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Diary of an ICS volunteer: host families, hard work and hot chai

International Citizen Service volunteer Vix in her sari

Romana was a young girl when her family told her she was getting married. This is not unusual in Bangladesh; according to UNICEF, nearly two-thirds of girls are married before the age of 18 and more than a quarter of …

Women and clean energy in Bangladesh

A woman collects firewood from the forest. Picture: G.M.B.Akash/Panos

Though it may not seem obvious, access to clean energy and women’s empowerment especially in the developing world are intrinsically linked. Collecting firewood, for example, can make a woman or girl vulnerable to attack while she’s outside her village searching. …

Ending child marriage in Bangladesh: girls not brides

Young Bangladeshi girls holding text books. Picture:GMB Akash/Panos

Imagine your life if you were married at 15, against your will, to an abusive husband. It’s the same for almost all the women you know. Your education came to an abrupt end once you were married, and you’re not …

Fashioning change: from the factory floor to the high street

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development Debates, Economic Development
The mother of 18 year old Aleyais cries and holds a picture of her daughter who is believed to be among the victims of the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka.

I put my book down and went to make another cup of tea. I never thought that those few steps to the kitchen would be the start of a journey towards creating a sustainable online fashion store called VV Vintage. …