There are few places on earth where the specter of climate change looms larger than in the densely packed, low-lying country of Bangladesh. The country is already vulnerable to extreme weather events, so the threat of rising sea levels, more erratic rainfall, and increasing seasonal floods raises new worries as Bangladesh struggles to spur economic development and lift people out of poverty.
Approximately one-fifth the size of Texas, Bangladesh is home to more than 150 million people—about half the population of the United States. The population swells the capital city of Dhaka, spilling into areas of the countryside prone to flooding from the thousands of tributaries that feed into the country’s major rivers. It’s little wonder efforts are underway to help communities reduce risk to natural disaster and build resilience.
CARE Bangladesh is working in some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, and I travel with staff to visit one of CARE’s most celebrated programs. Our destination is a small cluster of villages surrounded by rice fields and accessible only by boat. Fields are green and awaiting harvest. In two months, I am told, the area will be inundated with water as the annual cycle of flooding begins.
What I find upon arriving is an example of how a community can reduce its vulnerability to the harsh realities of living in a flood-prone area. With help from CARE, residents have built a wall of brick and concrete surrounding their village, providing protection against floodwaters.
The community has gone on to do much more than climate-proof the village. Local people have reclaimed land to use for vegetable gardens, improving food security and nutrition. Through a savings plan developed by village residents, women have been using small loans to start businesses, improving their status and contributing to household well-being with the income they earn. The villagers have also dug wells to improve access to clean water.
All these activities, it is explained to me, are a result of community members discussing the problems they face and identifying solutions. Finding community-based solutions to problems faced by rural poor people is a core objective of CARE’s work in Bangladesh. Another is empowering community members, especially women, with knowledge and information about their rights. With CARE’s help, the community has formed a village council, identified local leaders, and gained the capacity and confidence to call on government officials to provide basic services and protect their rights. At the small office dedicated to the work of the Village Development Council, the names and cell phone numbers of local elected officials are displayed for all to see. As community members contribute to the demand for government services in everything from health care to agriculture extension to basic education, they send an important message about where the priorities of the government need to be.
CARE’s five-year, USAID-funded project demonstrates that real development cannot be achieved overnight and cannot be designed without input from community members themselves. It also shows that lasting solutions to hunger and poverty require empowering individuals to become active citizens—claiming their rights and holding their government accountable.
Eric Muñoz is a policy analyst with Oxfam America. From 2005 to 2010, he was a policy analyst with Bread for the World Institute. He traveled to Bangladesh for Bread in early 2010.
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