Hope Through Friendship
An Anecdote About A UP Chairman
Muhammad Abu Hanifa is the chairman of the local union Parishad, Chilmari Upazila, Kurigram Zila. He is the governor of sorts, to manage and coordinate any and all affairs in his wards and a veritable friend of the people. He was present at the inauguration of the plinth building in Goynarpotol in April this year, where he personally initiated the excavation with the first strike.
If there is anyone who has a vision of what impact the plinths are going to have, it is Abu Hanifa, dutifully looking after his constituency and their interests. All the effort that is going into the construction of the plinths, through Friendship’s expertise, is to their benefit.
“There are about 2000 people living in this ward, and most of them are mainly involved in agriculture for their livelihood. However, for these farmers, their crops and lands are limited. Mainly they’re farming corn and peanuts, that sort of thing, but the kind of means you would require to really cultivate these crops is mostly absent for the people here. That’s why most of them are below the poverty line” he explains, laying an overview of the current situation, pre-construction.
He feels compelled to speak of his friendship with Friendship, as it were, recalling the time he was a college lecturer, back before his administrative duties for the people’s government. Being an educator himself, he came to hear about Friendship’s schools and decided to check out the facilities of one such establishment years prior. Astonished at the quality of education offered, particularly after seeing the public examination results, he decided to keep an eye on Friendship and its activities.
Fast forward a few years, and the two parties have been in constant touch, with Abu Hanifa now an enthusiastic believer and willingly volunteering what facilitation he can for the NGO, and participating in all its programs.
He is hopeful of the future, outlining the benefits that the plinth will have. “It wasn’t enough just to provide shelter, it needs mention, but I should tell you that, for example, diseases like diarrhoea, fever etc. are common, but Friendship has been helping with that all around the union. However, since you (Friendship) have initiated a specific program here, making this plinth as you are, the people here are definitely going to be getting that same healthcare. We believe that Friendship will be able to a great job regarding that”, he says, confident that the organization that he has put his faith in will not disappoint.
All is not well at present, however. Climate change, ironically, cares not for the trials of man, despite the causality. In any case, as it stands, the floods come regularly, and the people of the char have nowhere to go. The riverine islands, made from build-ups of sand and sediment along the rivers, appear and erode with the tides, thereby being at Mother Nature’s mercy. The islands flood often, or disappear under the waves entirely, and as a result of their impermanence, they have very little by means of infrastructure or access.
“In my union, almost 80% of the households get destroyed. In times like that, we try to shelter them in schools and colleges. However, when we do that we have to cease classes, which is why I’m hoping that with help from organizations like yours, we can continue schooling even when there are floods. That’s why due to the lack of shelters, the lack of WASH facilities, nowhere to keep livestock, we have to end up putting them inside the schools and college, and there’s just not enough space. There’s a lot of loss and suffering. So it is my hope that from now on, whenever there is a flood, people can survive and that you will be able to help towards that”, says Abu Hanifa, stressing the need of the plinths and the facilities that come with it.
He hopes that Goynarpotol can be a model for future projects and that the upliftment in the livelihoods of the people that he can already envision will not be exclusive to this particular ward. He speaks of the amalgamation of Friendship’s goals, and those of the government and it's head-of-state. “I would request that you don’t stick to just one ward; my entire union is remote just like here, as you can see. In fact, there are places that are even worse. I feel as though only you can make it so that, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, ‘there will be no longer be any poor people in my country, nobody without homes or shelter’. I believe that because of programs like yours, the PM’s vision will be realized. I was impressed by how you are turning this low-land into a place where people could find shelter, instead of just looking for a higher place to shelter them. That means in the future even if you are not here, the people — both the ones who donated their land and all their neighbours will be able to find safety.”
He is a busy man, what with so many wards to oversee. Before he departs, however, he makes sure to thank everyone. “I wish Friendship every success and offer my thanks to all the donors; that in such a remote area as this, where people are so poor and unaddressed, you are improving their livelihoods so much. Thank you. Additionally, I want to thank all the people here who donated their lands. You have done something very noble and you will be rewarded for their generosity in the hereafter. Also, for all those of you who have come to work on the plinth — if there’s anything you need from me, please do not hesitate to ask. As the Union Parishad Chairman, I have many Union members here, and along with them, I will come to your assistance.”
As he makes his way back to his boat, the hardiest villagers roll up their sleeves, wipe their brows, pick up their shovels, and get to work.
The plinth has just been started, and the rains are coming soon.
*This story was collected in spring 2018
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