ASIAN AID PRESENTS
SEASONS OF HOPE
seasons of hope table of contents
credit
Hope
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Photographs Joshua Moses
India
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Words Sonja Larsen, Joshua & Tammy Moses
Bangladesh
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Edit Kent Kingston, Sonja Larsen, Tammy Moses & Bruna Tawake
Nepal
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Layout, Colour Correction and Much Wisdom Aaron Bellette
The Reason
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Graphic Design Miriam Kingston
Š Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved Asian Aid Pty. Ltd.
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seasons of hope
‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Shedding light on India, Bangladesh and Nepal—countries of such vivid culture and history—in a few pages of photographs is not simple. Finding a unifying theme for a visual journey into the realities of life in these countries is also challenging. Yes, there are people in the world whose seasons are harsher than others. Yet in seasons of struggle and despair the human spirit can still be determined and optimistic. It can yearn for and accept, as the photographs in this book show, seasons of hope. Sharing the stories of people and communities who cannot, at this season of their lives, stand up boldly for themselves, is a responsibility and a privilege. The images crying out for opportunity, equality and order are what give this book intangible importance. What you are about to see and read is not a sales exercise or a compilation of the best Asian Aid photographs. It is instead the stories of the everyday lives of people affected by circumstances beyond themselves in some of the countries where Asian Aid advocates and gives hope. “And let us not grow tired in doing well: for in due season we shall reap, if we persist” (Galatians 6:9).
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InDIA
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ripe with culture Trying to catch a firefly in a bottle to contain its beauty is a challenge. In the same way, trying to fit the cultural identity of India in the space of a few pages counts for minuscule percentages of what this country offers. To really experience India you must be amongst it. Look for the essence of India in the eyes of its millions of school children. This henna-decorated girl goes to an Asian Aid supported slum school in Vishakhapatnam, a coastal city of nearly two million people. The school is in the heart of the city’s largest slum, but despite their gloomy surroundings and congested classrooms, the students are energetic and content. Their season of determination is bound, in time, to impact their community. These young boys are catching a free lift on a rickshaw in a New Delhi shopping district, and getting away with it. With nearly 14 million people, Delhi is erupting with life. Attempt to board the train at any city station and you quickly learn how difficult it can be to live amongst such a mass of other bodies, jostling and wrestling their way on and off the train. This is why the lady in the rickshaw doesn’t mind, and this is why this moment, captured on camera, is not unique in Delhi. It’s life as it happens all the time.
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determination Faces of absolute innocence, yet etched in determination. Their old home at Sunrise Orphanage was bursting at the seams and far from luxurious. But it offered the love of friends and the feeling of family. For an orphan, having 20 to 25 new sisters to live, study and play with was, and is, a real blessing. Finally moving into a brand new orphanage on a large property is a special moment for the kids to experience and for us to witness. These young girls’ faces are cheery on most days, but give them a new home, a bigger place to play, more reliable electricity and some beautiful scenery and they thrive. Welcome to the new Sunrise Orphanage.
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tradition & change India is awake at all hours. Factories and call centres buzz with activity 24/7. The transportation system that supports them is always busy too. This, along with a push for cleaner air and less pollution, has seen many big cities develop light rail and bus systems to keep the chaos on city streets manageable. Yet congestion is still an issue. And what zooms, cuts, and weaves through traffic most efficiently? The auto-rickshaw. Drivers, who are often owners of the rickshaws, compete fiercely for customers. Legislation is increasingly pushing for autorickshaws to run on natural gas in an attempt to rein in air pollution. Owners of the rickshaws, who have to bear the gas conversion costs, hike up rates to make a few more rupees with each ride. The quiet, cool, and composed manner of some drivers is easily relinquished at the sight of a potential customer.
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India in the future Passing a section of wall littered with Bollywood posters, one would never know that on the other side there’s a pitch of unlevelled dirt where hundreds of young people have a game of football or cricket many times throughout the day. Despite challenges with pollution, Indians enjoy the outdoors and sport continues to unite (or sometimes divide) the nation. The transition is slow, but India’s push for cleaner air, safer roads, better sanitation and more sustainable practices, is moulding a generation of people who will gain much more than an education. This is an exciting season in India. As engineers, labourers, teachers, scientists, rickshaw drivers, politicians and doctors ask questions and seek answers, their voices are already being heard and the promise of a different India seems to be materialising a little faster.
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a past season Imagine trying to provide healthcare for 1.2 billion people! It’s not easy. Despite India’s economy growing impressively since 2000, some 42% of Indian children are still malnourished. Nearly 70% of the population lives outside the cities, half of them below the poverty line. Survival is a daily struggle for many Indians. Non-government organisations like Asian Aid are helping to provide opportunities for young people to rise out of poverty and contribute to the nation’s future. Lowering child mortality rates, providing a more efficient sanitation system to prevent the spread of disease, and bringing healthcare and education to rural people will help India enter a new season of hope and progress.
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India overview • Auto rickshaws are a common and essential means of
public transportation in many Asian countries. As urban transport needs increase in India’s densely populated cities, so too does the need to provide more sustainable transport options such as the auto rickshaws fuelled by compressed natural gas.
• India generally prides itself in its collectivist culture, which
stems from the close personal ties Indians maintain with their family and extended family. There exists a deeprooted trust among relatives, as family and group goals are often placed above individual needs or desires.
• One of the world’s most ancient and diverse cultures,
India rates highest in Asia, and ninth in the world, in the Language Diversity Index (LDI), which measures the diversity of languages spoken in a country.
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BANGLADESH
optimism Crackling speakers, rhythmic clapping and drum beating‌ A young girl performs a cultural dance with grace and pride. In traditional cultures, dance has often helped to communicate joy or pain, to soothe sorrows or to celebrate occasions. Bangladeshi culture, ripe and vibrant, is no different. And Bangladeshis dance, despite having been shortchanged in the drawing of their country’s boundaries; despite being trapped in low-lying river deltas that cut off travel and trade during yearly flood seasons. Absolute optimism is their choice.
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national frailty Textiles and agriculture are the two biggest industries in Bangladesh, with textiles contributing 75% of the nation’s exports. Many people from rural communities are leaving the agrarian life behind to move to cities and work in textile factories. Life is slower in the small, simple communities where people are hardworking and relatively content. Elders, men who have been around the longest, are still respected for their wisdom and knowledge about the land. But with displacement occurring often due to the increasingly regular floods and other factors, this communal framework is coming undone. Young people leave, attracted to the cities by the promise of stability and freedom.
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a growing challenge Bangladesh’s future will be a challenging season. The monsoon, with unpredictable deluges of rain, will come again. The Himalayan snows will thaw and rivers will swell as they weave their way to the Bay of Bengal. All the rice, all the jute, and all the vegetables and fruit will be planted again with the hope that this year’s weather will be just right. Those in the cities will continue to work 12 to 14-hour shifts, happy to have a job and proud to contribute to their families, their communities and their economy again. As Bangladeshis become more connected to the world beyond their borders—with electricity, satellite TV and the internet reaching deep into rural areas—they will witness Western lifestyles and values. With limited resources and infrastructure, they’ve set themselves the tough challenge of becoming global contributors. When in Bangladesh, though the air is humid, you can smell optimism in the wind. 29
daily; yearly Limited arable land and dense population distribution mean scare opportunities to make a living. The nation’s reliance on foreign aid has lessened in recent years as the economy strengthens and people gain employment. Watching crowds in the thousands migrate across metro Dhaka to their next factory shift, prompts confidence. But poor working conditions and unfair pay mean many Bangladeshis still struggle to make a living. Labour rights advocacy—within and outside Bangladesh—has seen the establishment, in some workplaces, of contracts and increased regulation. It’s a start.
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the next generation There’s a natural order of things in Bangladesh. As a child, the pathway of life is simple: provide for the family and continue the family line as best as you can.
A strong work ethic, increased opportunities to access quality education even in remote areas and strong social networks are shaping a new generation of Bangladeshis who are optimistic and determined to create a brighter season for the nation.
For this reason, whether they come from the city or the farmlands, children begin working for their families at a tender age. This pathway ensures that each Bangladeshi child understands the struggle to provide for family. Children trudge along dirt paths, through people’s front yards and alongside rice paddies to get to school in a rural community. And in the process they learn to be community-minded and to gain social awareness.
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Bangladesh overview • The values of community, respect and unity are held in
high esteem in Bangladesh. Bangladeshis are primarily hierarchical and community-focused and are encouraged to respect the rights and needs of families, communities and groups.
• Bangladesh is one of the most flood-prone countries in
the world and particularly vulnerable to climate change. With two thirds of Bangledesh’s territory less than five metres above sea level, and up to 80% of its population living in rural areas, monsoonal floods can cause significant damage to crops and property, and can have adverse effects on rural livelihoods.
• The unique geographical and demographic
characteristics of Bangladesh continue to make effective development and poverty reduction a very challenging task.
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NEPAL
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a tough year Nepali men above the age of 40 seem weathered by the hardships of life. Having gained democracy in 2008 and still struggling to relinquish rights to its citizens, Nepal seems to be undergoing a tough season. Much like Bangladesh and India, a large percentage of the population is rural. But unlike Bangladesh and India, Nepal offers extreme variation in landscape—from the flat and humid Terai along the India-Nepal border, to the jagged Himalayan peaks. The hope for a brighter season lies in Nepal’s natural beauty that attracts tourists and mountain climbers from all over the world, and in the tenacity of its people.
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misconceptions Many of Nepal’s social issues revolve around gender. Women in Nepal are slowly understanding their rights, with awareness seeping from the cities and into rural communities. The treatment of uterine prolapse (UP), a debilitating condition where the supporting muscles of the uterus weaken and allow it to detach from the pelvic floor, has been, and still is, a difficult issue in many rural societies. Widespread illiteracy and lack of awareness of preventative measures for UP contribute to the high percentage of women suffering from the condition. Previously an unspoken societal stigma, the issues surrounding UP and women’s reproductive rights are becoming a priority for local and national governments. Asian Aid, working with local partners, is helping to raise awareness about this issue and to fund surgery for women suffering with UP.
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off the grid There is much to say about Nepali resolve. Landlocked between China and India, emerging giants that vie for essential trade routes and resources from Nepal, and surrounded by a harsh landscape, Nepalis are accustomed to overcoming challenges. People often have to walk up into the mountains to access water. Remote communities become difficult to reach. Asian Aid supports doctors’ visits to such rural and remote communities, where they provide education and awareness about communicable diseases, the benefits of hygiene, and general health and wellbeing. Doctors sometimes travel four days to reach a village and see up to 100 patients every day. Without doctors’ visits and sound medical advice, people often resort to their own devices and natural remedies; some effective, and others devastating. It takes dedication on the part of medical staff to help these rural communities. But their dedication is imperative for the nation’s survival and progress. 44
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a season to come Infrastructure. Expansion. Development. All will amount to little without a skilled workforce to implement and innovate. As the tourism industry in Nepal grows, so does the service industry that now accounts for nearly 50% of the nation’s yearly gross domestic product (GDP). Foreign investment from China and India in the development of infrastructure, such as hydroelectricity and improved roads, helps bring electricity and goods and services to rural areas. But it also makes it easier for skilled Nepalis to leave. Nearly two million Nepalis work overseas, largely in the Middle East, contributing to the lack of skilled labour back home. Fresh from years of civil unrest and corruption, and service-minded, the next generation seems keener to stay. 46
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a motivated youth Nepali youth have embraced democracy and are using public spaces to express their frustration against age-old traditions and/or rampant corruption. Murals, such as this, that depict the reality of Uterine Prolapse are tastefully painted by previous UP sufferers and have sprung up around Kathmandu. In this case, the benefit is simply to provide a voice for the suffering.
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Nepal overview • While perceptions of involvement of Nepali
young people in the People’s War (1996 to 2006) have often been documented in a negative light, there is also evidence of their involvement in peace-building. A survey of Nepal’s young people recognises the increasing and valuable role they play as agents of peace.
• Nepal is a beautiful country and one of the most
diverse geographical regions on earth, containing an incredible variety of terrain for its relatively small land area. Nepal is well-known for the tropical lowlands of the Terai, the summit of Mount Everest at 8850m, and the eight of the world’s 14 tallest peaks over 8000m.
• Despite the unparalleled scenic beauty, Nepal’s
rugged terrain often contributes to critical development constraints. Nepal experiences wide variations in poverty levels that are primarily based on ethnicity, caste and gender, and the geographical rural-urban divide.
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the reason This book was created to showcase reality in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. We could have filled the book with photographs of the Taj Mahal, the Himalayan mountain range, or the beautiful rice paddies of Bangladesh. But that wouldn’t give you a clear indication of why we at Asian Aid choose to partner with Indians, Bangladeshis and Nepalis to facilitate their optimism and celebrate their determination. Display this book. Show it to others. Write about it. Give it as a gift. Not for the sake of the book, but to advocate for the new friends you have met in these pages; because for their seasons of hope to come, they need you to be a giver of hope.
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