Let's Play – Bangladesh (2018)
Working in Bangladesh for the third time, and the second time for Save the Children / The IKEA Foundation, this work involved filming and photographing in the capital Dhaka and in Satkhira.
The finished products were used by several Save the Children member organisations around the world as well as by the IKEA Foundation.
I was working as part of a team from Save the Children Bangladesh, Save the Children Sweden, INCIDIN Bangladesh and Breaking the Silence.
The material was for IKEA Foundation’s campaign “Let’s Play for Change” which is their annual campaign. Our aim was to tell stories about how the IKEA Foundation funded projects helped prevent child migration and how children that were already on the move were helped through different Save the Children projects in Bangladesh.
Unsaid Communications also produced an internal communications toolkit for Save the Children and the IKEA Foundation.
Achia, 12 years old, moved from rural Bangladesh to Dhaka with her parents.
“I felt bad coming to Dhaka,” Achia says. “There are bad boys disturbing where we live. The place is very dirty and bad smelling. There are lots of people. So I didn’t like coming to Dhaka.”
She lives with her family in a rented room, sharing a courtyard and one common toilet with 11 other families. The difference to her childhood home is stark.
“Here, boys are very bad,” Achia says. “And the environment is very dirty.”
The activity centre Achia now goes to was set up by Save the Children and is run by their partner organisation Incidin Bangladesh. It offers a safe place to meet, play and socialise with other children, and support from trained staff.
“I feel good when I come to the centre,” Achia says. “I usually come here every day. When I’m here, I can forget about the bad environment. I play chess and basketball. Sometimes I play football, carrom and then Ludu. Then we all have fun together.”
Asma, 13 years old, plays football at the Socialisation Centre in her village in southern Bangladesh. Before the Socialisation Centre was set up by Save the Children, teenage girls playing football was unheard of.
“Before, older girls could not play,” Asma, 13, says. “But now, nobody can scold us, everyone plays.”
In many conservative villages, adolescent girls have not been allowed to play games outdoors. Save the Children works with local partners to help create an environment where play is accepted.
