By Karl Strempel

The week in Bangladesh was absolutely exciting and memorable and proved to be extremely helpful for understanding the local challenges and problems that we try to improve in our day-to-day work back in Germany. There are many characteristics that distinguish Bangladesh from other countries. Obviously the density of people is simply stunning, the traffic is shocking and pollution is a serious problem especially in Dhaka. I will never forget that one of the main sights in Dhaka is what they call "the dirtiest river in the world" and you even have to pay an entry fee to access the jetty.

But apart from these challenges, Bangladesh is unique for many positive aspects as well. I was impressed to experience such friendliness and hospitality of even total strangers. And what I found even more surprising is a sentence that I have heard over and over again, talking to people from very diverse (social) backgrounds: "I want to help my country!" Coming from Western Europe, where a lot of people are busy caring about themselves, I find it astonishing that the Bangladeshi who still often have such a hard time fulfilling their very basic needs every day think about and act upon such noble goals.

Our field visits to Grameen Danone, the Grameen Eye Care Hospital in Bogra, Grameen Veolia, Grameen Bank and many more projects in remote villages have shown me how impactful social business initiatives can be and it has been so encouraging to see with what kind of strong dedication and positive spirit the people involved try to significantly improve the life of the poor.

I want to express my great respect for all the work that we have seen as well as all the people we have met and hope that many more will have the chance to go there and have a similar experience.