This summer, I worked for a local, Bangladesh founded NGO named Jugantar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (JSUS) in Cox's Bazar Bangladesh, which is close to the border with Myanmar. JSUS’ goal is to assist the socially and economically disadvantaged rural and urban people to develop their greater organization through mobilizing their skill and local resources, so that they may take active part in sustainable human and socio-economic development for the improvement of their living standard. My specific department was the Cox’s Bazar district office. The three main focuses they have running projects in when I visited were in education (host and refugee community), gender equity, and advocacy for persons with disabilities.
During my fellowship I also had the opportunity to visit the Rohingya refugee camp. During one visit, my team held focus group interviews at a primary care hospital center in the camp where we interviewed the vulnerable population including persons with disabilities and persons of old age. The research being conducted is being used to implement a specialized care center for the vulnerable population. I also visited Chittagong where the NGO is headquartered and met with the founders and executive director and conducted site visits. We met with “effect group leaders” where I got to be a part of JSUS's interventions to help persons with disabilities who voiced their concerns to the NGO directors. Additionally, I participated in many site visits with the schools that JSUS organized in both the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar and within the slums of Chittagong. I played a crucial role in revising proposals which were being submitted to American and Canadian donors. Presently, I am putting together and implementing my own research on YABA (methamphetamine/caffeine drug) and the challenges Yaba users face when accessing healthcare resources. I also created a three-phase survey to interview people who are most directly dealing with the crisis of Yaba.
Outside of work, I went to many different beaches in both Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, I also visited Dhaka several times to meet with friends, see the museums, eat in restaurants, visit religious sites, explore and tour the amazing city. The highlight of my local activities was being filmed in a commercial for a food delivery company in Bangladesh!