Clik here to view.
The meaning of red colors in Deara poor community
by: Toni Kaatz-DubberkeAs I enter Deara poor community I feel like visiting a village in the rural sites. The houses are made from bamboo and tin, colored green or blue in some patches. Between the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recycling
by: Toni Kaatz-DubberkeIn a country with limited resources it is possible to make money even from garbage rather than just to waste it by throwing it away. The hundreds of garment factories in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smelly Bargaining Chips
by: Nadia Goodman and Toni Kaatz-DubberkeThe capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world. Officially, Dhaka has around 14 million of inhabitants. It is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tiny Gardens, Naughty Kids in New Jimkhana
by: Toni Kaatz-DubberkeIn contrast to the small huts tin and bamboo that characterize the main part of New Jimkhana community, the core of the settlement consists of yellow painted brick-made houses...
View ArticleBackground: The situation of the urban poor in Dhaka
While searching the web to learn more about the issue of Urban Poverty I just discovered a comprehensive report about the situation of Slum Dwellers in Dhaka, done by the Worldbank in 2007. Have a look.
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Three Hundred Taka!"
by: Sayaka UchikawaShowing me their adorable smiles and small hands, three "tokai" boys (street waste-collectors), probably between the ages of six and eight, shouted at me in English. Being in Dhaka,...
View ArticleGlimpses
by: Toni Kaatz-DubberkeTogether with international students (Urban Planning) from Berlin I am under way in Mymensingh and Narayanganj poor communities. The result is a short moody video which shows you...
View ArticleBackground: Poverty brief: Mymensingh
Mymensingh, located beside the Brahmaputra River in the north of Bangladesh, is one of the biggest and oldest Pourashavas (municipalities) in Bangladesh, covering around 22 square kilometers. According...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sand Business
by: Toni Kaatz-Dubberke(View on an embankment in Mymensingh. On the left is the Kalli Bari community, on the right the Brahmaputra River.)/When I enter the Kalli Bari community in the Northeastern part...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Oasis of Calm and Space in Dhaka's Biggest Slum
by: Toni Kaatz-Dubberke(Saifur, a carpenter from Korail, surrounded by kids on a bamboo platform in the Banani Lake.)If you go from Gulshan to Banani using the newly built concrete bridge, you can see...
View ArticleClik here to view.
United in Poverty
by: Toni Kaatz-Dubberke(At the entry gate of Patgodam.)In the Patgodam poor community (Mymensingh) I get introduced to a totally different aspect of urban poverty in Bangladesh. The houses made from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dialectic Discourse in Rally Bagan
by: Toni Kaatz-Dubberke(Mohammad Sujon and Ashan Ullah sitting in their tea shop in Rally Bagan.)Quite by chance, at a tea stall in Rally Bagan (Narayanganj), I get involved in an interesting little...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Earning a living in Dhaka slums
by: Nicola BanksHaving spent much of the last three years working in various “slums” across Dhaka, I have come to resent the use of the word “slum” – too often it has been used as a term that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beside the tracks
by: Toni Kaatz-Dubberke(At the Gandaria station.)The railroad between Dhaka and Narayanganj is not only the link of two prospering cities, ensuring the flow of people and goods. It is also the home of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Migrants’ tales – Mixed fortunes in the city
by: Carolin BraunAccording to the UN, there are about 200 million people each year involved in migration. In many Asian countries, migration towards megacities or even to other countries and continents...
View ArticleMigrants' tales - Mixed fortunes in the city: Part II
Family separation as a consequence of migrationWith this distressing story in mind, I met another family who gave up their original livelihoods on their quest to find a better life in the slum. Ahsan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Migrants’ tales – Mixed fortunes in the city: Part III
Diverging levels of poverty in the SlumLike Monin and Ahsan, Dulal also left his village called Chadpur some time ago in the search for better income opportunities. His wife and their 5 and 9 year old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The threat of flames
by: Lenka VojtovaSlums in Bangladesh could be defined by constant and diverse insecurities. In many other countries, the term ‘slum’ is very often used for informal settlements simply because of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creating space vertically
by: Juan Carvajal and Kirthi RameshAs we squeeze through the alleys of the Sweeper Colony, Sonu, a girl from the community, shows us some tiny rooms where often 2 or 3 generations crowd together every...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sonu's story
by: Juan Carvajal and Kirthi RameshIn the coming months we will have more contributions from community members themselves. Sonu Rani Das, a 19 year-old girl from the Sweeper Colony in Narayanganj, is...
View Article
