Where Dreams Fly Away
20 images Created 18 Nov 2021
Bangladesh, home to more than 160 million people, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The country is experiencing rapid urbanization, with an internal migration to cities of around 3.5 percent every year. Currently, the size of the urban population in Bangladesh is 53 million, of which around 40 percent are children.
There are two drivers behind this reality: besides seeking employment in the rapidly growing garment industry, people move to cities after losing their village homes, livelihoods and land following disasters driven by climate change. Bangladesh’s geographical location makes it highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, river erosion and stronger cyclones. Every year, climate change forces half a million Bangladeshis from their homes in rural areas, primarily fishermen and farmers. The majority finds itself in the slums of Dhaka.
Dhaka is the most densely populated city in the world. Around 2000 people newly arrive in the city every single day – full of hope and dreams of a better life. There are more than 5’000 slums in Dhaka city, with an estimated population of over 4 million.
But life in the city presents countless severe challenges. Around 75 percent of slum households live in one room, as per the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) from 2013. People rarely own land, instead they pay tremendous amounts of money for unsafe homes. Drainage systems flood with poisonous water when it rains. Fresh water is scarce and garbage is piling up everywhere.
For children living in slum areas, life is particularly difficult and often dangerous, with high rates of malnourishment, school dropout, child marriage, child labor, and abuse. The situation of children in urban slums is much worse than in rural Bangladesh, as per data from the Child Well Being Survey 2016 and the MICS.
Many people dream of going back home, but what do they have left? This is now their future.
There are two drivers behind this reality: besides seeking employment in the rapidly growing garment industry, people move to cities after losing their village homes, livelihoods and land following disasters driven by climate change. Bangladesh’s geographical location makes it highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, river erosion and stronger cyclones. Every year, climate change forces half a million Bangladeshis from their homes in rural areas, primarily fishermen and farmers. The majority finds itself in the slums of Dhaka.
Dhaka is the most densely populated city in the world. Around 2000 people newly arrive in the city every single day – full of hope and dreams of a better life. There are more than 5’000 slums in Dhaka city, with an estimated population of over 4 million.
But life in the city presents countless severe challenges. Around 75 percent of slum households live in one room, as per the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) from 2013. People rarely own land, instead they pay tremendous amounts of money for unsafe homes. Drainage systems flood with poisonous water when it rains. Fresh water is scarce and garbage is piling up everywhere.
For children living in slum areas, life is particularly difficult and often dangerous, with high rates of malnourishment, school dropout, child marriage, child labor, and abuse. The situation of children in urban slums is much worse than in rural Bangladesh, as per data from the Child Well Being Survey 2016 and the MICS.
Many people dream of going back home, but what do they have left? This is now their future.
