Bronson’s Brief Dance with Bangladesh

Former Junior Professional Consultant (JPC) Bronson completed a six-month contract with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh. During his time in the country, Bronson had the opportunity to learn about various development challenges from both administrative and ground level operations.

On the ground, Bronson joined the Country Program assessment team to assess development trends in the southern District of Barisal. The visit to Barisal led to meeting individuals of multiple backgrounds including the Rakhine, Rohingya, Government officials, and marginalized populations (Women and Children). Bronson mentions emphatically in his research report that: “A moment of revelation was when a group of women noticed I was a Canadian and proceeded to request for assistance with their food and water issues in Bangla. The revelation [that] was there was a high expectation of the UN and developed nations such as Canada to provide for the human insecurities of the villagers, rather than for the Government, itself, to plan and implement a fair and suitable response. Not having the power or resources to provide adequate human security taught me that having academic knowledge to formulate solutions is incomparable to having financial resources supported by an organization. The level of economic support limits development work and creating solutions requires tailoring interventions to specific needs of the given environment.”
Seeing the environment and hearing the issues of the District’s population brought a sense of powerlessness and despite being armed with knowledge readied at the helm, to create, and develop viable solutions for the area’s present issues; nothing at that moment could be done to provide immediate solutions. Even with the feeling of powerlessness, Bronson with his background in security and military understood the objective nature of the mission was to interview and find trends to review current development programs.
After the field mission, Bronson was exposed to a multitude of duties including both a policy and communications role in Governance. In communications, he was responsible for drafting and delivering daily media briefs for senior staff every morning. In addition, he was given the opportunity to develop a project that led to several meetings with various stakeholders. As well, he drafted, created, and proposed a Media Development Report (MDR) featuring analyses of top monthly media reports to allow departments the ability to understand the trends that may enhance or reduce development efficiency in a given area. Through the policy field, Bronson advised on documents that increased democratic processes during elections and projects that promoted gender equality for marginalized voters.

Initially, going into Bangladesh brought uncertainties about what was expected in six months and in the end, Bronson received more opportunities and experience than he could ask for in the short time span. In the end, he found a rewarding experience and newfound friends. “I was a cheeky graduate student from a Western country who thought he knew everything about the developing country from research and books. Working with UNDP Bangladesh was humbling and I am grateful to have had such a wonderful opportunity to work for a renowned organization, and to have met beautiful souls on the journey.” The statement illustrates the impact UNDP and Bangladesh has had on Bronson, humbling him in the process.

Right after Bangladesh, Bronson and a fellow UNDP colleague: Peter Tikasz departed for Honolulu, Hawaii to present two paper abstracts at the East-West Center on the University of Hawaii campus. The topics Peter and Bronson presented were: ‘Optimizing Implementation of Hydroponic Systems in Bangladesh for Food Security During Hartals’ and; ‘Comparative Responses to Global Sea Level Rise Between Pacific and Atlantic Island Communities.’ Always yearning for a challenge, Bronson learned about the 8.15 mile (13.1 Km) Great Aloha Run and registered immediately, he strapped on a 20lb pack and finished the race in what he called “average time” in 1 hr. 30 min. Since the presentations were inspired by research, he and Peter had collected with UNDP Bangladesh; the experience, in Bronson’s point of view, did not end until he left Honolulu. 

Bronson is currently working as the Tournament Coordinator with Kiwani’s Youth Diversity Cup to ensure children who are often unable to be in organized sports have the opportunity to participate in a two-day soccer tournament that promotes and fosters respect, leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship in the community. The tournament is partnered with KidSport and Calgary Police Service.

When asked about how he adapted to a life different from Canada, Bronson chuckled and smiled while saying: “Having a Chinese background certainly helped. That… and I had jazz music and wonderful friends to live with. Most importantly, it was the kind souls and their support that made everything so much brighter – I’m very grateful to have met them” Even after the response, he continued smiling, reminiscing on a wonderful time that has passed.

 

Written by: A. J. Dixon

A. J. Dixon is a Freelance Writer travels around the world. Collecting interest stories from people around the world.

Interviewed: Bronson

 

Bronson holds a MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding degree from Royal Roads University and has a BA in Criminal Justice with a Minor in Political Science from Mount Royal University. He was nominated for the 2015 Horizon Award that recognized outstanding achievements as a Mount Royal University alumnus early in [their] career and was recently nominated for the 2016 Outstanding Alumni in Community Service Award. As well, he has served with the Canadian Armed Forces and has worked in various domestic disaster zones including the 2013 Southern Alberta flood during his 8 years of security.