As a low-lying country along the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Every year, communities face increasingly severe climate disasters such as cyclones, flooding and saline intrusion, which affect their agriculture-based livelihoods. Socially, women in Bangladesh have low social status and gender-based violence is widespread. Particularly, over half of girls in Bangladesh are married before their 18th birthday and consequently drop out of school. Children in poor families are also often deprived of learning opportunities as they struggle to access schools or engage in child labour for the family’s survival. As a predominantly Muslim country, Christians in Bangladesh make up only 0.3% of the population, and local churches are generally small, lacking in biblical knowledge and resources.
We support Disaster Risk Reduction work in disaster-prone coastal areas in the south, mobilising local people and churches to form disaster management committees and nurturing them to develop climate-resilient crops and alternative livelihoods. In response to the issues of child marriage, child labour and gender-based violence, we support local leaders to educate on and advocate for the rights of women and children, particularly those with disabilities, in the urban slums of Dhaka, the capital and provide vocational training opportunities. We also support local churches and communities to take an active part in managing quality, accessible and holistic primary education for disadvantaged children, particularly in rural areas.
