Alfroza is 12 years old and lives in the village of Kimria in Bangladesh. She shares her home with her parents, her brother and her grandmother. Their small house is made of bamboo and has a corrugated iron roof. There is no water or lavatory in the house; the living conditions are very primitive and their water supply comes from a borehole behind the house. The family cooks on an open fire and their diet consists mainly of dried leaves. Kerosene lamps provide their lighting, but the light is so low that it is difficult to work in the evenings.
Alfroza attends the local primary school, where her favourite subjects are mathematics, local language and drawing. Out of school, she enjoys playing with dolls, playing games with her friends and painting and drawing. Alfrozo would like to be a teacher when she grows up but, in the meantime, like the other children in the community, she is expected to help with household chores and fetching and carrying water. Alfroza and her family enjoy a varied social life – Kumria has a communal television, like a cinema, where they can pay to watch their favourite television programmes.
One third of the population of Bangladesh live in extreme poverty. The average life expectancy in is only 62 and there is an infant mortality rate of 6.9%. Approximately 75% of the population have access to safe drinking water, but only 48% have adequate sanitation. Plan Bangladesh has developed a Child Centred Community Development (CCDC), which is based on human and social development and which encourages children, their families and their communities to play an active part in their own development. Plan Bangladesh are also working with local communities to fight diseases and to improve health and educational facilities within the area. |
