When I was a kid growing up in Yemen, my Dad and I would challenge each other to name as many countries and capitals as we could, naming countries back and forth until we couldn't name any more. I thought I was competing with my Dad, but he was probably just training my young mind to think globally. For some reason I was always fascinated with Burma, a country that today is showing positive signs of change and freedom after a long, difficult history. I'd get upset if my Dad named Burma before I did. But a country that fascinated me in another way, and which I never visited until December 2010, was Bangladesh. As a kid, all I knew of Bangladesh was that it was one of the poorest countries per-capita in the world; was the most crowded large-population country in the world; was predominantly Muslim, which limited opportunities for poor women in particular; and that the country regularly experienced terrible cyclones and flooding. I thought it must be the neediest place on earth.
Now that I live in Bangladesh, my childhood imaginations have come to life. I've been to nearly 50 countries, and Bangladesh is unlike any place I've ever been. Endless rice paddies and green fields extending to the horizon. Crowds and traffic jams in Dhaka that rival Mumbai. Practically the entire country is a river delta, so it's nearly completely flat (except for hills in Chittagong), creating an unusual, almost swamp-like topography. The obvious things barely need mentioning: pervasive poverty and all its manifestations. One place of beauty that always stands out to me are the women's saris and salwars: vibrant reds and oranges, shocking pinks and greens and yellows. It's visually powerful. Particularly in the poor village areas, it always pleasantly surprises me how bright and stunning the women's clothing looks. I love it - in a country with such deep poverty, it's powerful to see such pride in simple beauty.
Since I'm new to Dhaka, and don't have much of a social life here yet, tonight I went to a restaurant by myself (a story unto itself) and while eating browsed the World Facts app on my phone. Amidst long lists and mind-numbing statistics, some simple numbers can be shocking. For example, Bangladesh has over 54 million people under the age of 14. Think about that for a second, and consider that this is in a country about the size of the US state of Iowa. 54 million! I enjoy looking at lists and rankings, and note that Bangladesh is the 95th largest country in the world with the 7th largest population; has a population growth and birth rate about middle of the pack; and for some inexplicable reason has a very low death rate, 172nd in the world, but a relatively low life-expectancy, 69.8 years, 148th in the world. Not sure how these facts can all be true, but I do know that Bangladesh faces tremendous demographic challenges in the coming decades. This is a great country in which to serve girls in poverty; there are going to be many millions of them for years to come.
Thankfully, there are several groups of beautiful kids in Bangladesh who I work with that put names and faces behind the numbers. I love learning and theory, love global stats and facts, but there is nothing quite like Smrity smiling and holding my hand (though I know that sometimes it's just because she wants to play games on my phone) or hearing tiny Mou's hilarious shrieks of joy when I toss her into the air. I want to help thousands and thousands of girls-at-risk, kids from brothels or being abused on the streets or living in the grip of poverty in rural Bangladesh. I love to think big. But it keeps me grounded and focused to have real kids that are my friends. It brings me joy in a way I can't describe.
I'm so glad that my Dad taught me to think globally when I was a kid, starting with something as simple as naming countries and looking them up on a map. I grew up in four countries outside of the US, and as far back as I can remember I thought of myself as a global citizen with a world to serve. When I was 7, I was appalled at the treatment of the street dogs in Yemen and was determined to do something big when I got older to save them - thankfully my vision changed when I matured to want to help people. And now I live in Bangladesh, with a small NGO and a big vision and some fledgling projects helping girls in the villages and brothels. My training as a child is playing out in the brothels and slums and villages of Bangladesh in a way that I don't think even my parents could have imagined.
Bangladesh is a country with huge, overwhelming numbers. I still can't get my mind around the sheer number of people in such a small area. But behind the numbers are real faces - Sharmin and Lima and Bristy and more - my friends who brought me here and for me represent the untold millions of girls-at-risk who could use a helping hand. I love Bangladesh, and I invite you to come and help me serve here. It brings indescribable joy to look behind the numbers and serve the poor. There's really nothing better.
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