Gram Theke Shuru
"A project to provide income generating opportunities and educational stipends"
A field report from Rayed , a SpaandanB representative:
The small children scurry behind the car, grabbing on to the bars attached to its rear bumper. They squeal in excitement as the engine starts and the car comes to life. As we gradually make our way along the narrow dirt 'road', the children still hang on, smiling in excitement as to what this large moving device is, walking along with the slow pace of the car. What are they doing? Why are they hanging on? was my reaction the first time I went to gram in the summer of 2004. But this time, I understood greatly. They have never seen a car! What a wonder it would be to see something so large and quick for the first time!
The Gram is a completely wonderful place to me. I find it very pleasing every time I go there. Especially, this second time, there have been great improvements in the road in just less than two years, and you can now take a car via ferry all the way into the village as opposed to before where you had to take a boat after the ferry. Though the small boat seemed to be more exciting in my opinion, being able to take your car the whole way showed signs of advancement and development. These were great things.
The one thing at gram that captivated me the most was the 'scholarship giving' at the school with students around my age. It was great to see their faces light up when they heard we were here. The ones that were awarded with scholarships seemed very grateful as to what they were receiving. It was a great sight seeing the fact that SpaandanB was able to make a poor child in Bangladesh very happy and that with the money the child received, he could go to better schooling for a better education. However, the one thing that greatly touched me was the difference between them and I. There they were, joyous, living in small concrete and tin houses, receiving a small education, and wearing ripped and tattered clothing. And there I was, standing in my brand-name jeans and rugby shirt with a video camera in one hand. I wasn't surprised when I was recording from the back of the crowd, and within fifteen minutes, most were behind me, staring at the camera screen. Furthermore, I wasn't surprised when a boy maybe my age asked me for money.
After the school, we had gone to see how the families who had received cows from SpaandanB were. It was fascinating. With the money they received to buy a cow, some cows had born more cows, and some were giving a substantial amount of work. It was great to see how this small donation from SpaandanB made such a huge impact on the unfortunates' lives. The people were treating the cattle very well. One family was even getting about 4-5 Kg's of milk from their cow everyday, which they could drink, and most of which they would sell for an amount of money that would over some time, cover the cost of the cow it self.
Overall, I believe that if the rich do not help the poor, the rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, and the world will become unbalanced. However, what SpaandanB is doing is really showing that, with a small amount of money, you can make a huge difference in someone's life. And that slowly, we can bring the many people of Bangladesh in poverty out of poverty and mold a shining future for them.