A Couragated Solution
This class was unlike any other I have taken here at GCE. When the course was proposed and our guest teacher came up and described what we would be doing I got the immediate inspiration for a camp that had been completely redone with stone wall houses, media centers, and painted murals everywhere. I quickly understood that my aspirations would not be able to be met and fully realized with the time given but I do think I came to a better conclusion for a steady project that has a defined goal than what I would have done if to scramble with one of my original ideas.
For this project, we were assigned to select either the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh or Zaatari camp in Jordan and then address and come up with a solution for a problem we notice. I chose to create a food storage program for the Kutupalong camp. It was hard to square down a specific topic to center this project around but after quickly learning all this camp goes through from bad treatment through the country´s government I wanted to make something easier for the people of the camp to make just one aspect of their day-to-day brighter.
My idea Script:
To begin this venture I did some general research on the geographical situation of Kutupalong and what seemed to be its most pressing yearly problems. While trying to find an issue to focus on I came across the seasonal changes seen when the climate becomes warmer in summer and it is the most humid. Not long after I discovered that Kutupalong suffers from a massive flooding problem. In total, there are 860,000 people living in the Kutupalong camps if the neighboring camps are taken into account. Most escaped Myanmar from religious prosecution and in 2021 became the biggest refugee camp in the world.What the pantry itself will be made out of will be shipping containers provided by the Chicago Port Railroad Company, operated by the Illinois International Port District which manages most deliveries both in and out of the city. I didn´t want to select a port district within the city of Kutupalong since the Bangladeshi Government has been known to try its hardest to make the conditions of the camp the most unbearable possible for its residents. Being that water levels rise well above the entrance to the container and the apparatus would be way too challenging to have fully operational during the months of March- September my decision was to have stairs leading up to the side of the container and then down the back side to conserve some space. There would be a hatch to act as a door on the top for access and then once you make your way down you would see only rows of shelves, drying goods, and baskets of fruit mostly to select from while inside. For this to become a reality what we would need is tools, the wood and insulation to form the inside walls and shelves, and lights that dont use electricity to conserve power but also so you can still see while inside.
This is where you, my audience, come in. While researching who´s help I would want I came across Habitat for Humanity which makes it their job to provide sustainable housing for those who dont have the resources to. They have helped more than 39 million people over multiple decades, working in up to 70 countries around the world they have built homes for families, local communities, and partners. What I aim to accomplish is to grab their attention for a pitch to receive help in acquiring materials or raising funds to make this project a reality. The size shipping container I am looking at is 5 8´ by 8´ by 40´ foot containers so as to have enough room for a neighborhood´s worth of food.
While I do plan on spreading this idea throughout the multiple camps held under the same Kutupalong name first I will try to achieve what I need to get this project off the ground in the main refugee camp and then move outwards. Using a map I found from the UN Migration Agency I was able to find five locations good to put a pantry down. What I tried to do was place them at intersections and spots that weren't already taken by a house or market space so as to displace as few people as possible. Looking deeper on the map I began to realize that there are neighborhoods or divisions within the camp so I had also used that to help guide me through placement as well.
Now that you know what the plan for food storage looks like we can take a look at what food it is we´ll be trying to preserve. While it is encouraged to keep whatever food item you´d like inside of the pantries(we´d be looking for donations as well) the main focus of this project was, was jackfruit and its multiple properties in helping with health. Jackfruit is a superfood, giving you twice the Vitamin C a banana does, and is used on the skin when bitten by something poisonous. The aim of the pantry is not to keep the fruit exponentially long but to just keep larger amounts of it for the community. The insulation on the walls would make the place kind of like a lunchbox just keeping your food in the state it was when you packed it for that bit longer. The fruit will eventually have to be used before its expiration just as all food should.
Jackfruit can be used on its own can be cooked, dried, pickled, and made into a paste, and the wood of the tree can be very useful when making furniture. Now where the fruit would be coming from I dont know. I´ve looked at multiple food banks and organizations across the Cicagoland area but this of course will be one of the setbacks. I wanted to start all pantries out with a commendable amount of food to give the refugees what they actually need and not just give them a few metallic boxes and then leave with nothing else to start the actual project's purpose.
If the goal of negotiating with The Chicago Port Authority goes over we will be well on our way to going through with the plan for building. Calculating all that we would need to complete construction minus the wood and shipping containers which I am hopeful to have donated it comes to a total of $27,296 for the combined number of solar-powered lights and strips of insulation.
These containers aren´t just storage spaces for food they're spaces for community. This isn't about randomly selecting a problem to focus on for a grade it's about making sure people have a way to connect with one another after a devastating time in their lives. We need each other to make the dark days a little less dark so we can have hope for the future and I think my project achieves this while also giving notice to another imperative side of life which is the need for food. Food is what is needed to survive and I am happy that I could try and spend some time to offer the refugees of Kutupalong something to make it all easier.
This project is one that I admire deeply and am proud to have made it with so little time left in the school year that I was able to accomplish something so big and put so much effort into a project I could've gotten away with if I did less but I didn't and Im happy I didn't because I believe that I needed to put my all into this project as well. If I could change anything I think I would want more time to complete the inside of the book just because its currently only pictures.
Sources:
“Useful Shipping Container Information.” Container Container, www.containercontainer.com/shipping-container-dimensions/#:~:text=Shipping%20containers%20and%20storage%20containers,foot%20to%20be%209ft%206%E2%80%9D. Accessed 1 June 2023.
Hazel. “Floods and Landslides: Kutupalong Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh, August 2021.” COV19 Chronicles, 26 Apr. 2023, cov19chronicles.com/kutupalong-chronicles-floods-and-landslides-kill-6-rohingya-refugees-and-leave-5-million-homeless-in-coxs-bazaar-bangladesh/#:~:text=Since%2027%20July%202021%2C%20the,and%20left%205%20million%20homeless.
“Five Years on, Rohingya Refugees Face Dire Conditions and a Long Road Ahead.” Crisis Group, 22 Aug. 2022, www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-east-asia/myanmar/five-years-rohingya-refugees-face-dire-conditions-and-long-road-ahead#:~:text=Living%20conditions%20for%20the%20refugees,leaders%2C%20are%20on%20the%20rise.
“Our Work.” Habitat for Humanity, www.habitat.org/our-work. Accessed 1 June 2023.
David. “How to Preserve Jackfruit for Long-Time Storage.” Agrolearner, 30 Mar. 2023, agrolearner.com/how-to-preserve-jackfruit-for-long-time-storage/.
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