© Helvetas/K M Asad
Bangladesh

Promoting inclusive solutions to climate change

© Helvetas/K M Asad
  • Project Name
    Actions to Climate Change Ensuring Sustainable Solutions (ACCESS) Programme
  • Project Phase
    2024 to 2027
  • Funding
    Donations, charity: water; possible SDC contribution

Cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion, and riverbank erosion severely impact the lives and livelihoods of marginalized households throughout the country. Helvetas is working in the North of Bangladesh and along the southwestern coastal belt to strengthen the resilience of the communities most affected by climate change.

Throughout Bangladesh, communities are already experiencing the severe impacts of the climate crisis. Floods and cyclones are more frequent and intense, putting the lives and livelihoods of families at high risk. Along the coastal belt, salty water is infiltrating deeper into the soil, affecting crops' survival and making freshwater sources even scarcer with dire consequences for people's health.  

Building on lessons learned from the Panii Jibon (Water is Life; 2013 - 2023 ) and Recovery in Dignity (2021-2022) projects we have developed the Actions to Climate Change Ensuring Sustainable Solutions (ACCESS) programme under the Water, Food, and Climate Domain, to support climate-vulnerable communities in strengthening their resilience and improving prevention and capacity to respond to natural disasters). ACCESS programme includes three  projects based on three main pillars:   

1) Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management,  

2) Promoting Climate Justice and Good Governance, 

3) Ensuring Inclusive Water Access.

 

© Helvetas/KM ASAD
The southwestern coastal belt of Bangladesh is particularly exposed to extreme climate events such as cyclones and floods, and slow onset ones such as salinity intrusion © Helvetas/KM ASAD
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© Helvetas/Franca Roiatti
A Pond Sand Filter (PSF) with a solar pump in Gulishakhali, Khulna © Helvetas/Franca Roiatti
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© Helvetas/ KM Asad
People from the most climate-vulnerable communities are migrating in search of better economic opportunities © Helvetas/ KM Asad
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© Helvetas/KM Asad
The program supports the creation of migration hubs, like this one in Morrelganj, Khulna where potential migrants can get access to information and services © Helvetas/KM Asad
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Enhancing Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management

ACCESS  promotes the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices such as salt-tolerant crops,  sustainable fish farming,  and climate-resilient livestock and poultry rearing. We also encourage farmers to initiate more resilient productions. People living in the most exposed areas are already resorting to seasonal or permanent migration to cope with the impacts of changing climate. To address the complexity of climate-induced migration, the programme works with communities, local governments, and intermediaries to promote planned, informed, and safe movements of potential migrants. In collaboration with local authorities, ACCESS is strengthening and expanding the Migration Information Hubs established at the union level to share information and connect migrants, intermediaries, and service providers.  

In the Northwest of the country under the project Increased Resilience Increased Sustainability (IRIS), the programme supports communities in actively reducing disaster risks by promoting early warning systems, capacitating Disaster Management Committees and the communities, rehabilitating key infrastructures, making shelters and basic service points more accessible for people with disabilities, and applying nature-based solutions.

Promoting Climate Justice 

Helvetas is committed to promoting climate justice especially addressing loss and damage caused by cyclones, floods, and salinization.  ACCESS works directly with communities, supporting them in assessing the situation, rebuilding livelihoods and infrastructures, and providing opportunities to learn new skills, or get the necessary information to plan a safe migration. The project-supported Migration Hubs provide information regarding skill development opportunities, access to finance, and better wage-earning sources in the destination. Meanwhile, migrant household members can participate in training and sensitization sessions on remittance management and alternative income-generating activities.   

Inclusive access to water and sanitation 

One of climate change's harshest and most pressing consequences is dwindling freshwater sources, especially along the southwestern coastal belt. Through the Inclusive Access to Improved WASH  ( IAIWASH) project, Helvetas is working with communities, to enhance access to safe clean water by developing climate-smart solutions, such as pond sand filters with solar-powered pumps, Rainwater Harvesting Systems, double platform deep tubewell, climate-resilient attached toilet, and inclusive WASH bloc in schools.

Moreover, the ACCESS programme directly supports communities and community-based organizations to advocate for better water resource management and public funds for WASH infrastructures. 

 

More Information