Not five minutes drive from Dhaka airport and I see an elephant at the side of the road. I thrill at the novelty of this particular elephant, in this particular place. I have seen African elephants before, but Asian elephants are different. And this elephant is unique.
An Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Canada Fellowship has brought me to Dhaka, where I will be working on AKF Bangladesh’s Early Childhood Development Support Programme until March 2014. I bring particular experiences from my studies, travels, and career, but I know that Dhaka will present new lessons and experiences because no two places are the same.
Dhaka is one of the world’s megacities of 10 million + population. Dhaka’s estimated density (in 2012) was 44,400 people per square kilometre. Please add to this staggering statistic Raafi (my fellow Fellow) and me, who will occupy a spacious three-bedroom flat for the next eight months. Beware statistical averages hiding disparities, for example between the spaces Dhaka’s poorest and wealthiest occupy.
Ismailimail 