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Who are the people?

In Bangladesh, parents often arrange for their daughter to marry when she is very young. She will then live with her husband’s family as she grows up. Typically, her husband is older, and she will never address him by name.

Though it may seem odd, many people in Bangladesh do not know their exact birthday. This is because birth dates are often estimates and are not celebrated the way people in the United States are accustomed.

Although the government of Bangladesh recently made elementary education compulsory, there are too few schools for the vast number of students. In many communities, sponsorship helps ensure children attend school by providing school clothes, tuition, and supplies.

World Vision child sponsorship also provides immunizations and helps the community combat waterborne diseases by teaching improved sanitation practices to residents and providing latrines.

Letter writing is not a common practice in Bangladesh.Your sponsored child is probably not used to writing letters, so he or she may require the assistance of a World Vision staff person. If you write a letter, ask your child about household chores or favorite games the boy or girl enjoys playing.

What is it like to live there?

Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is located in southern Asia on the Bay of Bengal. The national language is Bengali. It is one of the world’s most densely populated and fastest growing countries in the world. Such factors have led to high unemployment.


 
Country Statistics 
Population141.9 million
Land Mass51,703 sq. miles
Life Expectancy63 years
Infant Mortality Rate54 / 1,000
Literacy Rate41%
School Enrollment84%
Access to Safe Water74%
Average Annual Income (GNI per capita)US$470
 
 
Bangladesh is primarily an agricultural country, with rich farmland and major crops of rice, tea, and jute, which is used to make rope and sacks and accounts for about 75 percent of exports. Nearly two-thirds of all land is cultivated, but the food produced is inadequate to sustain so many people.

The flat delta of the Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers covers most of Bangladesh—much of the country is below sea level. Each year from May to October the tropical monsoon, a season of heavy rains, brings serious flooding to most of the country. While the floodwaters deposit fertile soil, they also spread deadly diseases such as cholera.

When the river is low, people move into the fertile plain. For a few short seasons, they can produce excellent crops. However, when the floods return, everything is destroyed and often many people are killed.Violent cyclones rip through Bangladesh almost annually. One storm in 1970 killed 500,000 people.
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