Slam at Dhaka

Today I visited one of the poorest areas of Dhaka, what they call “Slum”, as in English. It is a densely populated, very dirty and poor area. Houses are very tiny. I felt very bad after I saw the way these people live. It is a very sad image. Hundreds of people sharing the same latrine and the same water pump.
I also visited a community center that belongs to Padakhep, one of the most important NGO in Bangladesh, partner of Grameen. This NGO is focused on microfinance projects in Dhaka City. They have 2.5 millions borrowers in Bangladesh and 5 millions members. This NGO has a very interesting program for homeless children. During the day they offer them the chance to learn school subject and take care of their health. They offer health-care and psychological aid and a variety of vocational courses to teach any kind of job. Only girls can stay overnight, today 30 of them sleep there. It is a very dangerous area for them to wander around. They told us that they are in danger of white slave trade, so they keep them away from this awful destiny.
In the “Slum”, I had the chance of participating in a borrowers meeting that took place at a borrower’s house. We were 20 women in a very small room. They all accepted loans for different purposes: textile, popcorn machines, saris purchasing, etc. Most of them came from the outskirts of Bangladesh seeking work in the city. None of them think of going back to their village. A few of them attended school for some years and have now became housekeepers.
I was really shocked by a 15 year old girl that had a baby already. She married at 14 and today she has the responsibilities of a mom and a house. Women are not legally authorized to marry until they are 18, but in this country, tradition is way much stronger than law.
This poverty doesn’t seem strange to me. Going along the streets of Dhaka I keep in mind the streets of Buenos Aires as well. Maybe, we have the advantage, that Buenos Aires is more picturesque while here, the city is polluted, grey with a tint of sadness in the eyes of its inhabitants. Here there are some pictures to illustrate what I mean.