Population Growth in Bangladesh

The Issue Bangladesh has a high rate of population growth. A world population conference in Cairo in 1994 set a target for Bangladesh. Village women have more children than women living in towns. Kuliarpar is a village in Eastern Bangladesh. What could be done in villages like Kuliarpar to help reduce the rate of population growth in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh Bangladesh is a small country but is population is the 8th largest in the world. It is most densely populated country in the world. Bangladesh is also very poor and most of its people (89%) live in villages. Dhaka is the capital. Bangladesh is on the delta formed by 3 main rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. It is very low lying. Fewer places are higher then 10m above sea level. Flooding by the rivers causes damage to property but few people are drowned. When the rivers flood they deposit silt which helps to make the fields more fertile. This is a cheap way for farmers to improve their fields.

Dhaka – The capital

Village of Kuliarpar Village Size: Population 2360 *Number of boys and girls under 15yrs: 462 / 446 *Number of houses: 220 *Village services: PO, Mosque, market, primary school, no electricity, boys travel to town secondary school. *81% of land used for farming. *Main economic activities: rice cultivation, fishing, welding, wood making, furniture making. *Agricultural production: Veg 20%, Eggs 20%, Fish 10%, Tea for export 20%, Rice 30%

Project A: Plan International Secondary School Project is sponsored by charity Plan International. They will provide the money to build a new secondary school for girls in the village. They will also pay for the teachers and for the equipment & uniform for the poorest students. Advertisement ‘When I’m a teacher, every girl in my village will be able to read & write….. One day, Plan will help my village build a secondary school, like the one in the next village 8 miles away. Because of Plan, me and my friends will have the chance to go to secondary school, so we won’t have to work all day long in the fields. At secondary school I’ll work hard, learn things my mother never had the chance to and pass my exams. When I’m grown up I’ll be a teacher and make sure children like me have the best start in life.

Project B: Vision 2000 Fund Heath Unit Vision 2000 Fund will pay for a mobile health unit which will visit Kuliarpar and several other villages. The unit will provide general health care!. It will visit each village for two days each month. Health care provided: *Specialist care for pregnant mothers, babies & children. *Contraceptive advice and free contraceptives. *Vaccinations for babies and young children. *Classes to teach men & women about hygiene & provide better care for their infants. *Local village elders and teachers will be encouraged to talk with the villagers and help them to change out of date methods & traditions.

Project C: Grameen Bank Small Business Loans The Grameen Bank is an international fund. It provides money for poor people throughout the world. Half the world’s population live on less than $1.50 a day. The bank will open a branch in the village. The bank will offer low-cost loans for setting up small businesses. People can borrow money which they will pay back at a low interest rate. The rate of interest is usually a fixed amount of money, even if the loan is borrowed for a long time. Groups of 5 people can apply for a loan. Each person uses some of this money for their own project. Every one must pay back the money which they have borrowed. If one person fails to pay back the money, then the group cannot borrow again. 94% of the loans go to women who set up small local industries such as weaving, food processing and small trade activities. 95% of all loans have been full paid back by the borrowers.

Project D: Electricity Supply to the Village The World Bank has offered funding to the government of Bangladesh. It can use this money to build a large dam on the river upstream from Kuliarpar. The government will need to pay interest to the WB and will need to pay back their loan. The dam will create a reservoir higher up the valley. It will have a small power station to generate hydro-electric power. This electricity will be used in the local town for industrial development. There will be enough electricity to provide Kuliarpar with power. This electricity could be used to improve working conditions and the quality of life in homes. Two or three people could work at the dam and hydro-electric power station. The local people will be able to fish in the reservoir.