Project Name : Climate Action at Local Level (CALL) Sports For Protection, Resilience and Transformation (SPiRiT)

Doner : ORF and SDC

Sector : Climate and Child Protection

Area : Shamnagar, Ashasuni, Debhata, Kaliganj, and Satkhira Sadar upazillas, Satkhira district,

Time Line : Nov 2024 to Nov 2026

Brief of activities :

The SPiRiT project is implementing by the breaking the Silence supported with Terre des hommes.

The existing action of SPiRiT aims to promote the inclusion and empowerment of children and youth who are displaced or at risk of climate-induced displacement in Satkhira District. As part of the ALL programme, the SPiRiT project will support children and youth (aged 12 – 24 years) who are already affected by climate change or at risk of climate-induced vulnerabilities in the southern coastal zones of Bangladesh. The project will expand its work across five upazillas within Satkhira district— Shamnagar, Ashasuni, Debhata, Kaliganj, and Satkhira Sadar — directly engaging 5400 participants over a period of 02 years.

The action will be realised by:(1) enhancing the physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of displaced children and youth or those at risk of displacement by promoting their access to safe sports; (2) engaging children and youth to advance their knowledge of coping strategies to respond to migration and displacement linked risks and other climate-induced vulnerabilities, as well as to promote sustainable local solutions through youth-led initiatives; and (3) enhancing sports coaches’ and other stakeholders’ knowledge on gender-friendly safe sports and garner their support for implementing sports for protection initiatives in Bangladesh.

General approach/strategy:

Sports for Protection: Recognizing the importance of diverse sports aspects for personal development, identity, well-being, empowerment, and social skills, the project aligns with Article 31 of the UNCRC, emphasizing the right of children to play. It is also designed to reflect the Government of Bangladesh's commitment outlined in the 8th five-year plan, ensuring safe access to sports for children and youth. The 'Sports for Protection' methodology and “ENGAGE” curriculum of Tdh will be tailored and contextualized, serving as platforms for discussions on climate change, migration, child protection, and essential 21st century life skills such as communication, emotional management, problem solving, public speaking, responsibilities, and conflict resolution. Through the ENGAGE curriculum, grassroots child/youth-led initiatives will be facilitated through mentoring support, awareness sessions and community-led advocacy efforts, enabling participants to identify challenges and collectively provide solutions. Moreover, integrating climate change lessons into sports training sessions, organizing sports events, providing sustainable sports equipment and facilities will further reinforce climate awareness and environmental stewardship among participants. Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA): The project is designed from a human rights-based approach (HRBA), recognizing, and enforcing the right of individuals to sport and play. Encouraging children and young people to utilize sports as a catalyst for social change will empower them to challenge discriminatory and exclusionary social norms. Moreover, Tdh's commitment to defending the rights of children and youth in migration extends beyond traditional boundaries to encompass emerging challenges related to climate change. Recognizing the interconnectedness of human rights and climate change issues, and by prioritizing the interests of the most vulnerable and marginalized children and youth, the intervention will empower them to avail their rights and hold duty-bearers accountable through enabling them to voice their needs and address specific challenges. In response to the escalating climate crisis in the targeted project locations, Tdh will integrate specific considerations into its programming, ensuring that children and youth impacted by climate-induced migration receive the skills they need to cope. This involves fostering resilience-building efforts to empower the rights holders to adapt and thrive in the face of climate-induced challenges. Furthermore, the project will guarantee the respect for and implementation of the rights of children by advocating for climate-related considerations in local policies, recognizing and respecting the rights of children and youth. Central to the project’s HRBA is the principle of participation, ensuring that affected individuals and communities are actively involved in the design and implementation of the project without discrimination. Tdh ensures community participation in decision making through establishing community representation systems in programme delivery to ensure local ownership. Representatives are elected from different groups (including women, girls, men, boys, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities), and they participate in consultation. Community representatives are also a part of service monitoring to equitably reflect community opinion and hold actors to account both from the duty bearers’ and right holders' perspectives. The project activities will inform, educate, and empower them, recognizing their role as rights’ holders and actors in their own development. Their participation will not only ensure ownership of the programme, but also sustain progress over time. Additionally, the project will focus on developing the capacity of duty-bearers to meet their obligations and encourage rights holders to claim their rights. Equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of Tdh’s interventions, ensuring that all individuals have equal access to rights without facing direct or indirect discrimination. In cases where necessary, affirmative action will be taken to support particularly marginalized children and youth groups. Open communication channels will be maintained with all stakeholders, providing regular updates on project progress, taking collective decisions, and the ways to mitigate challenges encountered. Any feedback received will be carefully considered and addressed promptly to ensure transparency in decision-making processes. Furthermore, clear roles and responsibilities will be defined for all project stakeholders, including duty-bearers, and implementing partners, to ensure accountability for actions taken. The project will work on a child- and youth-centred partnership approach that includes both grassroots relevant stakeholders and local actors, who should be actively engaged in the design and planning phases to implementation and evaluation. Also, this project will build upon a multi-sector and multi-stakeholder approach: collaboration across government bodies, ministries, public bodies, informal groups, and private and specialized sectors. Psychosocial resilience-based approach: Embracing a psychosocial resilience-based approach, the project provides safe spaces for socially excluded children, combining safe sports with contextualized methodologies to support their well-being and empowerment. Strengthened community relationships enhance social inclusion and improve access to quality information. Engaging policymakers and sports actors at various levels strengthens a protective environment based on the Social Ecological Model. Learning and adaptive management: The project adopts a participatory approach to adaptive management, aiming to enhance programme quality and impact through feedback mechanisms and learning loops. Recognizing the complexity of the climate crisis on children and youth, the project emphasizes context-specific solutions, interactive programme design, and regular reassessment of change strategies. The adaptive management approach includes annual after-action reviews, strategically contributing to SDC’s annual reviews and learning.

Specific objectives:

1. To enhance the physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of children and youth facing climate induced vulnerabilities by promoting their access to safe sports.

2. To engage children and youth to advance their knowledge and skills on leadership, migration, displacement, and climate-induced vulnerabilities and to promote sustainable local solutions through initiatives led by children and youth.

3. To enhance the role of actors at the local, district and national levels to contribute to creating an enabling environment for participation of children and youth experiencing climate-induced vulnerabilities.

Proposed activities:

Outcome 1: Children and youth (12-24 years) experiencing climate-induced vulnerabilities have meaningful access to safe sports activities to enhance their physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being and participate in sports activities regularly. Output 1.1: Coaches and teachers have a better understanding of safe sports for protecting and ensuring the well-being of vulnerable children and youth from climate-induced vulnerabilities. • Contextualisation of Tdh’s "Sports for Protection toolkit" and “ENGAGE” curriculum to tackle climate vulnerabilities and enhance climate resilience of youth through sports interventions. • Contextualization of Tdh’s climate change curriculum in the local context and design session plans for children and youth. • Train sports coaches, teachers, and project staff on Tdh’s “Sports for Protection toolkit”, ENGAGE curriculum and climate change curriculum. • Reflection and mentoring sessions with the facilitators. Output 1.2: Increased participation of children and youth in safe sports and community level activities to address climate change concerns. • Establish and strengthen children and youth groups by providing essential resources to raise awareness about climate change through community sports engagement. • Provide essential sports materials and refurbish sports playgrounds to support these groups effectively. • Conduct sports sessions with children and youth to support their well-being. • Capacity strengthening of local actors (e.g., parents, guardians, local government representatives, religious leaders, sports teachers) on climate change issues. • Support children and youth champions to organize community sports events to raise climate awareness through active participation in sports activities.

Outcome 2: Children and youth participating in Sports for Protection and related activities have contributed to sustainable local solutions through initiatives led by children and youth. Output 2.1: Improved capacity of adolescents and youth on leadership and 21st century essential soft skills development, climate change and mitigation of unsafe migration and displacement related risks. • Strengthen leadership skills of children and youth through participatory action research methodologies guided by the ENGAGE curriculum. • Identify youth champions who act as change makers.Organize sessions led by children and youth to share information and awareness on the impact of climate change and promote the mitigation of migration and displacement-related risks, among other community change actions. • Support youth-led initiatives to promote climate action. Output 2.2: Strengthen relationships within communities and forge effective linkages with relevant service providers for the empowerment of vulnerable adolescents and youth. • Map relevant organizations/service providers working on adolescent and youth empowerment and climate change in the southern coastal areas of Bangladesh. • Create linkages and establish referral pathways with the government, private and non-government service providers for accessing gender responsive public services.

Outcome 3: Actors at local and district levels contribute to creating an enabling environment for the participation of youth and adolescents in addressing climate-induced vulnerabilities. Output 3.1: Local and district level actors support the promotion of youth-led initiatives in Bangladesh. • Project inception with relevant district and upazilla authorities, and local actors and agree on the work plan for collaborative actions. • Regular coordination meetings with the relevant stakeholders and sharing of the learning and progress of the project with authorities and sports actors for their updates and further suggestions. Output 3.2: Implementation of advocacy initiatives led by local partners, including, but not limited to: organizing community awareness campaigns, lobbying with local actors, awareness campaigns and events to amplify voices of marginalized communities affected by climate change. • Advocacy initiatives led by the local partner.

Project Name : Creating Women Leadership for Resilience of Munda Adibashi Community project

Doner : Community Chest of Korea (CCK) & Oxfam in BD

Sector : Development

Area : Shyamnagar, Satkhira

Time Line : July2023 to 31 December2025

Brief of activities :

Project Name : Speak Up! Empowering CSOs to protect children and youth's freedom of expression by capitalising on the opportunities and addressing the challenges of the digital space in Bangladesh (SPEAK UP)

Doner : European Union (EU)

Sector : Child Protection

Area : Satkhira Sadar Upazila, covering the municipality and four unions (Alipur Union No. 7, Duliher Union No. 8, Agardari Union No. 10, and Balli Union No. 12).

Time Line : Mar, 2025 to Feb, 2028

Brief of activities :

Breaking the Silence is a child rights-based, non-profit voluntary organization established in 1994 and legally registered under the Department of Social Services and the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Government of Bangladesh. The organization believes in a policy of “zero tolerance” toward violence against children and women and is committed to building a society where children can grow up free from abuse, discrimination, and fear.

Due to the increased accessibility of information and communication technology, internet usage in Bangladesh has grown significantly. As a result, people from all segments of society including children, adolescents, and youth are becoming more easily connected with the world. While increased internet use has created greater opportunities for children and youth to access information and education, it has also exposed them to various risks. The lack of digital literacy and limited awareness of online safety further exacerbate these risks. The misuse of the internet is having a negative impact on the mental and social development of children and youth, which is a matter of serious concern.

Based on the Government of Bangladesh’s child development priorities, and with financial support from the European Union (EU) and technical assistance from Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Breaking the Silence is implementing a three-year project (March 2025 – February 2028) titled “Speak Up! Empowering CSOs to protect children and youth's freedom of expression by capitalising on the opportunities and addressing the challenges of the digital space in Bangladesh.”

In Bangladesh, children and youth are constantly exposed to risks online due to sexual harassment, violence, and a lack of digital experience. Although online platforms provide opportunities for freedom of expression, online violence and exploitation particularly against adolescent girls significantly limit their ability to express themselves and participate. The project aims to encourage the active participation of children and youth and to contribute to the prevention of cyberbullying and online exploitation.

Project activities are being implemented in Satkhira Sadar Upazila, covering the municipality and four unions (Alipur Union No. 7, Duliher Union No. 8, Agardari Union No. 10, and Balli Union No. 12). While direct project activities are limited to specific areas, there are plans to include the entire upazila through advocacy initiatives with civil society actors.

Project Objectives:

1. To strengthen the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) so that they can work on the rights of children and youth and support their online safety.
2. To enable children and youth to express themselves freely in safe online spaces and to participate in various social and cultural activities.
3. To ensure the active participation of civil society organizations in legal and policy reforms related to online safety.

Project Name : Blue Economy and Inclusive Development for Climate Justice (BID4CJ) Project

Doner : Oxfam in Bangladesh and Australian Aid

Sector : Gender Justice and Climate Change

Area : Shyamnagar and Assasuni Upazila of Satkhira District.

Time Line : January 2023 to June 2027

Brief of activities :

Project Goal:

The goal of the BID4CJ project is Local Ecosystem Restoration and Green Business Expansion through Gender Equity Based Climate Action in Coastal Regions of Bangladesh

Objectives:

The Blue Economy and Inclusive Development for Climate Justice (BID4CJ) project aims to empower coastal communities to nurture healthy ecosystems and a climate-just economy in southwest and southeast Bangladesh through feminist climate movements, ecosystem restoration and ethical businesses development.

Specific Objective:

1. To enhance the capacity of coastal communities, especially women and marginalized groups, to make decisions affecting their lives and livelihoods and to exercise their due responsibilities in ecosystem management and economic development.
2. Capacity building for marginalized communities to fulfill their responsibilities on revitalizing eco-system equitably benefit and economic development.
3. Supporting coastal communities and their associated green business development through climate and gender equitable economic development

Project Locations:

v  Satkhira District: Shyamnagar and Asasuni Upazila

v  Khulna District: Koyra Upazila

v  Cox’s Bazar District: Chakaria and Moheskhali Upazila

Project Duration: February 2023 to June 2027.

Expected Outcome:

Outcome 1. (Feminist climate movement building): Coastal communities, especially women and marginalized people have increased power over decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods, and practice stewardship on ecosystem management and economic development.

(At least 10,000 marginalized people (including women, people with disability and indigenous communities) will be supported to access climate finance, to raise grievances to duty bearers if rights are violated, to be included in coastal ecosystem management and to influence policy of the government and private sector in the coastal region for climate justice and natural resource rights).

Outcome 2. (Ecosystem restoration): Revitalized ecosystems equitably benefit the most marginalized people in the community.

(Aiming to raise the collective economic value of ecosystem goods and services created for the community (i.e. carbon sequestered, non-timber forest products, fish-stock etc) and limit climate risks through ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, targeting potential losses avoided equivalent to 1.5 million AUD).

Outcome 3. (Resilient livelihood and private sector engagement): Coastal communities and businesses benefit from climate- and gender-just economic development. Working with the government, private sector and local communities, BID4CJ will develop participatory and inclusive business models that include the interests of the community, the environment and of the enterprises themselves.

Project Name : Strengthening Partnership Agreement (SPA)

Doner : Save the Children

Sector : Child Poverty

Area : Satkhira Sadar

Time Line : January, 2018 to December, 2022

Brief of activities :

Breaking the Silence (BTS) is a Child Rights based organization and the organization was built up by a group of activities. BGD Danida Strategic Partnership Agreement Project is working in Satkhira Sadar Upazila under Satkhira district. This project focused deprived adolescent and youth in targeted rural areas of Bangladesh have improved their economic, social and political status with active support from strengthened CSOs. Because of adolescents and youths are agents of change in their own lives but are not organized in a common platform to raise their voice and communicate their needs. In reality, 30% of the population is not considered in the development agenda in Bangladesh. They are excluded due to social and cultural barriers. There is also lack of opportunities to build capabilities of deprived adolescent and youth that makes them vulnerable in terms of decision making about their own lives at family, workplaces and the societies, leading to early marriage, violence, exploitation, abuse, child labour, exclusion, gender discrimination,  The active involvement of deprived adolescents and youth will increase their ownership of the program activities and will increase their motivation to acquire the skills needed for social and political empowerment.

Project Name : Institutionalization of Horizontal Learning Program in Bangladesh (HLP)

Doner : National Local Government Institute (NILG)

Sector : Local Government Devision

Area : Satkhira district's All Upazila & 78 Union Porishad

Time Line : February, 2019 to December, 2022

Brief of activities :

Children are particularly vulnerable during their journeys and when they reach their destinations because often they move to a place where they do not know anyone to whom they can turn for help and where they might even be seen as not worth helping. Both in transit and at destination, they are often unconnected to the communities through which they pass or settle, either permanently or temporarily. Their lack of documentation, language barriers or the stigmatization against them often means that they deliberately avoid contact with others and have difficulty in accessing basic services. Their isolation makes them particularly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and violence.

Supporting children in transit is challenging, however anecdotal evidence suggests this is not impossible given that there are well-known transit hubs in Bangladesh that demarcate the rural-to-urban trajectory. Tracking children can push them into looking for more invisible and potentially dangerous routes to evade detection, especially if they suspect that the aim is to control or interrupt their journeys. Because these children are difficult to reach, they are often underserved.

For obvious reasons, information on the number of children who move is very scarce, and their reasons for moving and the challenges they encounter during transit and upon arrival are widely variable. Such difficulties are further compounded by the complexity of developing programmes that protect children while they move, since most protective services are fixed in one location. Because migration routes are not linear, it is difficult to devise responses that can provide for children at each stage of their journeys, especially when protection systems are either absent or undeveloped, or when they struggle to reach the community level.

Analysis of children’s movement has been limited in two main ways. On the one hand, children’s movement has been considered largely within the limits of the debate on child trafficking. On the other hand, in the broader debate on migration, children’s movement has been researched mainly as part of their parents’ movement. Both frameworks are inadequate. As a result, the framework for children on the move opens more space for interventions that genuinely respond to their needs and that are respectful of children’s rights, including children’s right to express their views, and to access services and other support to promote their best interests.

Project Name : Core Support Model (CSM)

Doner : Save the Children

Sector : Child Rights Governance

Area : Satkhira Sadar

Time Line : January,2022 to December, 2026

Brief of activities :

The local governance framework is very important because this level of government is most closely in contact with children. Strengthening this framework has the potential to benefit all children in Bangladesh but will particularly benefit the most disadvantaged through better planning and increased investment targeting the most disadvantaged groups. While a number of organizations have provided support to strengthen the capacity of local government, no agencies have systematically addressed the relationship between local government and children.

The CFLG Project aims to create systematic sustainable changes in the processes of local government decision making for better realization of the rights of children. To emphasis the process, the project has implemented different activities and events for incorporation of CFLG indicators in the LGI’s performance indicators, circulation by Local administration and UZP of an official order to UPs requiring them to make a special allocation of budget for children, ensure children participation in the planning and budgeting processes and setup complaints and response mechanism at the school, UP, Municipality and UZP level. However , the project designed to achieve the following specific objectives between January to December 2018:
CFLG is a strategic framework placing children at the center of the agenda of local bodies, government line agencies, and civil society. It is built on a two-fold approach that simultaneously increases the capacity of local government, and empowers children, youth and their networks to engage with the authorities.