Guest blog from John Wood: Postcards from Bangladesh

In celebration of Room to Read’s 10th Anniversary, John Wood is on an extended journey with some of our most ardent supporters to visit every Room to Read country. The first stop on this three-week mega-trip was Bangladesh and it included a visit to the “char” area, a remote region of river islands which are under constant threat of flood by the Jamuna River. For most people living in this isolated corner of Bangladesh, John and his co-travelers were the first foreigners they’d ever met. 

Until recently, during the four months of the annual monsoon season, the girls who live in the char area had been stranded and unable to get off the islands to attend school. Thanks to the brilliance of our Bangladesh team and our partner NGO, SHARP, the girls can now travel across the ever-changing river aboard the exciting new “Boat to Read.”  In addition to visiting with girls in our Girls’ Education program, John and guests celebrated Room to Read’s first decade by attending the Reading Festival and playing literacy-themed games like "Read and Run” and “Read Relay” with several hundred children at one of our libraries. John sent this descriptive postcard from Bangladesh and shares some of his unique experiences from the other side of the globe.

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If you are born as a poor, rural, female, to uneducated parents in a resource-deprived country like Bangladesh, you have five strikes against you from Day One. If your family can’t afford good land, and has to live on the marginal and silty land of the chars, add a sixth strike. But this is not a story of pity or sadness. It is one of hope.

The air was incredibly thick with humidity as we made our way to the boat launch. This year, the monsoon season has lasted even longer than the usual four months, and the water level is extremely high. What was once a dry plain is now a river seven kilometers wide. Where all this water comes from, we don’t know. All we do know is that it prevents residents from leaving their shifting sand islands for months at a time. There is no electricity on these islands, and fuel is incredibly expensive, so once the sun sets, so do all activities outside the home.

I hopped onto one of the large, flat boats sporting a colorful “Boat to Read” banner and filled with Room to Read Girls’ Education program participants wearing white Room to Read-logo’d hats made especially for our visit. My guide for the day, a 14-year-old scholar, introduced herself shyly, eyes aimed downwards in deference. Because our team has designated the hour-long journey as reading time, she and I decided to do just that -- and for this special occasion, I presented her with a copy of my first children’s book, “Zak the Yak With Books on His Back.” No deference here -- she looked Zak squarely in the eye, and a smile stretched across her face. Since the book is in English, I offered to read it to her first, but she was quite adamant that she could handle Zak. 

We were lost in the second reading of Zak’s adventures to bring books to children when the boat docked and cheers from our welcoming hosts filled the air. We had traveled to the other side of the river to attend the Reading Festival, a veritable reading Olympics, including reading relay games, live music and a general feeling of celebration. All along the shore, the children were lined up to greet us and escorted us to the site of this very special event.

Despite the extreme heat, there were chills as I watched and heard children from one of the most remote corners of world, reading and obviously loving their new skill. These were children from communities that are essentially off the radar of most NGOs and the government as well. Thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of our amazing team on the ground here, these children will thrive and have a brighter future.

I leave Bangladesh with many compelling images and stories. This is a people with virtually nothing permanent in their lives, and yet they recognize the importance of educating their daughters and sons.

This was eloquently summed up during the team celebration by a well-known local professor, who shared his interpretation of the tale of the genie in the bottle:

"Now, how is it that this genie could grant any wish, and yet he could not get himself out of the bottle?  What was it that was missing in the bottle that thwarted his powers? I will tell you. It is light. Light is the power. Once in the light, the genie was capable of anything. Education is like the light. With it, one can do everything. Bangladesh can do everything with education."

"Boat to Read," "Read and Run," and the magic light of education.  I leave Bangladesh a happy man.

Room to Read Bangladesh was established in July 2008, and in two years, over 150 libraries have been established and 234 girls are participating in the Girls’ Education program.

Comments

[Lubna]

I too am grinning from year to year after having read this post.

[Shehla Khan]

Wow...JW was not kidding about writing "Zak the Yak With Books on His Back" :)...Maybe John can auction signed copies of this book to raise more funds for R2R... I can convince some kids(and adults) to empty their piggy bank for a good cause.

[Ajoy Dutta]

We appreciate u & wish to join with u

[Moniza Biswas]

Excellent.......