Today we woke up in Chittagong, the business capital and port city of Bangladesh, which is located on the southeast coast. Chittagong’s population is 3 million- the entire state of Iowa’s population funneled into one city. The business and port atmosphere of Chittagong make it less attractive to the senses, with pollution much more abound. Chittagong is well known these days as it is the home of Muhammad Yunus, recent Nobel Laureate and creator of the microcredit concept and Grameen Bank.

From Chittagong we drove to Banskhali, which literally means ‘bamboo place.’ Banskhali was one of the worst affected cities hit by the 1991 cyclone, which claimed 131,000 lives. After two and a half hours of traveling via winding, one lane, flood ravaged roads, we reached a cyclone shelter and school in the Anwara village of Bariakhandi.

A typical cyclone shelter; this shelter was constructed after the 1997 cyclone

Cyclone shelters have been constructed along the coast to provide a safe place for citizens to seek refuge. Shelters have been constructed by the government, NGOs and relief organizations, and grants. Furthermore, schools, mosques, hospitals, and public buildings also serve as cyclone and flood shelters as they possess room for large crowds.

The cyclone shelter above had 3,000 people crammed into it during the 1997 cyclone

Next to the cyclone shelter were two schools. One school was run by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee). BRAC is one of Bangladesh’s largest and most effective NGOs; their mission centers around social upliftment through education, health, women’s empowerment, and other aspects of development. The other school we visited was Jhebashi Primary School and High School.

Students at Jhebashi Primary School

We were given the opportunity to speak with students of varying grade levels from Jhebashi High School, I was placed in a 9^th grade co-ed classroom with Dr. Rex Honey. The class had six girls and eighteen boys. When asked why the class was overwhelmingly male, the girls stated that many females were kept home to help their mothers and that some were already married. We were also interested in women’s participation in the formal labor force. When inquired how many of their mother’s worked, only one of the twenty-four students answered positively- that mother is a teacher. However, optimism prevailed as the current generation is much more progressive. All six of the female students plan to hold a job in the future- three aspire to be a teacher and three desire an office position.

Grade 9 students from Jhebashi High School share their life experiences

One Jhebashi High School student, Bhadul Karim, shared his personal account of a cyclone that struck in 1997:

"During the cyclone my family members and I took safe place in a shelter on high ground. The shelter was one kilometer from my house. We were there for three days. We took matches, kerosene, moori [puffed rice], chira [flat rice], molasses, and water. My six brothers, one sister, two parents, and I all stayed at the shelter for three days. We also go to the shelter or a safe place during floods, but not during normal floods, only during extreme floods."

Accounts like Bhadul’s are all too common among Bangladesh’s disaster prone population.

After the school visit we sought recreation at a nearby ecopark. The park included wildlife, flowers and vegetation, a hanging bridge, and a watchtower from which the Bay of Bengal could be spotted. We were lucky to spot two wild crocodiles swimming in the marshy waters below.

A picturesque view from the watchtower at Banskhali Ecopark

After the ecopark, the exhausted group enjoyed a scenic journey back to Chittagong via a network of rural Bangladeshi roads. On the return trip we were lucky to spot three Buddhists walking alongside the road. Buddhists represent less than one percent of the population, with Islam being the religion of primacy and Hinduism being the prevalent minority religion.

Tomorrow the group is ready for another exciting and unpredictable day in vibrant Bangladesh.