Bede (Gypsy)

Muslim gypsy (floating) community of Bangladesh.

The Bede is a Muslim gypsy (floating) community of Bangladesh. They travel from one place to another to earn a living for 10 to 11 months of the year and gather in around 75 locations of the country to meet their families and other community members for a month or two. Many Bede leaders estimate their population in Bangladesh at around 500,000 and around 5,000 caravans (groups) of Bede move from one place to another. The Bedes in general are very poor and literacy among them is very low as well. Most of them are landless and many live on khas (public) land and in tents. They hardly have access to healthcare services and other government benefits including Social Safety Net Programmes (SSNPs).

Bede: A Nomadic Existence