The bridge of hope

Posted on November 1, 2007. Filed under: People & Life style | Tags: Bangladesh, Bridge, Garments, Industry, Life, People, Worker |

In Bangladesh, most of the revenue now come from the garments sector – more then 70%. But the workers get very few from this. They work more then 12 hours a day, and get low payment. But only for this sector, young women of this poor country got an way to feed their family in a legal way.

This video shows workers of an industrial area at Narayanganj going to their work in the morning, rushing through a bridge made of bamboo. Being one of the main entrance of the industrial are where now established about 300 garments industries, it become very difficult to cross the bridge before the work start & ending time. All of them rushing through the bridge to reach their work in time.

At the rainy season, entrance way of the bridge in both side goes under water. That is the business time for the local people. They come ahead purchasing new canoes, and take money from the workers to cross the canal by their canoe. Who still afford that coin after feeding their family, cross it by canoe, others on foot in the water, raising their cloth as much as possible from getting wet.

Repairing of the bridge is another problem. No one ever come ahead to repair the bridge, except a factory owner. As the bridge made of bamboo, it needs to repair at least once an year. But the other factory owners of the area seems like not very much informed about it. If they all decide to make a permanent solution of it and give a small donation, they can even make a bridge with gold.

Last year at the repairing time, they started their work at night, opened the whole bridge, remade it halfway, and postponed the work for a day. That was the miserable day for the workers. In the morning when workers rushed through their way, they found no bridge is there, but some canoes by locals already arrived. But that was very few in number to tackle the situation. All of the workers rushed through them, and at least 10 of them reported to sank. Workers went back in their wet cloth, a day absent in their work, and no payment for the day.

And the authorities is doing some mysterious things. They started to erect a permanent bridge their, and postponed their work in the half way. No one knows what is the reason behind that, and when the work will resume. But a permanent solution of the misery is expected by all.

In the morning or evening while rushing through the bridge, if you look at these workers, you will really wonder how could it be possible for them to make garments of the highest quality of the world! But they really do even beside all the problems and miseries of them.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XpCS9uGiTM]