poverty

You are currently browsing articles tagged poverty.

It’s been quite a ‘Journey’…

08/07/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by sharnabremner | 5 comments

Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
8 July 2010
Throwing two Aussies into a country where they don’t speak a word of the language, with a somewhat lofty goal of connecting the world with some poverty-stricken slum dwellers could have been a recipe for disaster. Lucky for us, it was the opposite.

As I sit here at home in chilly Adelaide, bundled up in my Snuggie (yes, I’m a Snuggie person. And I’m not ashamed to admit it), the only sound I can hear is my dog’s snores.

The loud and chaotic streets of humid Dhaka seem a lifetime ago.

In our whirlwind two week quest in Bangladesh, we met amazing people, learnt more than we probably expected to, made lifelong friends, ate great food and managed to achieve some outstanding things.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 1Goal, Actionaid Bangladesh Blog, Adelaide, Bangladesh, Community Journalist Group, Community Outreach Group, Dhaka, donation, Education, facebook, happy homes, poverty, project toto, slum, smile, sponsorship, twitter, women

You laugh because you have to

09/06/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by sharnabremner | 7 comments

Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
9 June 2010

Today was a momentous day. After much planning, some lengthy discussions and some minor hiccups, the ActionAid Bangladesh blog went live.

It might not seem that exciting to any of you, but for us and the ActionAid staff, it was roughly the equivalent of Australia winning the World Cup. Or for the Bangladeshi’s, it was the equivalent of Brazil or Argentina winning the Cup.

Not only does ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) now have an amazing blog where you can follow projects such as one of the Happy Home’s or the innovative Community Journalist Group’s, but they also have a Twitter account. Yep, the gang at AAB will now be tweeting, blogging and taking over the world, one social media outlet at a time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, Bangladesh, curry, laugh, poverty, rickshaw, smile, weather

To give, or not to give…

08/06/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by joelkatz | 12 comments

Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
8 June 2010

Just polished off most mouth-watering fish curry at a charming spot in Dhaka’s northern suburb of Gulshan. Inside restaurant it’s cool and calm.

Upper class locals sit around and talk shop, squishing curry into balls and popping them into their mouths. A giant plastic capsicum dangles above our heads with total indifference.

It’s a picture of dignified serenity.

Then we step outside and chaos descends.

Sharna talked about it last night in her post, but it’s something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to so I’ll describe the scene. Night lights reflect off an endless sea of traffic – an insane kaleidoscope of shimmering colour.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: actionaid australia, Actionaid Bangladesh Blog, Bangladesh, blogging, human rights, inequality, poverty, Proect TOTO, Sharna Bremner

Dude means milk?

07/06/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by sharnabremner | 12 comments

Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
7 June 2010

It took almost 11 months, 3 challenges, 3 flights and nearly 24 hours of travelling but we’re finally here in the craziness that is Dhaka.

We’re now at the end of our second day in Bangladesh and I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve learnt so far.

Joel and I are almost honorary Bangladeshi’s. Well, our names are. Joel is pretty close to the name that would be pronounced ‘Jewel’ and Sharna means golden. Yes, from now on, we shall be called Golden and Precious Stone.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Actionaid Bangladesh, blogging, Dhaka, Dude, Golden, Jewel, kids, Milk, poverty, project toto

Kids really do say the darndest things.

02/06/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by sharnabremner | 7 comments

Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
2 June 2010

Those who know me will tell you that I’m not really a kid person. Sure, they can be cute, but I personally prefer teenagers or adults. Kids are loud and they often have sticky hands for some reason. As for babies… Well, they make me nervous. They’re so tiny and delicate and you can’t tell what they’re thinking which, quite frankly, scares me a little bit.

Recently, however, I’ve discovered something a little worrying. It seems that maybe Whitney Houston was actually right. (That in itself is a scary thought.) Maybe children really are our future. Sometimes, kids just get it, no matter what it is.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: aid, Australia, Bangladesh, blogging, internet, kids, poverty, project toto

It’s an interesting view from up here…

26/05/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by Mark Chenery | 5 comments

Sharna Bremner
Outreach Blogger
26 May 2010

As our departure date draws ever-closer, I think it’s fair to say that preparations are in full swing. For me, this meant a trip to Sydney for training at the ActionAid offices. Complete with a 6.45 a.m. flight out of Adelaide. Yikes.

Joel and I were provided with a mind-blowing amount of information, and I want to give a huge shout out to the ActionAid staff for their help, advice and well-wishes, especially Mark for his never-ending enthusiasm (and for not losing his voice despite talking all day!), Kaetlyn for her many tips which will no doubt be invaluable, and to CEO Archie Law for taking the time to have a chat and wish us luck.

Part of the journey we’re currently undertaking includes media interviews, which for me meant an interview and a photoshoot with The Advertiser. I picked up a copy of Tuesday’s issue, hoping to see an article on Project TOTO, accompanied by a not-so-flattering photo of yours truly, but instead saw an article regarding Australia’s foreign aid program. Now, while I agree with some of the content in the article, I was struck by the title that featured a few pages in: “The millions we waste on foreign aid”.

Ummm… What?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: actionaid, AusAID, outreach blog, poverty, project toto

Oh Lonely Planet, my faithful friend…

23/05/2010 in TOTO Bangladesh by joelkatz | 3 comments

Joel Katz
Outreach Blogger
23 May 2010

Kind of embarrassing, but I’m a lonely planet guy. You’ll see my kind everywhere, guide-books glued to our faces, tripping over roosters and small children as we backpack around the globe. Phrase for “is this rash serious” in Estonian? Check language chapter. Best way to treat diarrhea in Bali? Check health chapter… quickly!

It’s a cop-out I know, but it’s so user-friendly and informative. So in the lead-up to our TOTO posting in Bangladesh, I’ve snagged one of these popular travel guides, and I’m brushing up on all things Bengali.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bangladesh, Bangladeshi history, blogging, Ganges River, Islam, Lonely Planet, poverty, project toto

« Older entries

poverty

It’s been quite a ‘Journey’…

You laugh because you have to

To give, or not to give…

Dude means milk?

Kids really do say the darndest things.

It’s an interesting view from up here…

Oh Lonely Planet, my faithful friend…

Subscribe by Email

ActionAid Sites

Categories

Recent Comments

Twitter feed...

Pages