Project Name : Strengthening Livelihood Security of Climate Change Vulnerable People

Doner : Bread for the World

Sector : Climate Change and Livelihoods

Area : Shyamnagar and Koyra Upazila of Satkhira nd Khulna district

Time Line : September 2012 to October 2022

Brief of activities :

The negative impacts of climate change make Bangladesh one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. Increased frequency of floods, droughts, tidal surge and cyclones caused extensive economic damage and impacted livelihoods of the poor and marginal population who have been living in the fragile coastal areas of Bangladesh. Extreme weather events, monsoon variability and Sea Level Rise (SLR) induced salinity have forced to change the traditional cropping patterns of agriculture that occurs serious impact on livelihood and food security of marginalized population. The all above situation increased hardship in the life of poor and marginalized people which forced people to migration. Considering this situation LEDARS is implementing “Strengthening Livelihood Security of Climate Change Vulnerable People” with the support of ‘Bread for the World’, Germany. The major activities of the project are:

People organization formation and awareness rise: LEDARS conduct a baseline survey. LEDARS organized 820 people by forming 35 Peoples Organization (27 Climate Resilience Groups, 05 Self Help Groups, 03 Farmers cooperatives). LEDARS raising awareness of beneficiaries by organizing fortnightly meeting, farmers filed school sessions, couple meeting, annual farming innovation fail, day observation, cross learning visit, printing and distribute easy reading materials (leaflets 15000, crop calendars 3000, posters 4000) and fixing 8 bill boards.

Promoting resilient agriculture: LEDARS building capacity of the beneficiaries on resilient agriculture by providing training on adaptive paddy and vegetable cultivation, provide seed of paddy and vegetable. LEDARS support farmers for efficient management of rainwater and available surface and ground water by digging 50 small ponds, re-excavate 03 canals, install 04 deep tube wells, etc to establish resilient agriculture in it’s working area.

Support for Income Generating Activities: LEDARS trying to increase income of most vulnerable 270 women and men including tiger victims widows by provide training on alternative income generating activities, provide seen money to women beneficiaries. LEDARS also providing assistance to women beneficiaries to establish small business, small-scale aquaculture, small cottage, etc.

Support for Drinking water and health care: LEDARS supports beneficiaries to have safe drinking water by excavating ponds and install 6 new PSFs, activating 11 in active PSF and distribute 40 rainwater among beneficiaries. LEDARS also providing health care support to 5000 vulnerable families including our beneficiaries.

Capacity building of staff: By this initiative, LEDARS tried to increase capacity of staffs by provide 13 daylong training, organize quarterly staff meeting and yearly retreat.

Strengthen Local Government: LEDARS has taken initiatives to involve local government to provide good delivery on climate change issue by strengthening their capacity of Local Adaption Plan Activity (LAPA).

Project Name : Development of Center for Coastal Climate Resilient (C3R

Doner : Bread for the World and own fund

Sector : Climate Change and Livelihoods

Area : Munshigonj, shyamnagar, Satkhira

Time Line : November 2016 to October 2022

Brief of activities :

The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone areas of the country as well as in the world due to its geographical location. Due to salinity intrusion, sea level rise, frequent disasters, shrimp cultivation, river bank erosion, people are immersed in distress in their livelihoods which force them to extract resources from Sundarbans or to migrate to safer places for better livelihood. Almost every year, the area faces remarkable cyclones signal level of 3-7, which creates anxiety of the community people. The shrimp induced unemployed people are fiercely engaged into forest resource collection. While the poor people go into the Sundarbans to earn their livelihood, they often become victims by the tigers. A significant number of tiger victims’ widows living in this area. It is alarming that a significant number of people are under threated threatened and some are already migrated from this area for better and safe livelihoods. In the community, there are indigenous copping and adaptation technologies but that are not being promoted. Access to information on climate change, adaptation and mitigation is very poor. Considering the situation, LEDARS is trying to develop a Center for Coastal Climate Resilient (C3R) in Munshigonj union, Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district. The major activities of the center are,

Establish a training facility for the community people and students: LEDARS bought 158.00 decimals land for the center and already developed training facilities by the financial support of 2 different donors. LEDARS already developed a three-storied building with well-equipped training facilities.

Development of demonstration plot on adaptive technology: In the center premises, LEDARS is demonstrating the viable climate adaptive technology like water treatment technology, climate adaptive irrigation system, different types of crop cultivation etc. Anyone can see the technology in the center.

Established a technology park: LEDARS is establishing a technology display center in the C3R campus. Viable adaptation and mitigation technologies for the coastal area are being installing. Community people, students, researchers, development activist can visit our technology park. 

Established a laboratory: LEDARS established a laboratory in the center premises to provide support to community people. People can take support to test their soil and water in the laboratory.

Establishment of Knowledge Management Center: In the C3R campus, a knowledge management center is being developing. In initial phase a small library has been setup in the existing building. Student, community people, researchers visit every day. Besides this handbook, posters, newsletter, other relevant important document has been developing.

Project Name : Biosand Filter Project in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh

Doner : OHorizons

Sector : Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Area : Shyamnagar upazila

Time Line : March 2016 to May 2019

Brief of activities :

Water crisis is the most crucial problem in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh. Though there are lots of surface water but neither they can drink nor use for household purposes because of salinity, turbidity and other bacterial contamination. From 2009, LEDARS implemented Bio-Sand Filter (BSF) a household water treatment technology in coastal area of Bangladesh. Since 2015, LEDARS is implementing “Biosand Filter Project in Southwest coastal Bangladesh” project with support of OHorizon Foundation, USA. Major activities of this project are to identify vulnerable families who have scarcity of safe drinking water, install Biosand filter to the families, and regular monitoring the filter is active or not. Till January 2018, LEDARS install 4000 BSF and within December 2018 more 1000 BSF will be installed. LEDARS providing orientation about water resource management, orientation on Biosand filter management, etc.

Project Name : Youth Mobilization for Social Change

Doner : Manusher Jonno Faoundation(MJF)

Sector : Human Rights, Good Governance and Gender Development

Area : Shyamnagar and Kaligonj upazila of Satkhira district

Time Line : January 2019 to December 2021

Brief of activities :

Youth in a country is the most viable and potential human resource both in population structure and social structure. The provision of services for youths is crucial in order to support them in setting up their lives, both professional and personal. Development in Bangladesh depends upon proper utilization of youths because they constitute about one-third of total population and 37.7% of the total civilian labour force. But the youths of this country are suffering from various socioeconomic problems, environmental constraints and political instability such as unemployment, lack of technical education, financial crisis for self-employment, frequent disaster, religious backwardness, religious fundamentalism, political ignorance etc. Active participation of educated, trained, persevered, organized, disciplined, skilled, risk free, motivated and dedicated youth force in development process will ensure the development of the country. Targeting to achieve the anticipated goal, LEDARS is implementing a project “Youth Mobilization for Social Change” with the support of Manusher Jonno Foundation(MJF). The goal of the project is “to build the capacity of youths in social participation, leadership and income generating through the integrated activities to prepare them to become leaders for bringing positive changes in society”.

Major focus of this program is;

Formation of youth forum: LEDARS will form youth from ward to upazila level to mobilize the youth. A total of 68 youth and civil society forum formed where 3016 youth get evolve and actively participate in social change activities. A total of 3016 youth will involve and actively participate to the project.

Capacity building of youth: The project will build capacity of youth on leadership, conduction of social campaign, values of social harmony, role to youth in social development, religious harmony, different income generating activities, gender, climate change, environment conservation, resource management, etc.

Engagement with economic development activities: Poverty is one of the major causes to involvement of youth with radicalism and different anti social activities. To reduce extreme poverty, the project creates opportunities to youth with different income generating activities. LEDARS will provide support to educated youth to get job to different job providers through provide training to CV development, organize job fair, one to one dialogue with job providers, etc.

Promoting social volunteerism: The project engages youth forum members and leaders with volunteer activities. Under the project at least 1000 youth will engage with social development related volunteer activities e.g. tree plantation, organize campaign to prevent eve teasing, child marriage, road accident, cleaning of public places, etc.

Development of intercultural understanding: the project will work with community people to development of religious harmony though organize community meeting by youth, organize dialogue with different faith leaders, dialogue with government officials and policy actors, organize cultural event, etc.

Project Name : Primary Health Care Project in Sundarbans island area

Doner : Bread for the World and MIVA

Sector : Health and Nutrition

Area : Koyra and Shyamnagar upazila

Time Line : June 2014 to October 2022

Brief of activities :

The Sundarbans, possesses floral and faunal resources, is the core of livelihood of the neighbors. Thousands of people live around this area for resources tapping. This area is very remote for its location which is crises crossed by small canals and rivers, lack of road facilities, muddy area, illiteracy etc. for these reasons physicians are not ready to stay in the rural level Government medical services like Union Mother and Child Care Centers. People have to rely on the village doctors. The health situation is so neglected in poor community in the island area. LEDARS manage some space to organize this community medical service camp in the working area. There are medical assistants/paramedics sits there after 15 days interval, prescribe all patients and provide medicine support for the card holders.

Project Name : Youth Mobilization for Sundarbans Conservation

Doner : American Center and Own Fund

Sector : Ecology and Environment

Area : Shyamnagar upazila

Time Line : June 2014 to October December 2019

Brief of activities :

Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world that has become the last habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger and has declared as the world heritage site by UNESCO. The Sundarbans mangrove forest is situated in the southwest region of Bangladesh (62% of the total) and southeast part of India (remaining 38%)which has become the source of livelihoods of more than 4 million of people living in the Sundarbans zone. While the Sundarbans has the rich biodiversity having numbers of flora and fauna species. The responsible government department allows resource extraction without considering the biodiversity of the forest. Eventually, the Forest Department allows everybody to collect forest resources without considering their professional skill. Thus forest resources are being abused and the process of renewing of resources is seriously being hampered.  The human settlement in the adjacent area of Sundarbans depends on the Sundarbans directly or indirectly. It is the windshield of oceanic cyclones and tidal surge. If the Sundarbans demolished, people have to move from this area. Considering the situation LEDARS implementing a project with the 3 schools and 3 colleagues to sensitize community people and policy makers. Major activities of the initiatives;

1. Sundarbans Friends Club formation
2. Awareness Raising of youth people in Sundarbans region
3. Youth Environmental Camp
4. Hiking in Sundarbans
5. Day observation
6. Develop easy reading and awareness materials

Project Name : Socio-Economic Empowerment of the Tiger Victims' Widows in Sundarbans, Bangladesh

Doner : Bread for the World

Sector : Human Rights, Good Governance and Gender Development

Area : Shyamnagar and Koyra Upazila of Satkhira nd Khulna district

Time Line : January 2012 to October 2022

Brief of activities :

The Sundarbans, the second home of the coastal people, is also the heart of the people of the South West coastal region of Bangladesh. The poor people of Sundarbans surrounding area go to Sundarbans for resource tapping for livelihoods and may become victims of tiger. The widows of the death often ousted from their in-laws houses with their children and become most vulnerable segment of the society. The tiger victim widows are treated as the sign of misfortune in the society because they are thought responsible for the death of her husband. As a result, they are neglected everywhere, assaulted, socially harassed by the community. They often expelled from their in-laws houses with their children and become most vulnerable segment of the society.

LEDARS started this activity with financial support of Action Aid Bangladesh, Niagara Volunteer for Bangladesh. Then Federal German Embassy of Dhaka has funded the project. Now the project has been implementing by Bread for the World. Main focus of this program is to economic empowering the tiger widows. Under this program we have formed 8 Self Help Group, provide seed money to those group as revolving fund, providing skill training on their selected income generating activities. We are providing training to conduct right based activities, social awareness, provide rain water and bio-sand filets to the families and also provide scholarship to the meritorious students of widows’ families.