2010.04-Working Paper-Poverty+Alleviation+Strategies+and+Development+Experences+of+Bangladesh

　　ABSTRACT
　　Bangladesh, a country of 150 million people living in an area of 145,000 Square Kilometers,was born in 1971 with a devastated economy and traumatized people. The 9-month heroicLiberation War will remain as one of the most glorious chapters in human history.  The countryhad to be rebuilt from scratch.  In its 38 years of existence, Bangladesh people are fightingagainst challenging living conditions - dense population, floods, cyclones, deforestation, erosion,soildepletion, man-made and natural calamities.  However the country has fared well in reducingpoverty and moving towards a path of positive development.  The government and the privatedevelopment organizations have taken commendable poverty alleviation strategies and aresuccessfully implementing poverty alleviation programs.  Seven world class development successstories are narrated as examples.  Some key lessons have been highlighted to show what thedevelopment community in Bangladesh is going through and what they have learnt.
　　Key words:  Poverty Alleviation, Success Stories, Policies, Partnership, Lessons.
 
　　1. The Birth of Bangladesh and its History
　　Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia.  It isbordered by India on all sides, except for a small part with Myanmar (Burma) to the far southeastand by the Bay of Bengal to the south.  Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes upthe ethno-linguistic region of Bengal.  The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in theNational Bengali (Bangla) language.
　　Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy.  Direct elections, in which all citizens aged 18 andover can vote, are held every five years for the unicameral parliament known as Jatiyo Shongshod(National Parliament). Currently the parliament has 345 members including 45 reserved seats forwomen.  Members of the Parliament are elected from single-member constituencies.  The PrimeMinister, as the head of the government forms the cabinet and runs the affairs of the State.  Whilethe Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, they must be a Member of Parliament(MP) who commands the confidence of the majority in the Parliament.  The President is the Headof State but mainly assumes a ceremonial post elected by the Parliament.
　　Bangladesh was born in 1971 after a long struggle in the Liberation War.  It is not a very largecountry in terms of physical size (145,000 Square Kilometers), however in terms of population it isthe 9th largest country in the world with 150 million people.  88 percent of Bangladeshis are Muslims.The Hindus constitute about 10 percent and the rest are mostly Buddhists, Christians and the tribals.Over 98 percent of the people speak Bangla.
　　The nine-month long War of Liberation waged by the people of Bangladesh in 1971 will foreverremain one of the most glorious chapters in human history.  An entire people of 70 million, inspiredby their great leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, rose in arms against the military junta of Pakistanwhen years of political persuasion failed to secure for the Bengalees a place of honour and justicein that country.
　　Political and economic deprivation led the Bengalees to demand greater provincial autonomyand control over natural resources such as jute and tea which, because of the Korean War boomin the fifties, became the prime earners of foreign exchange for the then Pakistan.  This called forconstitutional changes.
　　The demand was viewed by the Pakistani rulers as a strategic move by the Bengalees to makeway for secession.  The demand for making Bangla one of the state languages of Pakistan wasalso viewed with suspicion and this led to repression and bloodshed.  Several students were killedin Dhaka in 1952.  From then onwards every year Bangladeshis observe this day as Martyrs Day.
　　In fact the Language Movement was the start of the independence struggle for Bangladesh.February 21 is now recognized by the United Nations as the International Mother Language Dayand is celebrated worldwide. The movement culminated in the March 26, 1971 and ultimately Bengalees won the War of Liberation and became a free countryon December 16, 1971.
　　During the Liberation War, there were killing, arson, looting and destruction by the PakistaniArmy. Ten million people fled the country to neighboring India and an estimated three millionpeople were killed, but that could not stop the Bangladeshi Liberation Fighters, who were students,peasants, laborers'，common men, women and children who fought against a formidable andorganized army and overthrew them to gain independence.
　　What Bangladesh inherited was a devastated, destroyed economy in ruins. The people were traumatized.  Poverty was at its peak and thus the people and the government had to start rebuild-ing Bangladesh almost from scratch.
 
　　2. Evolution of Poverty Situation in Bangladesh
　　Bangladesh from its birth has been known as one of the world's poorest countries.  In the 38years of its existence, people have been fighting ongoing battles against challenging living conditions - dense population, floods, cyclones, deforestation, erosion, soil depletion, man-made and natural calamities.  As Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Prize winner Professor MuhammadYunus argues, solutions are available - provided we are willing to entertain fresh thinking aboutpoverty and its remedies.  He continues, "I don't think we can blame fate, nature or God for ourtroubles.  The real problem in Bangladesh is not the natural disasters, It is the widespread poverty, which is a man-made phenomenon."
　　Although the perception has been that Bangladesh is a "poor' country, the people, especially the women and men at the bottom have shown enormous courage and resilience in their fightagainst poverty.  The country may be economically poor, but in terms of human resourcesBangladesh is a "rich" country.  However, the policy makers and the rulers have not been able toharness this resilience and capacity of the people and channel that towards development.  Theworld should realize that poverty is more dangerous than terrorism, religious fundamentalism orpolitical rivalries.  Poverty can dampen the spirit of the people to carry on.  It can be a real threatto world peace.  Therefore it is very urgent that the world leaders and governments put greater emphasis on eradicating poverty.  The potential strengths of the people should be taken into con-sideration and innovative and new approaches are required to implement this most important taskand there is no short-cut, it will take time, but continued and relentless efforts are required from allsectors of the society, nationally and internationally.
　　The history of poverty in Bangladesh can be traced back to the British colonial periods in theearly 20th century.  However, the interests of the policy makers, researchers and academics reallybegan after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
　　The poverty rate (as measured by international aid organizations such as the World Bank) hasfallen from an estimated 74% in 1973-74, t0 57% in 1991-92, t0 4g% in 2000 - and then t0 40% in2005.
　　Though still too high, it continues to fall by around  l % a year,  with each  percentage point rep-resenting a meaningful improvement in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis.  Thecountry is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by2015.
　　Even more remarkably, Bangladesh's rapid economic growth has been accompanied by littleincrease in inequality.  The commonly used Gini index of inequality has changed only from 0.30in 1995 t0 0.31 in 2005.  It is also noteworthy that, since 2000, the real per-capita income of thebottom 10% of the population has grown at the same annual rate as that of the top 10% (2.8%).
　　The history of Bangladesh's development is not a very long one, but it has been arduous.  Thegovernment, the private sector and millions of men, women and children have been playing theirroles in taking Bangladesh through a path of moving ahead with dignity.  There have been enormous sacrifices by the people, especially the poor in the country.  However it can now be said thatthe country is on the right track and showing promise for a brighter future.
　　In the last three decades the country has made progress in the health, water and sanitationand education sectors.  Primary health care is reaching the rural areas, drinking water has arrived at the door steps of the people throughout the country.  More than 90% of people in the rural areas are now covered by drinking water through tube wells.  Above 80% of eligible children areenrolled in primary school.  Special water and sanitation programs are being implemented.
 
　　3. Poverty Strategies of Bangladesh
　　The Constitution of Bangladesh (the Constitution) provides clear directives for formulating thecountry's development goals, objectives and strategies.  Fundamental Principles of the StatePolicy, as enshrined in the Constitution, places on the state the responsibility of meeting basicneeds of the people through: (a) planned economic growth, (b) constant increase of productiveforces, and (c) a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people.
　　Accordingly, the Constitution states that the above strategic guideline would be pursued witha view to securing to the citizens:
　　(a) the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education andmedical care;
　　(b) the right of work, that is the right to guaranteed employment at a reasonable wage havingregard to the quantity of work;
　　(c) the right to reasonable rest, recreation and leisure; and
　　(d) the right to social security, that is to say, to public assistance in cases of undeserved wantarising from unemployment, illness or disablement; or, suffered by widows or orphans, or in oldage, or in other such cases.
　　Bangladesh's constitutional guidelines are rooted in a framework aimed at raising the quality of life - a secured living that is foreseeable and safe, with access to productive resources, qualityhealth and education - through balanced and equitable growth.
　　Beginning from 1973, successive development plans in Bangladesh have highlighted the issuesof poverty.  The plans also suggested a number of strategies to face the challenges.  The First FiveYear Plan (1973-78), placed emphasis on a socialist restructuring of the economy so that thebenefits of development could be distributed more equitably among the different groups of people. In a sense the plan was preoccupied more with the task of post-independence economic recon-striation and the international economic crisis arising from the oil price hike, than with the poverty problems of the country.
　　The following Two Year Plan (1978-80) was expected to give the country a direction for futureplanning and development.  However, it became bogged down with the task of rationalizing theportfolio of ongoing projects in the face of acute resource shortage.  The Second Five Year Plan(1980-85) made a renewed effort in bringing the poverty issue to the forefront through its emphasis on basic needs.   In reality, its main concern became the reduction of the socialist emphasis in the economy in favor of greater reliance on the market economy and promotion of the private sector.
　　The Third Five Year Plan (1985-90) brought forward the idea of a group-based plan on thebasis of a Social Accounting Matrix using an Applied General Equilibrium Model.  In practice itsmain preoccupation was to respond to new challenges like aid conditional ties, which were thrustupon the nation while pursuing macro-economic stability and rapid structural reforms.
　　The Fourth Five Year Plan (1990-95) noted that poverty, unemployment, rapid population growth, malnutrition, illiteracy all are interactive and needed to be addressed simultaneously in the macro plans with both short and long term perspectives.  Against the background of a rising trend in the number of landless, small and marginal holdings in Bangladesh, and the process of depeas-antization and pauperization, the Fourth Five Year Plan announced a comprehensive approach towards poverty alleviation. This plan emphasized poverty alleviation through human resource development as its most important planning objective.  The Fourth Five Year Plan recognized therole of safety-net projects of both the Governmental Organizations (GO) and the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), but insisted that the primary emphasis for poverty alleviation should be given through bringing the poor and the disadvantaged from the periphery to the Centre of thedevelopment process.
　　The Fifth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) of Bangladesh considered alleviation of poverty as being synonymous with development.  For this purpose, development strategies sought to accelerate economic growth, enforce higher investments in basic services and social sectors, restructure institutions and administrative framework, enhance the poor's crisis coping capacities and build up their asset base and promote targeted income and employment programmers.
　　An overview of the Five Year Plans and other policy documents of the Government ofBangladesh (GOB) on rural development indicate that poverty alleviation has always been a core concern of the development programmers.  It also depicts a trend of priority attachment to poverty alleviation in terms of objectives and strategies.
　　The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) 2005-8, highlights an eight point strategic agenda which covers: employment, nutrition, quality education, local governance, maternal health, sanitation and safe water, criminal justice and monitoring.
　　The four blocks of the PRSP focuses on enhancing pro-poor growth, boosting critical sectors for pro-poor economic growth, devising effective safety nets and targeted programmers and finally enhancing social development. The PRSP also identifies four supporting strategies on crosscutting issues as follows:  I) Ensuring participation, social inclusion and empowerment of all sections, groups and classes of people, ii) Promoting good governance by ensuring transparency, accountability and rule of law, iii) Providing service delivery efficiently and effectively, particularly to the poor, and iv) caring for the environment and sustainable development on a long term basis.
　　The concern with poverty is not a new theme and has always been an overriding need of thepeople at large, but the project-oriented approach followed by successive governments hasalways in effect been donor-driven and supply-led and thus potentially unsustainable. As a result what has served as a strategy for poverty alleviation in Bangladesh has in effect been an aggregation of a large number of donor-funded micro projects supplemented by some discrete domestically funded programmers.
 
　　4. Seven World Class Success Stories in Poverty Alleviation
　　In spite of all the limitations, gigantic challenges and resource constraints, the government, theprivate sector, the non-government sector and especially the people of Bangladesh have been able to achieve some extraordinary results in their struggle against poverty and underdevelopment.  It is worth noting a number of those success stories by the people of Bangladesh.  These are extraordinary feats by any standards and needs highlighting.  This paper will now discuss seven such world class success stories in poverty alleviation in Bangladesh.
　　1. Population Control
　　Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.  150 million people live in an area of 145,000 square kilometers.  In the last 30 years or so of population planning and implementation, Bangladesh has achieved remarkable success, though it is a Muslim majority country.  In a Muslim society population control by family planning is not usually accepted. The population growth rate has declined from 3 percent in the 70's t0 1 .4 percent presently.
　　In the mid-1980s, there were indications that government and nongovernment agency efforts were beginning to pay off.  Population growth had declined from 3 t0 2.3 percent between 1961and 1981.  Contraceptive practices increased from 12% of eligible couples in 1979 t0 25 percent in 1985.  At present it is reported at more than 50%.Acontinuous demographic survey also showed decline in fertility rates and an increase in the female marriage age.
　　One of the most important reasons for this success in population control has been the public private partnership.  The government realized that to achieve results there was a need to mobilize the people at all levels and the services of non-government development organizations were incorporated and this joint effort ultimately showed positive effects.  However it should also be mentioned here that the major players in bringing about this significant fall in the population growth rate have been the people of the country, especially the women.  In the constrained social structures and practices, the women were the key in making it possible.  The people at large realized the potential benefits of having a small family.  So the supply approach of the government and thedemand approach of the private development sector worked together and achieved such a remark-able change in the interest of the country.
　　2. Food Production
　　The Bangladesh government aimed for a 15.32% growth in food grain production in the 2008-09 fiscal years after taking measures like lowering agricultural prices to augment domestic output. The government has targeted 33.43 million tons of food grain production, mainly rice, in the fiscal year 2008-9 against an estimated production of 28.99 million tons in 2007-8 fiscal years.
　　In the last 30 years or so of producing food grain, mainly rice, Bangladesh has achieved commendable progress.  Bangladesh made steady progress in rice production in the post-Independence period.  Rice production increased substantially over the years following the introduction of HYV (High Yielding Variety) rice and application of modern agricultural inputs, e.g., irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  Between 1971-72 and 2004-5, rice production more than doubled - increasing from 9.8 million tons t0 25.2 million tons.
　　The role of the government, the research institutions and the private sector was jointly responsible for the success.  However the crucial role was played by the common farmers, who are the real private sector here.  The scientists researched and produced the HYV rice, the government built awareness among the people particularly the farmers and the farmers with their hard work and ingenuity implemented the cultivation and achieved such noteworthy results.  So it was a combined effort of all concerned parties.
　　3. Microfinance
　　Microfinance has been pioneered in Bangladesh and it has grown enormously over the last three decades.  The major players in microfinance have been the private development organisations (PDOs), such as BRAC, Grameen Bank, ASA and others.  The cover ages of these three organizations have been 8 million, 7 million and 7 million poor people in Bangladesh.  More than95% of the microfinance clients are the economically poor and disadvantaged women.  The size of coverage and quantum of loans have made Bangladesh the largest and the most efficient microfinance sector in the world.
　　The enormous success in microfinance has been brought about by the efforts of mainly two sides, the microfinance providing institutions which are for the most part the PDOs and the poor women in the rural and now also in the urban areas.  Since 1970s PDOs have been interactingwith the poor in the villages, learning and unlearning development and experimenting with smallmicro-loans.  Over the years the poor responded and the PDOs became more systematic andorganized and as a result of the combined efforts of both, success has been achieved. The government on its part has also given space and facilitated the operations of these microfinance Institutions.
　　There is a tendency of PDOs to take all the credit behind this great success, but the roleplayed by the poor women in this gigantic task has to be recognized.  It is the women who utilizedthe millions of dollars’ worth of loans properly and repaid 99% with interest over a very long andsustained period that led to this achievement.  As a matter of fact the poor women are basically funding the PDOs microfinance programmers.  More than 50% of the loan revolving funds of thePDOs come from the savings and interests generated by the microfinance women-clients with thePDOs.  Therefore due credit for the success of the microfinancesprogram me in Bangladesh should be given to the millions of poor women in the country.
　　4. Garment Industry
　　The garment industry is by far the country's most important manufacturer, earning more than$10 billion annually and accounting for about two thirds of all exports.  The Ready Made Garments (RMG) industry is the only multi-billion-dollar manufacturing and export industry in Bangladesh. Whereas the industry contributed only 0.001 percent to the country's total exports earnings in 1976, its share increased to more than 75% of those earnings in 2005.  Bangladesh exported garments worth $6.9 billion in 2005, which was about 2.5 percent of the global total value ($276 billion) of garment exports.  In 2008-2009 Bangladesh exported more than 12 billion dollars. The country'sRMG industry grew by more than 15% per annum on average during the last 15 years.  Theforeign exchange earnings and employment generation of the RMG sector have been increasing at double-digit rates from year to year.  Presently the garments industry in Bangladesh employs more than 2 million people, 95% of whom are women, mostly from the economically disadvantaged sectors of society.
　　Currently there are more than 4,000 RMG firms in Bangladesh.  More than 95% of those firms are locally owned with the exception of a few foreign firms located in the Export Processing Zones. The RMG firms are mainly located in three major cities: the capital city of Dhaka, the port city of Chittagong and the industrial city of Narayanganj.
　　The biggest contribution in this success of garments industry of Bangladesh has been made by the millions of women workers who have put in their hard work in producing the best possible garments for customers in the developed western countries.  These women basically came from the villages as migrant workers, learning the skills to produce the sophisticated garments andputting in their best efforts.  It is understood that the business people and the investors haveinvested capital and management and facilitated exports from the country but the role of the womenproducers has been vital. If one sees the products such as shirts, jackets, sweaters etc. with a “Made in Bangladesh" tag being sold in the top world chain stores as Sears, Wal-Mart, Marks andSpencer’s in the developed country cities, it reminds us of those undernourished poor women andtheir children who were behind producing those.  It is a matter of great pride for Bangladesh. However, the remunerations these women receive are not so great.  The women have a struggling life in the slums of our cities.  The income difference between the rich owners and the poor producers is huge.
　　5.Oral Rehydration Therapy Extension
　　One of the biggest miracles Bangladesh has achieved during the decade of the 1990s was the invention and then popularization of the Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) throughout the country. It was in the late 60s that the scientists established that diarrhea was not a disease:  it was simply a problem that dehydrated people especially the children got.  Diarrhea can be treated in a few days if proper rehydration is done.  So the Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) would be sufficient to do that.  Experiments were carried out in India and Bangladesh.  At that time Cholera Research Laboratory, now the International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B)in the 70's and 80js was treating diarrhea with ORS. Then the issue came how to communicate the message and process to the rural mass in the country.  IV Saline or ORS packets would not reach the remote villages so easily.  So the researchers and doctors in ICDDR,B and BRAC came up with an ORS with local ingredients, salt, crude sugar and water in certain proportion to be measured using clean fingers and palms,  BRAC took this message to millions of women in the country and in 10 years covered almost 80% of the rural households and taught 13 million women all over the country the 7-point message and how to make ORS and administer the therapy.  Teams of Oral Rehydration Workers (ORW) went from household to household and taught one woman in everyfamily this message.  It was a remarkable achievement.  As a result of this the acceptance of oral rehydration reached almost 75% and child mortality due to diarrhea dramatically reduced, whereas previously diarrhea was the biggest killer of children in the country.
　　The following factors were responsible for the success of the ORT program me in Bangladesh:
　　- Mobilisation of support of the Government. The support came from the top of the State tothe rural government functionaries.  It was a joint effort between the government and PDOs
　　- International donor funding and facilitation by UNICEF.
　　- Support by ICDDR, B.  Through partnership between BRAC and ICDDR,B,  monitoring thequality of ORS made by the village women was scientifically done and thus a scientific base for a developmentprogram me was established.
　　- Massive Social Mobilization.   ORWs of BRAC went from household to household as mobile teams to teach women and the people about ORT.  Thousands of women ORWs were involved.
　　- BRAC the PDO, learned and unlearned from the people, researched, organized different awareness building forums in the markets, mosques, temples and churches and aired awareness messages through radio, TV and cinemas.  It was a very well thought out management including an incentivized pay package for the workers of BRAC in the field.
　　- Continuous research, evaluation and innovation by BRAC.  This was instrumental to provide the connection between BRAC and the grassroots people.  It was a classic example of linking research with action and leading to continuous improvement in the implementation of the programmed.
　　6. Women’s Empowerment
　　The women in Bangladesh are hard working.  Foremost they perform heavy household work throughout the day.  Women's contribution to the family income is not recognized to the same extent as men's, but they are involved in many activities, such as post-harvest activities, farming, fuel gathering, rice husking, household chores, making and selling handicrafts and rearing domestic animals.  Also they are involved in different industries as laborers and in the service sectors.  A village woman once said, "A woman's work is never done."  Women do work very hard but their work is not recognized as being on par with men's.  However the situation and status of women are continuously changing and evolving.  More girls are now enrolled in the primary and secondary schools. In higher education women students are doing very well. Government has promoted girls' education by adopting the policy of providing free education to girls up t0 12 years of higher secondary schooling which is more than double that provided to boys.  Women entrepreneurs are getting involved in different types of business activities.  In the academia and other professions also women are playing a SigCant role.
　　It is noteworthy that the major actors in the microfinance, garments industry, postharvest agriculture and primary healthcare have been the women. Women have been behind the successes of these sectors.  Because of the active involvement of the PDOs, women's organizations and women in Bangladesh in general are more aware and their status and position in the society is improving.  Women are now participating actively in national and local governance and politics. Both the Prime Minister and the Opposition.
　　Leader of Bangladesh are women.  There has been many examples where the women from the top of the country to the grassroots level women leaders are contributing significantly in the development and moving forward of Bangladesh.
　　7. Private Development Organizations (PDO)
　　Bangladesh has seen an exemplary role of Private Development Organizations (PDO) in the poverty alleviation and development of the country in recent decades.  The Bengali culture is always rich with the concept of doing things for others, who are less fortunate and disadvantaged.  Just take the example of educational institutions in current Bangladesh, almost everyone has a history of a major philanthropist behind it.  Have a look at any places of worship (e.g., mosques, temples. Churches, pagodas), one will find that within few years of someone starting an open roadside
　　Collection, the complete structure is finished.  People always donate no matter how poor they are as long as you strike their mental chord.  The main difference is that poor do not want to take credit for their philanthropy but others sometime focus too much on publicity.
　　Bangladesh has been perhaps the most important location on the globe for PDOs.  Some estimates place the number of PDOs in Bangladesh in excess of 20,000 there are many types of PDOs. Some are involved in voluntary activities such as libraries, free clinics, sports, clubs, educational institutions etc. In this paper, PDOs which are involved in development and poverty alleviation are taken into consideration.  The total number of PDOs in this area would not be more than 2000.
　　Although the concept of PDOs has been there for ages, the real developmental organizations started with the independence of Bangladesh.  When the country got independence some leaders such Mr. FrazzleHas an Abed, Dr. Muhammad Yuns and Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury thought of doing something positive for the poorer community in the villages to help alleviate their sufferings and poverty.  It all started with relief and rehabilitation of the refugees coming back from India right after the country was liberated.  These leaders along with young graduates from universities went to the villages and initiated relief and rehabilitation work.  In the process some of these elite leaders and their associates learned many new things from the villagers about people's problems, issues and solutions. As a result they also had to go through a very significant relearning process.  Many of the phenomena they learned in their educational institutions and also from the society at large were not valid in the real world of the poor and disadvantaged.  On the basis of such learning, unlearning and listening, programmers were evolving which became more practical and down to earth.  Over the years through getting very relevant experiences, some of these organizations, such as BRAC, Graeme Bank, Golnoshastho, ASA, etc. consolidated their learning and the programmers grew.
　　Some of the pioneering programmers which were and are being implemented by these PDOs are related to microfinance, education for children, primary healthcare, training and capacity building of the poor and development professionals, research etc. Take the example of BRAC.BRAC now has 8 million women in its microfinance programmer, 1.2 million children in the conformal primary education schools, millions of people under its health care programmer and 22 Training and Resource Centers all over the country.  BRAC has now become international with programmers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Uganda, South Sudan and Liberia.  The annual budget of BRAC is approximately 600 million US Dollars of which 75% of the money is generated in the country.  Similar is the story of other PDOs, perhaps not in such a grand scale but they are also making substantial contributions to poverty alleviation and the development of the country.  There are also programmers where the government and the PDOs are partnering and learning from each other.  National and international recognition has been achieved by the PDOs of Bangladesh.  Compared with other developing countries in the world this has been a remarkable achievement by PDOs in Bangladesh.  PDOs have earned a space and government has also recognized the good deeds of PDOs and supported them with that space, which has been very important in the socio-economic development of the country.  This has been recognized as one of the biggest success stories in the developing world.
　　5. Lessons Learnt
　　Bangladesh has been in existence for almost 40 years.  In developing and implementing policies and programs, the people involved have leant a number of lessons, which will be relevant for other developing countries and also for the future leaders of the world.  The lessons learnt have been very experiential and these need to be highlighted, documented and discussed. It should
　　Become part of the intimation development discourse.  The following lessons will say in summary what experiences the development community in Bangladesh has gone through and what they have learned.  This is not an exhaustive list, but the author, being a part of the development process for many years, has attempted to summarize the basic lessons learnt.
　　Policies are not enough implementation is vital
　　For many years it has been observed that there has been no dearth of policies.  The growth rate of policies compared to the people's development has always been in favor of the former. The country has a good number of policies, but the problem lies in the implementation of those policies.  There have been many lapses in implementation.  A gap exists between the policies and actions on the ground.
　　People’s participation has to be ensure
　　In any development program, the people have to be listened to and programs developed accordingly.  People who are affected by the programs should be involved from the design, form ulation, implementation, and right through to the evaluation stages. Then only relevant programs may be developed and people at the bottom can benefit.
　　Public Private Partnership is necessary
　　Bangladesh has been a problem prone country.  The people suffer from both natural and also man-made disasters. The problems are also in poverty, income, education, health, population, industrialization, women's rights and so forth.  The problems have been so gigantic that it is not possible for the government to tackle them alone.  Therefore there have been great instances of public private partnerships between the government, the private sector and the PDOs.  This has to be continued if the country would like to see positive development in the lives of the people.
　　Small is beautiful but big is necessary
　　The issues and problems of poverty alleviation are enormous.  Such problems cannot be solved with small initiatives.  When there are 40% of 150 million people living in severe poverty, a large number of children out of school, small efforts will not be enough to solve such significant problems. Therefore big efforts and large scale programmers need to be on the ground to have an effect on the lives of the poor.  Bangladesh has proven through its microfinance, education and other programmers that things can be done.  Scaling up is the crux of the issue.
　　Education enhances development
　　It has been proven by many studies and programmers that education and development are positively correlated.  Nations must invest in children and people at large.  There is no short-cut to this process.  It is now more true that if a nation has educated mothers, it will have not only educated mothers, but also a better developed society and economy.
　　Governments must listen to the needs and aspirations of the poor
　　The days of governments sitting in the capital cities and developing and implementing programmers for the grassroots are gone.  People are more aware now and they demand a better standard of living for themselves and their children.   So the age-old bureaucratic practices have to be abandoned, a learning culture has to be developed where the government functionaries will listen to the people and act accordingly.  Bureaucracy will be there, but it has to be responsive.
　　People should come first
　　Books have been written and experiences also tell us that for any development to succeed, the people at the bottom must be put in front.  For policy making, programmer development, implementation and evaluation, if people affected are put in front, it will be a different case story.
　　Microfinance is not a panacea, “Microfinanceplus “promotes integrated development
　　The world has become too enthused with microfinance.  There is no denying the fact that microfinance is playing a great role in poverty alleviation, but the poorest of the poor cannot be touched by microfinance.  Solving only the income problem will not give solutions to the other needs of the people, e.g., education, health, capacity building etc.  Therefore microfinance combined with all other elements of development will have a more synergistic effect on the lives of the poor.
　　Leadership,leadership,leadership at all levels
　　In the ultimate analysis, the success of a country or any organization depends on its leadership.  However the crucial issue is that there should be a process in place so that leadership can be nurtured and developed consciously and continuously.  It should not be only at the top level, but also at all other levels down the line.  There needs to be a succession plan for every leader.
　　Good management and systems development are necessary
　　Any endeavor whether at the country level or organizational level require serious development of the management systems.  The more robust the systems are the more solid the implementation will be.  Systems need to be constantly developed and fine tuned.  The biggest challenge now is management of the change happening in the world.
　　Capacity building of managers is very important
　　Leadership and management are two sides of a coin.  One cannot be implemented without the other.  It was previously believed that leaders and managers have to be born.  Practical experiences and studies have shown that leaders and managers can be trained and developed.  Again a process of capacity building must be in place so that there is a constant supply of these vital people in a country or organization. The real challenge in the ever evolving and dynamic modern world is to educate and train people so that they can function both as leaders and managers and deal with the changes.  Any agent of change in a system should have the characteristics of both leadership and management.
　　For good meaningful work. There is no dearth of fondling
　　The world is looking for programmes and interventions which are meaningful and brings positive changes in the lives of the poor.  For such efforts there is no dearth of financing.Organisations who are strategic and mission driven do contribute to a country's development.   The enormous organizations and programs of Bangladesh are proof of that.
　　Financial self-reliance is needed: Inculcate of cost consciousness
　　In Africa it is said, "If you have your hand in someone else's pocket, if that person moves you have to move."  This is valid for any country or organization.  The more self-financed a country or organization becomes the more independently and flexibly it can utilize the funds.  It has been observed that considerable wastage have resulted in developing countries in using foreign aid. However there are examples in this world where proper utilization of funds and inculcation of cost consciousness have substantially helped in developing a country.  China is a big example.
　　Start with felt needs but go beyond and generate emerging needs
　　There is a school of thought which says, everything has to be done on the basis of the felt needs of the poor.  This has changed now.  It has been practically demonstrated that if one depends on the felt needs of the poor only, it all may end up in fairly rudimentary programming. Therefore it is the responsibility of development organizations and developing countries to also address the emerging needs of the people.  Immunization is a classic example.  It was never a felt need of the poor.
　　Develop a positive organizational:a conscientious,committed,caring, concerned and honest professional culture
　　In poverty alleviation the first and foremost task of the functionaries of any organization is that they have to be value driven which basically means that they should be conscientious, committed, caring, concerned and honest. Their first priority has to be the poor.  Poverty alleviation is not charity.  It has to be dealt with professionally.  For example, the relationship between the organization and the microfinance clients is a business relationship.  The poor women take loans, utilize that, pays interest and return the money. If a development organization is thinking that it is doing a favour to the poor or they are the saviors of the poor that would be wrong.  They are equal partners.  The poor should be at the Centre of the decision making process.
　　6. Conclusion
　　Bangladesh is a relatively new country on the world map.  The people in this country are extremely resilient and hard working.  In spite of all the difficult challenges, people are moving forward.  The success stories which have been explained in this paper, indicate that the people in this country have been taking Bangladesh to a different level of development. These are really positive signs for the future development of Bangladesh.  The country has achieved a continuous 5.5% GDP growth rate in the last two decades.  The country has been governed by a democratically elected government for the last 20 years.  Poverty reduction has been occurring at the rate of one percent a year.  The role of PDOs has been commendable.  Women have contributed significantly in the socio economic development of the country. The population growth rate has been controlled. All of these factors point to a positive future for the country.  The people and the government have proven that nothing is insurmountable.  However, this country has a long way to go and there are enormous challenges that still need to be resolved.  With the right political will and people's support and participation this will be achieved.
　　References:
　　1.  A.M.R. Chowdhury and R.A. Cash, S Simple Solution, UPL, Bangladesh, 1996.
　　2.  ASA website: www.asa.org.bd
　　3.  Bob Balch and Peter Davis, Poverty Dynamics and Life Trajectories. International Journal of Multiple Approaches, Vo1.2, Issue 2, 2008.
　　4.  BRAC website: www, brac.net
　　5.  China Economic Net, February 3, 2009.
　　6.  Debapriya Bhattacharya and Rushed A.M. Triumvir, Poverty Reduction in Bangladesh:Absenceof a National Framework, An abundance of Donor Strategies, CPD Occasional Paper, June 2000.
　　7.  Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.  Bangladesh National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction, October 16, 2005.
　　8.  Has a Zaman, Scaling Up of Micro Finance in Bangladesh World Bank, September, 2004.
　　9.   James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Bangladesh: A country Study, Library of Congress, 1989.
　　10. Linda Hultberg, Women in Bangladesh: A study of the Village Pay Phone Program, Ph.D. Thesis, School of Education and Communicating (HLK), Jonkoping University, 2008
　　11. Mamunur Rashid, Micro Finance in Bangladesh: Challenges and Prospects, Article in the Daily Star, Bangladesh, November 15, 2006.
　　12. Mohammad A.T. Chowdhury, Sustainability of Accelerated Rice Production in Bangladesh: TechnologicalIssue and the Environment, Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Research, September, 2009.
　　13. M. Shafiul Azam and Katsushi S. Imai, Vulnerability and Poverty in Bangladesh, 2009.
　　14. Muhammad Yunus: Creating a World without Poverty, 2008.
　　15. M. Ziaul Haider, Competitiveness of the Bangladesh Readymade Garment Industry in Major International Markets, Asia Pacific Trade and Investment Review, June, 2007.
　　16. Nidhi Khosla, The Readymade Garments Industry in Bangladesh: A Means of Reducing Gender Biased Exclusion of Women? Journal of International Women's Studies, November. 2009.
　　17. Ravi Kanbur, Poverty and Distribution, July 2008.
　　18. Ravi Kanbur, The Global Backdrop of South African Anti-Poverty Strategy, Comments, October 29, 2008.
　　19. Salahuddin Aminuzzaman, Institutional Framework of Poverty Alleviation: An Overview of Bangladesh Experien cues, Development Studies Network Conference on Poverty, 2000.
　　20. Shah M. Farad, Integration of Poverty Alleviation and Social Sector Development in Bangladesh, Ministry of Planning, Bangladesh 1998.
　　21. S.R. Osman, Wahiduddin Mahmud et al, The Macro Economics of Poverty Reduction: The Case Study of Bangladesh, UNDP Independent Report, 2003.
 

扫描下载手机客户端