Linked with our presentation Oxfam.
Meet Kafil Ahmed is an Oxfam project officer in Bangladesh. « My job is to find organisations and groups who need support to combat poverty in their region. I check that everything is going well, and help them solve their problems. Today I am going to Manub Mukti Sangstha (MMS), an organisation working with some of the very poorest people in the country. These are people living on chors, low islands of silt built up in the rivers, which are easily flooded and washed away. »
Kafil Ahmed – Bangladesh
A day in the life of Kafil Ahmed: 9am: « I leave Dhaka and travel by car and boat to MMS, an organisation working with poor people. » » At MMS I will talk to the staff, and will visit a village to see if the work done after last year’s floods helped to save lives and belongings in this year’s floods. »
2pm: « I arrive at MMS’ headquarters. They’re helping people to be better prepared for the floods, so that they have some protection. » 2.15pm: « A meeting with all the staff. They tell me how things have been going since my last visit. They are involved in a lot of projects:
schools for children and classes for adults;
health centres;
lending money to help people to start small businesses or to buy seeds or animals (see picture);
and training courses for people to learn new skills. »
Sufia Khatun says: « My husband is a labourer, and travels around to find work. My children go to the MMS school. MMS gave me a loan, and I bought two cows. I sell the milk they produce to support my family. »
3.30pm: « I meet some of the women in Tagoria village. Last year, families here made earth platforms to build their homes above flood-level. Although it was very hard work, it was worth it. During the recent floods, no houses were flooded, and no animals were washed away. »
7pm: « I go back to the office of MMS, to meet the accountants and go through their books, to check that the money they receive from Oxfam is properly accounted for. It’s been a long day, but I’m very happy with everything I’ve seen. I think this is a good use of Oxfam’s money. »