Community Empowerment through Information Services: The Community Development Library of Bangladesh

Abstract

PCF1 // Information is the critical missing link between ignorance and enlightenment, between poverty and prosperity, between de-humanized community and empowerment. Information can be transferred into a powerful tool for empowerment of community in Bangladesh where 11.4 million people are living in an area of 147,570 sq. km. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country with low literacy rate, over exploitation of natural resources, frequent disaster, poverty, poor health and social services. The problems are highly pronounced in the rural areas. In one generation or less Bangladesh must win the war on poverty meeting the basic needs of the community people. // Initiatives has already been in process to overcome the situation. Community participation in the process of decision making and implementation is must in the main stream development. Participation of the community is an educational and empowering process in which people could understand their problems and needs and could assure responsibility to plan, manage, control and assess the actions needed for their own development. Information can play a vital role in this regard. // We are now living in an information age. Development of information technology and information societies throughout the world are changing the way of our life. To keep pace with the information age and to face the challenges of the twenty first century community people should be aware of the significance of information as it plays an important role in economic, social, cultural and political development. //