wlm4 at cornell.edu
01-11-1996, 09:37 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oxfam America releases educational documentary highlighting the economic and
social success of village women in Bangladesh.
BOSTON -- Oxfam America, the international development and disaster relief
organization, has released a video entitled Community. Community is a
24-minute documentary filmed in the Satkhira district of rural southwestern
Bangladesh. It portrays the dramatic social and economic transformation of
a community through local development initiatives, which includes
micro-credit and gender training.
The change of traditional attitudes against women and the successful
economic development projects in Community are documented in part through
the story of Habibur and Bahanur, husband and wife. Before their community
underwent its historic change, Bahanur and the other village women had no
economic or social rights. Beatings by their husbands were commonplace.
Women did not eat until all members of the family had had their meal. Women
could not go out publicly unless accompanied by a male. Women did not own
any possessions. Essentially, women were viewed as non-entities.
Uttaran, a Bangladesh non-governmental development organization funded by
Oxfam America, began working with the women of the Satkhira district by
providing them credit for starting small-scale businesses and offering
training in women's issues. Uttaran expanded the opportunities it offered to
also include men, emphasizing that social and economic growth depends on the
participation of all members of the community. Over time, many of the
oppressive traditional attitudes against women began to fade, replaced by
the realities and successes of the community's income-generating work.
Bangladesh, termed as "the world's basketcase" by Henry Kissinger 25 years
ago is now home to some of the world's most pioneering and innovative
grassroots and non-governmental organizations. Uttaran, which was founded
in 1976, was one of the first organizations to introduce the concept of
micro-credit for women. Uttaran, which means "upliftment," uses
micro-credit as a tool to provide opportunity for women to organize and
affect change in their community and in their families. Uttaran's work has
been so successful because it includes men in its programs and places the
redefinition of gender roles as central to community development.
Currently, Uttaran works with 440 groups in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh.
Community is the second of a two-part video series, following Shelter.
Shelter depicts how loss of life and livelihood from cyclones in Bangladesh
has dramatically decreased after a project to build cyclone shelters, plant
trees and conduct disaster training was initiated. This project has been
spearheaded by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). BRAC's
work has been extremely successful; because of the disaster preparedness
program, less than 200 people died in a devastating cyclone in 1994, whereas
a similar cyclone killed three million people in 1970.
Footage for Community and Shelter was filmed by Oxfam America video
director, Michael Sheridan in collaboration with Bangladeshi cameraman Lavlu
Salahuddin.
Copies of Community, Shelter or any of Oxfam America's other educational
videos can be ordered by calling (617) 482-1211.
This post transferred from the cdb-l mailing list
Oxfam America releases educational documentary highlighting the economic and
social success of village women in Bangladesh.
BOSTON -- Oxfam America, the international development and disaster relief
organization, has released a video entitled Community. Community is a
24-minute documentary filmed in the Satkhira district of rural southwestern
Bangladesh. It portrays the dramatic social and economic transformation of
a community through local development initiatives, which includes
micro-credit and gender training.
The change of traditional attitudes against women and the successful
economic development projects in Community are documented in part through
the story of Habibur and Bahanur, husband and wife. Before their community
underwent its historic change, Bahanur and the other village women had no
economic or social rights. Beatings by their husbands were commonplace.
Women did not eat until all members of the family had had their meal. Women
could not go out publicly unless accompanied by a male. Women did not own
any possessions. Essentially, women were viewed as non-entities.
Uttaran, a Bangladesh non-governmental development organization funded by
Oxfam America, began working with the women of the Satkhira district by
providing them credit for starting small-scale businesses and offering
training in women's issues. Uttaran expanded the opportunities it offered to
also include men, emphasizing that social and economic growth depends on the
participation of all members of the community. Over time, many of the
oppressive traditional attitudes against women began to fade, replaced by
the realities and successes of the community's income-generating work.
Bangladesh, termed as "the world's basketcase" by Henry Kissinger 25 years
ago is now home to some of the world's most pioneering and innovative
grassroots and non-governmental organizations. Uttaran, which was founded
in 1976, was one of the first organizations to introduce the concept of
micro-credit for women. Uttaran, which means "upliftment," uses
micro-credit as a tool to provide opportunity for women to organize and
affect change in their community and in their families. Uttaran's work has
been so successful because it includes men in its programs and places the
redefinition of gender roles as central to community development.
Currently, Uttaran works with 440 groups in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh.
Community is the second of a two-part video series, following Shelter.
Shelter depicts how loss of life and livelihood from cyclones in Bangladesh
has dramatically decreased after a project to build cyclone shelters, plant
trees and conduct disaster training was initiated. This project has been
spearheaded by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). BRAC's
work has been extremely successful; because of the disaster preparedness
program, less than 200 people died in a devastating cyclone in 1994, whereas
a similar cyclone killed three million people in 1970.
Footage for Community and Shelter was filmed by Oxfam America video
director, Michael Sheridan in collaboration with Bangladeshi cameraman Lavlu
Salahuddin.
Copies of Community, Shelter or any of Oxfam America's other educational
videos can be ordered by calling (617) 482-1211.
This post transferred from the cdb-l mailing list