Dr. Kathy Ward (University of Southern Illinois – Carbondale) on the roof of the Nari Jibon Project along with those involved with (and helped by) the project.
In this blog, I often mention Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. He was the inspiration that led me to start this project. But, as fate would have it, there has also been another brilliant American professor whose been an inspiration to me since I first heard of her. Her name is Dr. Kathy Ward and she’s a sociology professor at the University of Southern Illinois in Carbondale. I don’t talk about her often enough because… well… a grad student praising one of their favorite professors is just cliché now isn’t it?
But the fact of the matter is that there is a lot to laud about the work Dr. Ward has done here in Bangladesh through her non-profit called the Nari Jibon Project. And while more PR-savvy people in Dhaka seem to be able to market themselves as “the unsung hero of Dhaka” – I got a chance to meet the real McCoy.
All that and more after the jump.
Dr. Kathy Ward gives an interview with me on camera on the roof of the Nari Jibon Project. Having dealt with YouTube haters myself – who nitpick and hate upon every little imperfection – I (tactfully) warned her that publishing this interview on YouTube would no doubt solicit hater comments about her facial hair. Dr. Ward smiled, brushed it off, and explained that she could care less about that. The facial hair is but one of many by-products of a medical condition she has. As she told me, she can neither control her symptoms nor YouTube haters – so she worries about neither.
In many ways, Dr. Ward is a lot like me – a sociologist passionate about the issues of global poverty. Like me, she has done a lot of research into poverty in Bangladesh. She even made a few research trips to Dhaka in previous years. One day she decided to put that knowledge to use and formed the Nari Jibon Project – an American registered non-profit organization primarily funded by her job in academia and from family donations.
The sign hanging above the entrance to the Nari Jibon Project – rusty, discolored, and showing its age. This sign had seen a lot – floods, riots, and even the fierce weather brought by Cyclone Sidr. While most PR-centric NGOs in Dhaka would focus on making a good first impression (and keep their signboards nice and shiny) – Dr. Ward is not a big believer in judging a book by its cover. She believes the success stories happening inside are more important than the signboard out at the entrance.
It’s kind of hard to describe exactly what the Nari Jibon Project is because nothing like it really existed before. So, in a sense, there is not only a similarity between Dr. Ward and myself – but even our respective projects seem to have a certain kinship. At first blush, the Nari Jibon project is a skills training center for women. But it’s actually much more than that. Dr. Ward believed that – because of the unique challenges women face in Bangladesh – female economic advancement and job opportunities are severely limited.
For example, if a woman is working in a garment factory and learns how to read and write – she can move to a higher paying job doing more complex garment work. Or, if a woman who is a housemaid learns how to speak English, she can move to a higher paying job as a housemaid for foreign expats. But being a higher paying garment worker or a higher paying housemaid is simply moving up the ladder among a very limited palette of job opportunities for women. What Dr. Ward wanted to do was not only help low income women move up the ladder – but also create new opportunities for them.
Nari Jibon students use the computer lab. Computer students at Nari Jibon learn skills in word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and even graphic design. Some of Nari Jibon success stories involve moving women from formerly low paying blue collar jobs into higher paying white collar jobs. Photo courtesy (and copyright) Nari Jibon.
The way Dr. Ward was able to put theory into practice is by using technology. Nothing fancy – just stuff most of us take for granted like old computers, old camcorders, some webcams, and a digital camera or two. The computers pictured above were donated from a variety of foreign agencies that wanted to get rid of their obsolete stock of computers. Using these old computers, Dr. Ward was able to setup a computer lab and training facility. I’ve dropped by a few times and I’ve seen these students do things with MS Word I wasn’t even aware you could do (like professional-level graphic design for brochures).
The thing is that – even though Nari Jibon is relatively new (just a few years old) – it’s already had a few success stories. I seem to be learning of a new success story everytime I visit this organization: like the former illiterate garment worker who now is a computer-using administrative assistant for the United Nations Development Programme, or the former illiterate “iron-man” garment worker who is now a skilled and literate administrative assistant (and now working for the organization), and the dozens of women who (at first) didn’t even know how to turn on a computer but are now proud bloggers.
Me speaking to students at Nari Jibon about blogging, YouTube, and photo blogging. As much as Nari Jibon has grown over the years, it still is primarily funded by Dr. Ward and her family. Missing from this session was my ability to actually demonstrate anything on computer given the lack of funds for a computer projector. I tried my best to explain about these websites using the whiteboard behind me. [Sidenote: This photo was taken a few months back - I'm amazed at how much weight I seem to be losing during this project. Maybe it's the climate?]
As amazed I am at the progress that has been made with Dr. Ward’s organization, I can also see how family donations can only go so far. It’s a reality I’m all too familiar with. A few months back I was invited to speak to Nari Jibon students about YouTube, blogging, and photo blogging. The students were very attentive and eager to learn but I wasn’t able to show them much. Why? Because, unfortunately, there isn’t enough money in Nari Jibon’s budget for even one computer projector. I spent much of my time explaining about websites like YouTube, Flickr, and Blogspot by sketching them on the whiteboard.
Along with Save the Children – The Nari Jibon Project is on my short list of recommended charities. But, the thing is, Dr. Ward is at a disadvantage. She doesn’t have the big fund raising ability like Save the Children. She also doesn’t have the resources to make a PR-savvy campaign like many of the high-profile small & local charities you might have heard of here in Dhaka. These local charities aggressively seek out people to get funds from, tend to focus on children (who tend to be very photogenic), and also portray themselves as “unsung heroes” of Dhaka (although I’m willing to bet none of them know Dhaka as well as Dr. Ward).
Even here on the ground, it’s hard for me to figure out how to help Nari Jibon. This is because I want to spend the money donated to me in a way that those following back home can understand how it helps. For the cost of giving Nari Jibon a much needed computer projector, I could build a deep tube well somewhere in a rural part of Bangladesh that has no access to clean drinking water. People back home see and know the value of giving people clean drinking water. The value of donating a computer projector, a desktop, a camcorder, or a digital camera is somewhat harder to understand.
With over 4,600 charities and NGOs in Bangladesh, I sometimes am finding myself wadding through a lot of BS. Honest organizations (with honest intentions) are often few and far between. There are a lot of organizations throwing around slogans such as “Making A Difference” or portraying themselves as “the unsung hero of Dhaka” complete with schmaltzy pictures to pull at your heart strings (and your pocket). But if you want to know who is truly making a difference and is the unsung hero of Dhaka? Take my word – as someone whose been here on the ground doing this for over a year – and look no further than Dr. Kathy Ward.
[Full disclosure: As with any of the corporations, charities, or organizations I have praised in this blog to date, I was not paid for such endorsement. I was also not required or obligated - in anyway or manner - to endorse them.]
