BSS, Rangpur :
Hundreds of the landless and distressed women have adapted them with climate change in remote char areas on the Brahmaputra basin after struggling with natural disasters and poverty for many years.
They have changed fortune by achieving self-reliance to lead improved life with their family members through various income-generating activities side by side adapting with adverse situations in the riverine island chars.
Successful implementation of the comprehensive Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) through GO-NGO collaboration brought the success since 2004 improving life standard of the extremely poor and have-nots group 1.20 lakh char families.
Under the programme, thousands of the women-led landless char families have adapted with adverse climate change impacts also to achieve self-reliance bidding a permanent good-bye to the century-old seasonal curse of ‘monga.’
Livelihoods Coordinator of CLP Dr Mahbub Alam said the UKaid through the Department for International Development and Australian Government through Australian Agency for International Development are funding implementation of CLP.
Under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, CLP is being executed by the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division with the management through Maxwell Stamp Plc.
He said 55,000 poorest households were benefited under CLP phase-I during 2004-2010 and about 65,000 out of 75,000 households so far under phase-II (2010-2016) to improve livelihoods of 1.9 million extremely poor char people by 2016.
The CLP has been working with the extremely poor char households to improve their livelihoods through providing package supports, assets, raising plinths and training for income generation activities under adverse situations to boost char economy, he added.
Talking to BSS, Agriculture and Environment Coordinator Mamunur Rashid of RDRS Bangladesh, an implementing partner of CLP, said plinth-raising helps char people to escape the wrath of floods effectively.
He said the CLP is being implemented in collaboration with the GO-NGOs on the char areas in Kurigram, Bogra, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Pabna and Tangail districts.
Talking to BSS, beneficiaries Nurun Nahar, Aklima Khatun, Rahela Begum and Mariyam Nesa of different char villages said they first raised plinths of their houses under the CLP assistance to become safe from the wraths of seasonal floods.
