Witnessing Climate Change in Bangladesh

On December 17, 2011, I set upon a journey from the United States to study global climate change in Bangladesh for four weeks. Thirty students from across the nation were selected to participate in this cultural exchange to represent our country and build international bridges. Aside from just saying, “My trip was amazing!” I will highlight key events, which range from being on a boat in the Sundarban forest to visiting a school in the slums of Dhaka.

One of the first things that struck me on this trip was my visit to the Jaago Foundation. This trip’s main focus was on climate change, but we also were in Bangladesh to learn about social issues as well. The Jaago Foundation started out as a student from Dhaka, named Korvi, noticing the lack of education in the slums surrounding Dhaka.

He gathered students from the slum and started teaching them simple ABC’s in a carpeted room with a white board. Korvi was 19 when he started this. By the age of 22, he established the Jaago Foundation.

This story of the Jaago Foundation inspires me of how young people are making a positive impact in their community. The school is now a staple contributor to the slum community and has provided many helpful tools for the children to succeed. Just this past year in 2011, the Jaago Foundation helped create Volunteer for Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a young country and there isn’t much of an activist culture yet. But not to fear, there is a strong forefront of youth rising to take on this challenge to make the world a better place.

For most of the second week right after Christmas, the American students boarded a boat. We traveled through Bangladesh’s intertwining river delta to the Bay of Bengal. On this beautiful boat ride, we learned about the stark reality of climate change.

With the rising sea levels, saline water line is slowly intruding into the fresh water areas and obstructing the mangrove forest. We also saw firsthand the destruction done by the recent cyclones, Aila and Sidr. In Bangladesh, cyclones are happening more frequently and with more strength. The Sundarbans act as a fortress for Bangladesh, but it has recently taken much beating from the cyclones and may not be able to save the people of Bangladesh next time. Climate change might not be so prevalent in the U.S. but it is a reality in Bangladesh. The people are forced to deal with it every day. Also, the U.S. is a more affluent country that has more resources to use to deal with climate change whereas Bangladesh is a developing country with limited resources. In the Sundarbans was where I first realized the actuality of climate change.

The third week, I spent most of my time at a service project in Khulna. Some PhD students were doing a survey of the village people asking them about their water supply. The aim of the study was to investigate how saline water was affecting maternal health.

Our service was a different type of service. It wasn’t to the people we were surveying. Over the long term it is for them, but what we were doing at the time was conducting more surveys for the research that the PhD students were doing. One of the most powerful days for me was when we went to a village that was considered a climate change refugee camp. Cyclone Aila hit Bangladesh in 2009 and people still have not recovered from the natural disaster.

We asked one of the village men, “What will you do if another cyclone hits? Will you leave?” He responded passionately, “We will never leave. Me and my children will stay here and die on this land together.” It was so fascinating to hear how connected the Bangladeshi people were to their land. No matter what happens with climate change and its effects on the Bangladeshi people, they will stay and adapt to the situation.

During the fourth week, much of our discussions revolved around the ideas of social business and social action projects. As a part of this trip, the youth participants are required to create a social action project that addresses climate change. To help us with this idea of social business, we visited the Yunus Center.

The Yunus Center is where the creator of micro credit and the Grameen Bank now works, Mohammad Yunus. Grameen Bank and Mohammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their work in fighting poverty. The concept of a social business is seeing a social issue and creating a business that addresses that issue, much like the Jaago Foundation. For our social action projects, we kept this in mind. My social action project is to create a t-shirt campaign to bring awareness of climate change issues.

Before the trip, I did a survey to see what people knew about climate change and I found out that people didn’t have much knowledge or know much background about climate change. After being in Bangladesh and seeing up close how climate change is affecting people, I wanted to create something that shows that climate change is a reality. I have partnered up with a fellow American student named Megumi and we are collaborating with local artists to design t-shirts that will send a message about climate change.

I would have never guessed that I would travel to a country roughly the size of Iowa. I did not expect to ever wear a salwar kamis. The trip to Bangladesh truly opened my eyes to how interconnected we all are around the world. My actions here in Minnesota are truly affecting those halfway around the world. Climate change is a reality and we must act now to save the future. Bangladesh was amazing, and an eye-opening experience.

I had a wonderful experiential learning opportunity. I would recommend this trip to anyone reading this post. You get to travel to a country that one would not usually go to and learn about climate change with such a distinct perspective. To apply for next year's cohort, visit http://worldsavvy.org/youth-engagement/bangladesh-exchange/apply/

Pajnucci Vue is a student at Highland Park Senior High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a member of NYLC's Board of Directors.