STORIES

“What should we do when one after another natural disaster hits us and we lose our means of livelihood?”

We do what we have to - look for an alternative,” said Sabina Begum, from Lalua Union, Patauakhali district, a mother of two sons.

She was married at the age of 12 and didn’t understand the consequences of child marriage. It was a common practice in her community.

She soon realised that given her financial struggles, she would remain in poverty. And this realisation was sharpened when Cyclone Sidr hit her union, damaged the embankments, and flooded her house. Her husband lost his source of income, and it was not long before both Sabina and her husband realised her traditional livelihood strategies were not going to work.

Given their vulnerability, Sabina and her husband opted for alternative livelihoods. Sabina took an oyster farming training programme, organised by AVAS with the support of AAB for pearl culture.

She used her learnings from the training and adopted the technique of placing oysters in nets and plastic bottles, tied to bamboo poles, and submerge them in the pond. The outcome of this method and its success returned a new sense of security for Sabina.

She shared, “Now I can earn 300-900 taka selling each pearl.”

Inspired by her success, Sabina trained six women from her village in oyster farming.

When Cyclone Sitrang hit in 2022, her husband had to close his grocery shop, Sabina’s oyster harvest however, remained unharmed. She was able to obtain pearls from the oyst

She did not stop there, instead, she engaged in embroidery, stitching, and gardening.

Sabina’s action and dedication created a ripple effect within her community as many of her neighbours adopted alternative livelihoods and were able to deal with disasters like floods. Sabina and her community are a reminder that it’s critical to invest in and support vulnerable communities to adopt and build resilience in the face of climate change to find alternatives.

Arnob Mistri, 18 years old, from Bagerhat, is a student pursuing his higher secondary education. He is also a young farmer working with his father and an enthusiast of new farming technology.

Growing up in a family of generational farmers, Arnob witnessed the devastating effects of climate change on their land and livelihoods. The saline water level has been increasing in his community lately due to rapid climate change, which ruined the production capacity of arable land in the area. Climate change doesn’t only affect production, it also damages hundreds of years’ worth of knowledge on traditional farming, making it challenging for farmers like Arnob’s father to earn a living.

Resolved to help farmers in his community, Arnob participated in a training on climate adaptation and mitigation from ‘Badhon Manob Unnayan Sangstha’, a local partner of ActionAid Bangladesh. He learned about and adopted a saline-tolerant technique for rice production, which showed wonderful results. Building on his success, he encouraged other farmers to do the same. “This year, the production of rice has been more compared to recent years. I am happy that I could motivate 20 farmers to adopt this resilient farming technique,” said Arnob.

Arnob is also a member of the Rising Star Youth Group. He mobilised other group members to advocate for allocating resources to address the vulnerabilities of young people and claim their rights. They initiated a successful campaign to promote youth participation in the union parishad budget development. Two union parishads allocated budget for youth development.

His story reassures us that young people are going to make a difference in our communities. “I believe young people are the driving force for positive change in any society. We need collective actions to address the challenges our communities are facing,” said Arnob.

Ganga Dasi, an acid survivor from Satkhira, Bangladesh, defied all odds and transformed her life. As the sole earning member in her family, Ganga successfully runs a dairy business. She also cultivates vegetables for selling. She is planning to open a tea stall at the Labsha Market in the Sathkhira district.

Ganga’s life took a tragic turn following the death of her husband in 1995. She was only 24 then and it was stressful enough. However, the same year she encountered the horrifying acid attack, which left scars for life. Following the attack, she experienced the worst form of pain, isolation, and trauma.

“For nine years, I isolated myself from everything. The pain (both physical and mental) was too much to bear. I lost my youth and confidence,” said Ganga.

Life took a positive turn in 2004 when Ganga received assistance from ‘Shetu Bandhan Gori Network’, a network of acid survivors, supported by ActionAid Bangladesh. The initial support was to help Ganga focus on healing and finding herself again. The network organised workshops and counselling sessions for building self-confidence, dealing with pain, connecting with other survivors and moving on.

As Ganga came to terms with the tragedy in her life, she connected with other survivors. Today Ganga shares her inspiring story of resilience and triumph as she inspires other acid survivors to reclaim their lives.

Ganga was engaged in training programmes that equipped her with essential knowledge, including financial literacy, communication skills, and entrepreneurship. Her determination helped her to stand on her own feet. She began to work on income-generating activities with financial support from different sources, including the local authorities, Dutch Bangla Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, and the revolving fund of the ‘Shetu Bandhan Gori Network’. She is now earning a stable income for herself and her family.

“With each success, I feel more confident,” says Ganga Dasi.
Ganga, now a valued member of the local temple committee, is an inspiration to others. Her journey is an example for fellow survivors to believe in a future filled with hope and possibility.

Ghoraghat, an upazila in northwestern Bangladesh, is vulnerable to heavy rainfall. Floods hit it repeatedly, which causes challenges for children, particularly in gaining education. Many of the girls, therefore, eventually become subject to child marriage, losing their childhood and opportunities to excel in life.

Sushmita, who hails from Ghoraghat, lost her mother four years ago. She was raised by her grandparents and has emerged as a resilient young girl.

Sushmita’s grandparents were arranging a marriage for her before she turned 18. Having lost her mother, Sushmita was already in a vulnerable position, and the family’s attempt to get her married at an early age could have pushed her to greater vulnerability. She has already seen the impact on her elder sister who was also a child bride

Sushmita, therefore, took a very strong position against this attempt of her family, using the knowledge she gained from the ‘Ghughurapara Child Forum’, a platform in which she has been a part of since 2019.

The forum empowers children by offering them knowledge, life skills and self-advocacy abilities. It is there where she learned about the demerits of child marriage, recognising it as a manifestation of gender inequality with severe mental and physical repercussions.

To convince her grandparents, she reached out to her fellow forum members, seeking their support. “When my group heard about the marriage, they sought the assistance of the parents’ group, escalating the matter to the local authorities,” Sushmita said.

With the intervention of a local government representative, Sushmita’s grandparents were convinced to reconsider the decision.

Sushmita also received several training from the forum and actively engaged in awareness sessions, advocacy efforts, and developmental activities. She is now a strong advocate for equity and justice in her community.

Sushmita’s inspirational story exemplifies the transformative power of child forums. Because of the forum, she is continuing her education, enjoying her childhood, and pursuing her dream.

“My forum inspires me to work for the development of children and the community,” she said.

ActionAid runs 115 child forums across the country to provide life skill-based education training to marginalised children and empower them with important knowledge. In 2022, a total of 19 child marriages were prevented through community initiatives by these forums, backed by ActionAid’s unwavering support.

Shabana Begum and her family left behind everything to save their lives in the face of the devastating flash floods of May 2022. It was the fourth time that floods had ravaged the lives of her children, leaving them homeless.

“Each time a disaster hits, it breaks my heart. I feel completely helpless, and suffer from anxiety attacks,” she said.

Shabana Begum, only 26, has already experienced devastation several times. She was a child bride and became a mother before she was 18. When the flash floods hit Sunamganj, she lost everything - her produce, her cattle, and her source of income. Her husband, a carpenter, was out of work. Repeated blows wore down any gains she may have made to move out of poverty, throwing her back into dismay. Climate change-induced disasters like flash floods are becoming increasingly severe, causing second- and third-order impacts such as disease, malnutrition, displacement, conflict, gender-based violence, and loss of livelihoods.

“This year’s production was exceptionally good, and I was counting on using the profit to rebuild our house for greater safety. The flood jeopardised my children’s education and health too,” said Shabana, indicating that she was shattered.

Shabana received some financial support from ActionAid Bangladesh after the floods. She is the chairperson of ‘Durgapur Swabalmbi Mahila

Dal’, one of the reflection circle groups formed by AAB and its local partner Voluntary Association for Rural Development (VARD). She used her learnings from the circle on disaster management to recover her livelihood initially. She invested a part of the funds to buy seeds. As an adaptation approach to save produce from future floods, she started using sacks to plant them at a higher setting.

Shabana’s dream of a safer home was shattered, and her ability to provide for her children has been severely compromised. Shabana is not alone in her struggle. She is among the 7.2 million people whose lives have been disrupted by flash floods in north-eastern Bangladesh in 2022.