 Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations in the world. Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to accelerate economic growth, Bangladesh remains an extremely poor and inefficiently governed country. Overpopulation, political infighting, corruption, and periodic natural disasters stand in the way of progress.
About a third of Bangladesh floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, causing loss of countless lives and hampering agriculture productivity and economic development. The poor suffer from easily preventable diseases and lack of basic necessities like clean water, sanitation and education.
The major religion practiced in Bangladesh is Islam (89.7 percent); a sizable minority adheres to Hinduism (9.2 percent), and Christians make up 0.3 percent. Among the Muslims, fundamentalists are constantly increasing pressure on the government to convert Bangladesh into a Muslim state by introducing the Shariah, a body of religious law that is primarily meant for all Muslims, but also applies to a certain extent for people living inside a Muslim society.
Food for the Hungry has been working in Bangladesh for more than 30 years, helping children, families and communities overcome all forms of human poverty.
You can partner with Food for the Hungry to shine God’s light in Bangladesh and make a difference in the lives of the poor and needy. By praying and giving generously to the ministry of Food for the Hungry in Bangladesh, you help bring new hope, new life, and God’s transforming love to those in need.
How we are meeting needs in Bangladesh
Family and Community Transformation
The Family and Community Transformation program helps develop the social and economic capacity of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in Bangladeshi communities where Food for the Hungry works. With guidance and training from Food for the Hungry, people in the community are invited to form learning and savings groups. In small groups of about 15 men or women, group members meet weekly to learn important lessons about health and nutrition, legal awareness, leadership development, and biblical values. Many of them learn how to read and write for the first time, and the literacy skill that they acquire empowers them and helps them become productive members of the society. They also save money every week into a collective bank account from which they can borrow for personal or business use. Generally, after meeting weekly for 15 months, the group will have enough money to invest in an income-generating activity, such as renting a field to grow crops or buying food in bulk at harvest time when it is cheap and selling later at higher prices.
An important feature of the Family and Community Transformation program is the teaching of spiritual truths that are based on God's Word. Group members learn to pray together and look to God to meet their needs. Another feature is that, as the groups become competent and strong, they form into clusters – called Village Organizations. Several Village Organizations can then join together to form Union Organizations, which have the size and capacity to register with the government of Bangladesh as legal entities in their own right. Thus, true community-based organizations are born.
Child Development
Funded through child sponsorship, our Child Development program provides impoverished children in Bangladesh access to education, health care, skills development, and special activities that help build confidence and develop character. The Child Development program impacts not only the sponsored child, but his or her family and community as well. Parents of sponsored children receive training in parenting, health and nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, and generating sustainable income to benefit their family. Foundational to this program, and integrated into every activity, are the sharing of biblical principles that help children and families discover their potential as individuals made in the image of a loving God.
School and Community Development
Food for the Hungry works with Hindu children and families in the Horijon community of Bangladesh. Mostly working as sweepers, these people belong to the very low “untouchable” class. Prejudice and discrimination often prevent their children from attending government schools. With financial support from donors, Food for the Hungry built a primary school in this community to provide children with quality education and after-school tutoring, and help them learn biblically based values. We also work with parents and leaders to improve the community’s way of life.
Disaster Relief and Emergency Preparedness
Bangladesh is a country prone to natural disasters. When heavy rains come, up to 50 percent of the country is submerged in floodwater. Many lives are lost, property and infrastructure are damaged, and water-borne diseases become rampant.
To save lives and minimize the devastation caused by frequent calamities, Food for the Hungry helps community members prepare for and respond appropriately to such emergencies. Through relief workshops, Food for the Hungry staff teach community leaders how to identify emergency needs, coordinate available resources, and work together to help families most in need.
Join a short-term team!
Another way to help families and communities in Bangladesh overcome all forms of human poverty is by joining a short-term team. The short-term team ministry of Food for the Hungry provides opportunities for individuals to form or join a group and serve on a 10- to 14-day mission trip to an impoverished community. In Bangladesh, team members can work with school teachers to develop their teaching and language skills, train parents in the areas of health and nutrition, build relationships with community members, and provide love and support to students and youth. You will provide critical assistance as you work alongside our long-term missionaries, national staff and local community members to make a lasting impact in a hurting community.
Become a Hunger Corps!
A Hunger Corps is a long-term missionary with Food for the Hungry, usually serving on a mission field for three years or more. This program is a great opportunity for people who have a heart for the poor to make a serious commitment to bring the love of God to others and help communities overcome physical and spiritual poverty. A Hunger Corps is sent by his or her local church to walk alongside the poor and reflect God’s love and grace. They provide assistance in areas such as communication, teaching English, staff training and development, and community development.
Explore Bangladesh on our site
Quote (and photo) from Food for the Hungry Country Director John Marsden:
The Bangladeshi people have a strong spirit; nevertheless, they continue to suffer because of factors out of their control. They live in a disaster-prone and very densely populated country. Corruption is present at every level of society, and injustice is a constant plague for the poor. Yet despite these frustrations, Bangladesh’s poor remain eager to learn and achieve their God-given potential in all areas of their lives. It gives me great joy to see the transformation in the lives of the people we work with. With your help, Food for the Hungry can get them started up the ladder of development. We are confident that they will continue to develop themselves, their families, and their community without ongoing dependency on Food for the Hungry.
“We continue to walk with the leaders to encourage them. They are now taking initiatives to develop their future. Our vision is to build a whole network of community-based organizations that can be salt and light, and bring hope and transformation to the nation of Bangladesh. We’re working with more than 600 groups comprising 10,000 families. But there are 140 million people in Bangladesh, so as we birth community-based organizations in one area, we can move on to new communities in other areas. Our Family and Community Transformation program is successfully helping people overcome poverty and develop not only economically, but socially, mentally, and spiritually.”
Quote (and photo) from a program beneficiary, Mosammat Parul Begum, Family and Community Transformation group leader:
“Before, we had to get help from others, and people cheated us. After forming this [learning and savings] group, we’ve learned a lot of things. We have lessons about health and sanitation. We’ve learned how to read and write. Now we cannot be cheated anymore. We advise our members that every child should be educated and should go to school. I want my kids to get a good education and to be well established. We have high hopes for them.”
Quote from a program beneficiary, Hosne Ara, Family and Community Transformation group leader:
“Before we joined the group, we had a really hard life. We struggled a lot. The income we made each day was our only means of survival for that day. If we were sick or unable to work, we starved or we fasted. Because we didn’t have an education, people would give us huge amounts of work to do and we couldn’t progress – we were ignorant. I got to know Food for the Hungry in 1995 when the workers came and visited us. They looked at our children, gave us advice on how to properly feed them, and also gave us tips on how to keep our children healthy. We never understood that all human beings have equal rights, but with our involvement with Food for the Hungry, we learned how to communicate, understand, and also live happily.”
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