The Hunger Project

We talk to Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar of the Hunger Project in Bangladesh, about his work, the importance of self-reliance and the people who inspired him to become a community leader

Born in the city of Comilla, Bangladesh, in 1946, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar has enjoyed a diverse academic career, working for clients as varied as the Saudi royal family and NASA. He was a student activist in the late 1960s and is today a community leader driven to inspire self-reliance in others. After studying and teaching in the USA for many years, Dr. Majumdar returned to Bangladesh in 1991 to find his birthplace dramatically changed. After years in academia, he realised that perhaps his best teachers had been the uneducated villagers he left behind. “They taught me what it means to be human, the importance of human dignity, and that all the support and aid were not contributing to self-reliance and were not contributing to the condition of the people in a significant way,” he says. “We had not been able to achieve our potential and felt that the development of Bangladesh had to be owned, led by Bangladeshis themselves.

“We started mobilizing people through the Hunger Project, a volunteer-based movement. The idea is to make people realize that they are the key to fighting hunger and poverty and that they have to start with whatever they have,” says Dr Majumdar. “So far we have nearly 14,000 volunteers, and we knew from the start that it was vital to involve and empower women, that to transform their status would in turn help transform the condition of Bangladesh.” 

"It’s about unleashing the human potential for spirit and activism"

Dr Majumdar is now the Global Vice President and Country Director of the Hunger Project in Bangladesh, which, as a delivery partner of the Active Citizens programme, illustrates how citizens from all walks of life can improve both collective and individual quality of life without relying on external financial aid.

Within Bangladesh, the Hunger Project has two main strategies. One is to mobilize people at a grass-roots level; the other is to transform local government policy. Dr. Majumdar is keen to move away from the donor-client relationship of other non-governmental organisations. “Money can be a spoiler,” he says. “Self-reliance is not about donations, but about unleashing the human potential for spirit and activism and creative solutions.”

Dr. Majumdar feels strongly that the policy framework of Bangladesh is, “disabling poor people, and is geared towards the rich and privileged.” He has been involved in the political reform movement Shujan, which aims to clean up corruption within local government and to generate reform. This will help ensure there are no unsuitable candidates running for office, with full disclosure of not only criminal records but also educational background, assets and liabilities.

"The people have to become the solution"

Dr Majumdar is rightfully proud of the work the Hunger Project has done in giving students a voice in social action and encouraging women into leadership. “With students, we are trying to encourage a sense of social responsibility. With women, there is some leadership in urban areas but we need a broader base. We’ve been pursuing this through the Bikoshito Nari (Enlightened Women) Network, which comprises about 3,500 women from ordinary backgrounds, who are trying to tackle issues like child marriage, discrimination and mental depression.”

For anyone wishing to pursue a role in community development or leadership, Dr. Majumdar feels it is essential to move away from the old model of charitable giving, though this remains vital in emergencies. He believes the best way is to harness people’s own physical and mental abilities, which takes time, energy and a belief that a culture of dependency robs one of human dignity. “The people have to become the solution,” he says. “A good community leader encourages this through problem solving and self reliance.”
 

What the Hunger Project in Bangladesh has achieved so far

Bangladesh, like many countries, has long suffered from political corruption. With this in mind, the Hunger Project has developed three key alliances to work for reform:

Self-governing Union Parishad [local council] Advocacy Group (SGUPAG), a bottom-up advocacy movement that aims to shift resources and decision-making to local levels.

Shujan (Citizens for Good Governance), a top-down advocacy movement, including former members of government, academia and the media, all aiming to reduce corruption and strengthen local democracy.

BAPA (Bangladesh Environment Movement), a Dhaka-based environmental project that aims to tackle water and air pollution, as well as industrial pollution, and to campaign for the abolishment of plastic bags and scooters.

The Hunger Project also aims to empower women through National Girl Child Day, to improve the status and end discrimination against girls in Bangladeshi society. The aims here are to provide better health, education and nutrition to girls through the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum, an umbrella group of over 300 organisations.

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Further Reading

Find out more about The Hunger Project 
Read more about Dr Majumdar