Question: Find out three major challenges in maintaining livelihood and socio-economic

condition from the five selected regions of Bangladesh. Which challenge do you think most
critical? Elaborate your view with logical explanations and examples. Briefly discuss the
origin, effects and solution of those (three) challenges interpreting the video clip ‘socio-
economic condition’.

The inhabitants of the mentioned regions- Satkhira, Rangpur, Sunamganj, Rangamati and Dhaka
– their lives seem like a concentration camp and it is absolutely impossible to live in such
inhuman condition. Among many different challenges in maintain their livelihood and socio-
economic condition, noteworthy ones are:
 Lack of working opportunities
 Lack of clean water, food and security
 Poverty
The most critical challenge among these, in my opinion, is lack of working opportunities. The
inhabitants of the mentioned regions have family members ranging from 4-7. There are both able
men and women who has been working relentlessly to support their family by all means. If given
the opportunity to work properly with minimum wage and with a little assistance from the
Government, they could turn themselves in to a solvent family. Most of the inhabitants from
these areas of Bangladesh rears animals, pulls rickshaws, cuts bamboos and/or harvests during
the dry season so they can survive when it rains. If a secured source of income could be
maintained among these people, the living conditions could be drastically improved while
reducing poverty and securing sources of drinking water, food and security. For example, we can
see from the video that many indigenous families are surviving for days only on water. If they
had a fixed job or could be empowered by Government (land for farming, basins for fishing etc.)
they would be able to provide for their families in a proper way so the elderly of the families
would not have to suffer. So basically, one solution would in turn help to reduce the overall
major challenges in maintaining their livelihoods and socio-economic condition.

The origin, effects and probable solution to these problems are discussed below:
Lack of Working Opportunities – Origin: 4 out of 5 areas presented in the video are either rural
or coastal areas. The people living there are disconnected from the benefits of urban life. What
the people of all 5 areas have in common is that they have no house, no assets or work to support
families. They don't even qualify for micro-credit to start small business. Among the
underprivileged people this population is growing rapidly in different pockets in the country.
Effect: The suffering of these inhabitants continues to rise with negligible support from
Government or NGOs. Most of the people left without a job or a secure way of income and has
to go on for days without having a proper meal.
Lack of clean water, food and security – Origin: This problem is present in all the areas
mentioned whether its rural, coastal or the capital of Bangladesh. The poor people have no
access to fresh water to drink as the water in Dhaka is polluted, the water of coastal areas is
artificially salty and, as for the rural areas, people can’t afford to place a Tube well or a deep
well to access drinking water. On top of that, they cant have a proper meal even every 2 or 3
days as they have no fixed source of income. They have to rely on what they can harvest or hunt
or sell commodities in the local market to make a living. Their possessions are also stolen as they
have no means to protect themselves.
Effect: Many has to share one deep well for water, sometimes the water level gets too low.
People has to shower, bathe and sometimes even drink the salty waters in the coastal areas. Lack
of drinking water, food and security has left many families vulnerable and unable to sustain life
in some situations.
Solution: Government and NGOs should take initiatives to make sure every village has access to
fresh water through Tube well or deep well so at least fresh water can be secured. Once again, if
the locals have any jobs or could be empowered, they can sustain their hardships and support
their families.

Poverty – Origin: The people of these areas having minimum to no access to urban benefits are
extremely poor. Most of the NGOs and CBOs work on micro finance. On the contrary extremely
poor households generally do not qualify for micro credit due to lack of collateral. The
Government safety net programmes like VGD and RMP have also failed to adequately target the
extreme poor.
Effect: Most people are unable to meet the basic necessities of life. They have to live in
abnormal and unnatural environments. People are jobless, dying from disease and unable to meet
basic requirements of living.
Solution: Inequality in income distribution must be reduced; the extreme poor should have better
access to the benefits of economic growth. Greater diversification of household income sources
is required to enhance livelihood resilience and reduce the vulnerability of households. The
invisible poor cited income diversity as the most crucial variable of potential income increase.
To beat this problem, a united and holistic approach, political willingness to bring change and
long-term effective planning is a must.