Social Development and Poverty Reduction in Bangladesh (Research Paper Sample)

Bangladesh is a country in South Asia with will have an estimated population of 170 million people by end of 2022 (Haque et al., 2012). For a long time, Bangladesh had been struggling to feed its people. Poverty reduction and social development have been among the key issues to be resolved by ruling governments. Notably, there have been rapid economic growth and assistance from foreign countries and NGOs that have propelled Bangladesh into a middle-income country from being one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite the growth, chronic poverty and unemployment remain a challenge in the country. More than 15% of the population struggle to make two dollars per day (Haque et al., 2012). Poor people lack usual or socially acceptable amounts of money in society. Affected people are unable to satisfy their basic needs. Several strategies have been devised to reduce poverty. NGOs have been playing a part in social development and poverty reduction in most parts of the world, with Bangladesh being one of the countries. Apart from NGOs, other bodies and models have been used in social development and poverty reduction. Cash transfers have appeared to be among the most efficient ways of reaching the poor in most countries. Some other ways and strategies have been used. In this paper, the role played by NGOs in social development and poverty development will be analyzed with a comparison of other models used and applicable in Bangladesh that has been used for the promotion of social development and poverty reduction.
Bangladesh has over 26,000 NGOs that are registered with the NGOs affairs bureau. Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is the largest NGO in the country. From 2016 to 2019, BRAC was awarded as the number one NGO globally by NGO World Advisor. BRAC has been pivotal in social development and poverty reduction in Bangladesh and other countries ((Muhammad, 2018). To better understand the roles NGOs, play in Bangladesh and other countries, it is inevitable to understand what NGOs are .so what are NGOs? NGO is an abbreviation of Non-Governmental Organization. Although the words seem easy to understand, what these bodies help in society, there have been issues with the roles played by NGOs. Some are viewed as entities of radicalizing citizens and promoting unacceptable social norms and values. Their existence is viewed as non-profit and can assist in the state or business sector. According to Martens (2002), NGOs are independent social organizations that seek to promote common goals and interests at national and international levels (Martens, 2002) This view is based on a juridical and sociological perspective. Some of the criteria should be met for an NGO to be allowed to function. NGOs should enable citizen participation, have inclusivity regardless of gender, religion, and other parameters, operate on volunteerism, and serve public interests. For this paper, NGO will mean an interest group or organization working towards people's development to make no profits.
According to Gandhi (1957), Marxism, socialism, and communism grew due to civilization. He also believed in reconstructing the internal economy to strengthen that of his country rather than depending on other countries. The theory of trusteeship was also fronted, and through the theory, Gandhi believed that wealthy people were just trustees of property from God, and through the property, the rich ought to help the poor. Though the rich and landlords were not targeted in