their living as daily wage laborers, rickshaw pullers, van drivers, and small businessmen, among other things.

  

   
Bangladesh
 
Progress In Dhaka Shishu
The Dhaka Shishu Area Development Program (ADP) was started in 1984 and currently serves approximately 400 children, along with their families and community.  

Recent accomplishments include:
Education
  • Assisting 3,800 students with school fees, enabling the children to continue their education.
  • Supplying 4,100 exercise books and 3,360 uniforms, enhancing the learning environment.
Health
  • Distributing Vitamin A and deworming medication to 19,600 children, improving their health.
  • Providing medical check-ups for over 3,500 children, helping to ensure good health.
Water and Sanitation
  • Constructing latrines, improving sanitation.
  • Installing tube wells, increasing access to safe water.
Economic Development
  • Organizing vocational training for more than 500 people, improving their future employment opportunities.

Bangladesh and its people

Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is located in the northeastern portion of the Indian subcontinent on the Ganges River delta and is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, India, and Burma.

Agriculture employs 63 percent of the labor force. Crops grown include rice, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, jute, tea, oilseeds, spices, and fruit. Natural resources include arable land, coal, natural gas, and timber. Severe overpopulation has resulted in inadequate crop production.

In Bangladesh culture, parents often arrange for their daughter to marry when she is very young. She will then live with her husband’s family as she grows up. Typically, her husband is older, and she will never address him by name. Many people in Bangladesh do not know their exact birthday, only an estimate of the date.

Letter writing is not a common practice in Bangladesh. Your sponsored child is probably not used to writing letters, so he or she may require the assistance of a World Vision staff person. If you write a letter, ask your child about household chores or favorite games your child enjoys playing.

Challenges in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and fastest growing countries yet one of the most disaster-prone areas of the world. The country suffers from frequent cyclones and floods that have slowed economic growth for the past three decades.

Currently, 45 percent of people throughout Bangladesh live below the poverty line and 41 percent live on less than $1 per day. Frequent flooding and cyclones, inadequate port facilities, and mismanaged government programs contribute to slow economic growth. The 5-inch rise in sea levels predicted due to global warming has the potential to displace millions of people and place half of the country underwater by 2030.

Through sponsorship, World Vision is partnering with families and communities to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.