Students help flood victims
By Sean Healy
DHAKA, Bangladesh — The people of Bangladesh face a new threat — devastating floods which affect 70% of the country and are getting worse. Flying into Dhaka (ground transport is now closed) is a horrifying experience. Nowhere can you see an area of land unaffected — there is no land!
Almost the whole country has been under at least one metre of water for two months, the only exceptions being the eastern hills and some (mainly middle-class) suburbs of the capital, Dhaka. The country has been thrown into chaos and is threatened with the spread of diseases like dysentery, cholera and typhoid, as well as famine.
The overwhelming majority of Bangladesh's 120 million people live in absolute poverty. The per capita annual income is below US$200. More than 20% of the population has been made homeless by the floods.
I visited one flood-affected area on the outskirts on Dhaka. A poor neighbourhood, where life was difficult to begin with, has now become unbearable. People are travelling from place to place in shaky wooden canoes, trying to survive as best they can.
The water is stagnant and filled with garbage. Clean drinking water is unavailable. Children and the elderly are already becoming sick.
Student organisations in Bangladesh have thrown themselves into the relief effort. Universities have been closed and classrooms and buildings have been turned over to organising aid. The student union building at Dhaka University has been turned into a giant kitchen, with hundreds of students kneading, frying and packing bread.
Basic medicines also are at a premium and student organisations have prioritised assembling basic medical kits for the flood-affected areas.
International student organisations have also pitched in. Representatives from the organisations present in Bangladesh for the Asian Students Association conference on education and globalisation (see accompanying article) organised a solidarity visit to the flood-affected areas, bringing food and medicines with them. Many have also pledged to extend further assistance from their own countries.