Reducing Disaster Risk of the Vulnerable People

Bangladesh is often cited as one of the countries with the greatest risk of being affected by climate change and natural disasters. Bangladesh’s coast more precisely the Sundarbans coastal region is the biggest victim to natural disasters and highly affected by climate change with problems including salinity and water logging, soil erosion, flooding and cyclones. With the prolonged natural calamities and geographical location makes the coastal people one of the poorest and vulnerable communities in the world.

In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ranked Bangladesh as the most ‘climate vulnerable country’ in the world,while Maplecraft’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CVI) estimates Bangladesh to be at ‘extreme risk’ from the impacts of climate change by 2025. Disaster risk reduction has become an important national and international issue particularly in the context of some highly damaging disasters occurred in recent past over the coastal areas of Bangladesh like Sidr, Aila, Fani and Bulbul.

The coastal areas of Bangladesh have been exposed to natural disasters from time immemorial. People of the Sundarbans coastal region are not very aware of natural disaster. They are very poor and keep themselves busy in income generating activities even when there is high signal of disaster. Natural disasters in these region increases the vulnerability and in recent years it has been serious threat to the overall development of the country. The hazards of natural disasters cannot completely be prevented, but the risks and vulnerability can be reduced through increasing capacity.

Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) is a community based nonprofit, nonpolitical development organization which is working to promote ecological balance and create harmony between human and nature since 2010. In the context of disaster risk reduction BEDS is working in the Sundarbans coastal region to build the capacity of the most vulnerable communities in the world and to reduce disaster risk, minimize loss and damage and adapt with changed climate by improving capacity of the target communities on disaster risk assessment, signaling, pre, during and post disaster activities, adaptation techniques etc. using BEDS working experience and existing facilities.

BEDS has been working on Community Managed Disaster RIsk Reduction (CMDRR) activities in the Sundarbans region since 2016. BEDS has established a “Cyclone Shelter and Training Center” adjacent to the Sundarbans mangrove forest for the safety of local people. BEDS has formed a village disaster management committee, provided CMDRR training to the committee members, established emergency fund for the villagers, improved local peoples capacity on assessing their capacity and vulnerability, established signaling system, provided safety materials among the villagers, protected embankment by bamboo fencing and mangrove plantation, introduced low cost climate adaptive housing technology and provided alternative livelihoods to the villagers of Mathurapur under Munshigonj union of Shyamnagar sub district of Satkhira district of Bangladesh.

Currently BEDS has been trying to raise fund through GlobalGiving platform for a project entitled Reducing Disaster Risks of the Sundarbans Coastal Peoplefor improving capacity of Union Disaster management committee members and NGO workers on disaster risk assessment, activities of pre, during and post disaster, signaling and climate change adaptation. Total budget size of the project is 50,000 USD. We would like to raise the all the project fund by 2020 and start pre-planned activities.

BEDS has a very good relationship with the local government offices and local NGOs. So, we are communicating with the regularly on how to move forward with disaster issue.

So, our heartiest urge to you all to stand with this most disastrous vulnerable communities in the world so that they can live a happy and secure life from the attacks of destructive disasters. Truly your little contribution can make a big change.

The Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. Sundarbans coastal region is climatically vulnerable due to its' geographic location. People of this region are not well knowledgeable on how to reduce disaster risk, minimize loss and damage and adapt with changed climate. We would like to train up NGO workers and Union Disaster Management Committee members on disaster risk assessment, activities of pre, during and post disaster, signaling and climate change adaptation through our proposed project. To do so, the organization is trying to get fund from the donors; because, without their assistance it is not possible for us to run the project for the betterment of the people. The total budget of the project is $ 50,000. Unfortunately we couldn’t raise any fund so far. Recent mega cyclone Bulbul taught us to get prepared to reduce the damage.
 
We have already shared this news with the local community that we are trying to raise fund for the mentioned activity although we have raised nothing so far. We expect to raise the total fund for this project in 2020. 

This is our heartiest appeal to the donors, please come forward and reduce the climate vulnerability of the Sundarbans coastal people. 

The Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. Sundarbans coastal region is climatically vulnerable due to its' geographic location. People of this region are not well knowledgeable on how to reduce disaster risk, minimize loss and damage and adapt with changed climate. We would like to train up NGO workers and Union Disaster Management Committee members on disaster risk assessment, activities of pre, during and post disaster, signaling and climate change adaptation through our proposed project. To do so, the organization is trying to get fund from the donors; because, without their assistance it is not possible for us to run the project for the betterment of the people. The total budget of the project is $ 50,000. Unfortunately we couldn’t raise any fund so far. Recent mega cyclone Bulbul taught us to get prepared to reduce the damage.
 
We have already shared this news with the local community that we are trying to raise fund for the mentioned activity although we have raised nothing so far. We expect to raise the total fund for this project in 2020. 

This is our heartiest appeal to the donors, please come forward and reduce the climate vulnerability of the Sundarbans coastal people.

The Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. Sundarbans coastal region is climatically vulnerable due to its' geographic location. People of this region are not well knowledgeable on how to reduce disaster risk, minimize loss and damage and adapt with changed climate. We would like to train up NGO workers and Union Disaster Management Committee members on disaster risk assessment, activities of pre, during and post disaster, signaling and climate change adaptation through our proposed project. To do so, the organization is trying to get fund from the donors; because, without their assistance it is not possible for us to run the project for the betterment of the people. The total budget of the project is $ 50,000. Unfortunately we couldn’t raise any fund so far. We have already shared this news with the local community that we are trying to raise fund for the mentioned activity although we have raised nothing so far. We expect to raise the total fund for this project 2020. This is our heartiest appeal to the donors, please come forward and reduce the climate vulnerability of the Sundarbans coastal people.

The Sundarbans is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. Sundarbans coastal region is climatically vulnerable due to its' geographic location. People of this region are not well knowledgeable on how to reduce disaster risk, minimize loss and damage and adapt with changed climate. We would like to train up NGO workers and Union Disaster Management Committee members on disaster risk assessment, activities of pre, during and post disaster, signaling and climate change adaptation through our proposed project. To do so, the organization is trying to get fund from the donors; because, without their assistance it is not possible for us to run the project for the betterment of the people. The total budget of the project is $ 50,000.

We have already shared this news with the local community that we are trying to raise fund for the mentioned activity although we have raised nothing so far. It is our expectation that by 2020 we will be able to raise the total fund for this project.

This is our heartiest appeal to the donors, please come forward and reduce the climate vulnerability of the Sundarbans coastal people.