By Shanaj Parvin Parvin Jonaki, Communications Officer, Pathfinder Bangladesh and Sarah Peck, Communications Advisor
Mosammat Farhana, a college student from Nikli, Bangladesh, always dreamt of making a difference in her community. When she learned about the opportunity to become a climate resilience volunteer, she jumped at the chance.
Pathfinder’s program, Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls Towards Better Health and Climate Change Resilience, known locally in Bangladesh as Dishari and funded by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Global CSR Program, centers women as change agents in low-resource communities. With expanded knowledge, networks, and resources, they can access reliable health services, build foundations for economic growth, and strengthen their communities and health systems so they are resilient to future climate shocks. Now in its third year, the program has reached almost 150,000 people, including women and their families, community health workers, and health care professionals.
Mosammat attended trainings through the program, including a two-day community resilience training on disaster response and first aid. There, she learned about a variety of topics including critical first-aid techniques including snake bite treatment, rescue techniques for drowning, safety measures for lightning strikes, and emergency response during earthquakes.
Equipped with new tools and knowledge, Mosammat began spreading awareness about disaster preparedness, especially during the unpredictable monsoon season when floods posed serious risks. Her work didn’t go unnoticed. Young girls in Nikli began to look up to her, inspired by her leadership and courage.
“I feel empowered,” said Mosammat, “to be part of strengthening my community’s resilience. I enjoy the training that helps me better support them. I believe we, the youth, have the power to overcome any challenge.”
Building resilience
Pathfinder’s program is working across six districts in Bangladesh—Sylhet, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Cox’s Bazar, and Gaibandha — to strengthen climate resilience.
Since the program’s inception, more than 2,000 women have been trained and educated on climate-smart livelihoods, and 500 resilience volunteers like Mosammat have been trained on early warning systems, rescue protocols, and first aid.
“This intervention has empowered women and youth in the community to better withstand the impacts of climate change,” said Alamgir Haider, Project Manager. “They are now well informed and better prepared, equipped with knowledge and strategies to take proactive steps that mitigate the effects of climate-related disasters, enhancing their resilience and readiness.”
Kulsuma Akter, who attended courtyard information sessions on building climate resilience, has pioneered a new farming method to combat the challenges of climate change. Living in a flood-prone area that gets submerged during the monsoon season, her traditional crops were often destroyed by rising waters. To address this, she began cultivating ginger in sacks filled with soil. These sacks elevate the crops above ground level, protecting them from floodwater. As the monsoon season begins and the water rises, the crops remain safe. If the water levels increase further, Kulsuma can easily move the sacks to higher ground. Her innovative approach is an example of climate-adaptive agriculture in areas regularly affected by flooding.
“I learned about climate change in the courtyard sessions. The Pathfinder team explained how it affects every part of our lives and that we need to make decisions with this in mind. So, when I started growing ginger, my first thought was how it would survive during floods.”
Strengthening health systems
Pathfinder’s program, in addition to building resilience within communities, is working to strengthen local health system infrastructure so it is better equipped during climate shocks.
“Climate change and health are closely interconnected, making it essential to strengthen health facilities and the broader health system to ensure that services remain accessible during climate-induced disasters,” said Arif Khan, the program Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
“In Bangladesh, many health facilities are often forced to close during such times. A key component of our program is to prepare local health facilities to operate effectively during disasters. By enhancing these facilities, our program positively impacts public health in the community, ensuring that vital health services are accessible even in times of crisis.”
The program has trained over 3,000 community health workers to meet the needs of local communities, particularly during climate shocks, reaching 500 health facilities. This training included a Minimum Initial Service Package used to deliver health services during crises, gender equity components, and snakebite prevention and management.
Working with adolescents and youth
The program also operates in local schools, holding climate change and health sessions, supporting students to conduct student committee meetings, and developing safety plans. At Maghan High School, in the Netrakona District, the Student Council is leading the charge, having already developed a comprehensive school safety plan. They hold monthly meetings to discuss and refine their plan.
Today, more than 60,000 young people have been engaged in climate trainings and actions through the program, including participation in community events, community conversations, and student councils.
Real impacts
Pathfinder’s work is having real impacts on communities. Over the past two years, devastating floods in Bangladesh have displaced thousands of people, and destroyed essential infrastructure like roads, bridges, and health facilities. More than 25% of the country has been ravaged by the worst flash-flooding of this century.
During one devastating flood in Nikli Upazilla, farmer Abdul Hamid noticed something alarming—many of the children couldn’t swim, leaving them vulnerable as the waters rose. Being a member of the program’s community model village, he had learned that climate change will make the floods worse every year. Inspired by this knowledge and determined to protect his community, he began to teach swimming lessons, eventually training 120 children.
“I started with just a few children, but soon more parents wanted to enroll their kids. It makes me happy to know that children in my community will no longer be at risk of drowning in floodwaters,” he said.
Program highlights:
Today, Pathfinder continues this critical work in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Highlights include:
- Supporting the planting of 13,000 mangroves to protect coastlines, homes, and infrastructure from storm surges while providing livelihood opportunities for fishing communities.
- Training 2,074 women in climate-smart livelihoods, and sharing knowledge, resources, and skills to improve agricultural practices. Participants received rice seeds, fertilizer and vegetable seeds, and learned how sack gardening can increase yields while protecting crops.
- Working with local community members to stage 16 educational performances reflecting local climate challenges and communicating potential solutions.
- Collaborating with the Bangladesh government to produce five short videos aimed at educating young people on snake bites (incidences of which had increased due to extreme rain and flooding); maternal health; menstrual hygiene, gender-based violence; and earthquake and lightning safety.
- Engaging 62,872 adolescents in climate actions, and training 500 resilience volunteers.
