Time Banks

I am interested in how the healthcare system in Bangladesh can improve. Time Banks are becoming a more effective system to improve the health and lifestyle of many people who cannot afford to take care of themselves and their family.

I read the article, Reducing Rural Poverty through Microcredit, by Muhammad Zamir and agree that it is crucial for borrowers to have access to credit for success in a skilled trade. Although this article focuses on the discussion and research done to prove the benefits or consequences of microcredit, I thought of the Time Banks as another solution to poverty.

As a Bangladeshi I feel strongly about helping the people in Bangladesh improve their lives. I came across the Time Banks system and realised that the healthcare in Bangladesh would improve if this system was implemented. Time Banks is a system of "pay it forward." A person working in a field with a certain skill set can exchange his/her time for someone else's time and skills. This will allow the people of Bangladesh to have resources when they do not have the money.

This correspondent can be contacted at the email address, given below, with any questions regarding the Time Banks' idea and with any input ideas from anyone interested in the matter.

Ummay Mahmud

umahmud@eden.rutgers.edu