Ahona Azad Choyti

Communities across the globe are connected through the power of information and technology. Consumption patterns have been altered and traditional ways of working disrupted. How does this play out in the development sector?

In Bangladesh, one in 10 people live with a disability. That's 16 million people, more than double of the population of Hong Kong. While countries around the world have made progress in reducing poverty, the condition of the majority of people with disabilities has not improved. People with disabilities continue to live with a higher poverty and unemployment rate.

Extreme poverty has many faces and varies in different contexts. The “official” definition of extreme poverty is stated in terms of income – living on less than $1.90 per day. But extreme poverty is about more than a lack of income.

Cox’s Bazar, popular as the longest uninterrupted sea beach in the world, is also now globally known as the home of the largest refugee camp. The sudden influx of refugees added multiple challenges to people living in the host community, including a fall in wages and price hike of essential commodities. Cox’s Bazar’s geographic location, social and religious outlook, and refugee surplus demand targeted development interventions to lessen the economic vulnerability of the host communities residing there.