Margaret Flanagan, organisational development adviser, Bangladesh
Margaret Flanagan a business consultant from Drogheda Co Louth, Ireland, volunteered with VSO in June 2008 and currently works as an organisational development adviser in Bagerhat, a rural area in Bangladesh. Below she describes a typical day in her placement.
Get up time/breakfast
I usually get up at 7.00am. I cook on two gas rings and first thing I need to do is to put on a big pot of water to boil the life out of it. Clean and arsenic free water is a major issue in this rural area of Bagerhat, Khulna District.
Then I am off to work on the local mode of transport which is a cycle rickshaw. The man or boy pulling the rickshaw sweats and pulls to get me to my destination. I found this very difficult to take at the beginning and sometimes I just want to give him the money and walk to my destination. Rickshaw pullers have to do a lot of work, pull a lot of rickshaw rides to provide basic food and shelter for their family.
My job
My job title is ‘organisational development adviser’. I work on a project which is part funded by the European Union (EU). It is called the SCORE project (Strengthening Communities Rights and Empowerment). The project strives to strengthen and support local communities living in poverty to organise themselves collectively and work with and challenge local political structures to bring about a change in the quality of their lives.
The project works through local community based organisations (CBOs) in three areas in southern Bangladesh.
What I do
My work includes one-to-one mentoring with the directors of the CBOs, designing and delivering workshops to staff on community development and developing relevant and appropriate systems and policies. As a volunteer my work needs to be about passing on and building up skills so that CBOs can develop their own work with the community rather than setting up a dependency on the VSO volunteer who leaves after two years.
Travel
Now and again I need to be in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, for VSO Bangladesh events or meetings. This journey takes at least seven hours in bus and ferry and longer if there is a long queue at the ferry.
Food
Typical Bangladesh food is rice (eaten three times a day), seasonal vegetables and fish. Women, the majority of whom work in the home, spend most of their day collecting wood to cook with, pounding spices and chillies to make paste for sauces and of course doing the cooking on clay ovens.
Difference from working at home
I have had to learn about this culture before I can begin to work within it. The NGO work culture here is at a slower pace than at home which can be frustrating. The issues are so big and so connected with decisions made in other parts of the world that it could become disillusioning but the energy, commitment and passion of the NGOs which I have met and their collective work together is very positive.
What I do to relax...
To relax I listen to music, read watch DVDs, talk on Skype to friends and family – most of which is done through my laptop which is a lifeline here. Bangladesh is a poor Muslim country, so there is very little to do on a daily basis when I am not working.
What I miss?
It goes without saying that I miss meeting and chatting with friends and family. I also miss cafes and restaurants, wearing my western clothes and being able just to go out and about freely.
What I love about being here?
Bangladeshi people are a joy to be around. They are so welcoming, friendly, warm and in the majority genuine people. They have good sense of humour and I have good fun with the groups with whom I work. It is a simpler life here that has its attractions.
