Employing Saemaul Undong to Increase Income of a Village in Bangladesh

The Saemaul Undong (SMU- New Village Movement) made clear impacts in Korea including positive changes in mentality, astonishing increase of income and enhancement of living standard of Korean people. It brought the “we can do” spirit in them when the Koreans almost lost their hope to build the country again after very hard times during the colonial period (1910-1945) of being oppressed by Japan followed by the terrible loss of lives (415,000 people were killed) and damage of properties in Korean War (1950-1953). In spite of having very little to invest, the SMU spirit enabled the Korean people to make a dream of a wealthy family, a wealthy village and a wealthy country come true for the next generation. Galania, a village in Bangladesh, is much similar to the Korean villages in the pre-SMU era in terms of many social and economic aspects such as low income level (almost around $80 per family per month) and a potential population willing to do more income generating works individually or in groups if opportunity is created. All these advocate for the Saemaul spirit to have a great potential to be employed in Galania for improving peoples’ productivity through skill training, developing infrastructures and other communal works in village. Carefully chosen development projects and running them with the Saemaul spirit are very much likely to increase the income of the rural people and thereby improve their living standards.