|
Dear reader,
Battered by the Cyclone Amphan, the southern coast of Bangladesh still reels from the shock. A month after the devastation, many are still left with little food and drinking water. Many others have lost their homes, farm produces, and fisheries to the fury of the cyclone. Clearly, the extremely poor people in this climate-vulnerable region have been affected disproportionately.
Although the situation has since improved a little, it will take months and years before some of these extreme poor households can fully recover from the shock. But many will never pull through and will instead fall further down the poverty line, unless of course, we build their resilience through innovative interventions to combat climate change impacts.
This is why climate resilience building is a key focus of the Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People programme. In this issue, we discuss the nexus between poverty and climate change, and how we plan to break this vicious cycle. Thank you and stay safe.
Sincerely,
AQM Golam Mawla
Deputy Managing Director, PKSF
Project Director, Prosperity, PKSF
|
|
What’s the link between poverty and climate change?
|
|
Over the last few decades, bodies of authoritative studies have offered undeniable evidence that climate change poses a serious threat to poverty reduction efforts, especially in low-lying countries like Bangladesh that are highly vulnerable to frequent and severe climatic events. These events -- sea-level rise, flood, salinity and drought -- undo the gains in poverty reduction achieved over decades at the cost of billions of dollars. We also now know that climate change impacts, like those caused by Cyclone Amphan, prolong the existing poverty cycles, resulting in increased inequalities and greater food insecurity.
The Prosperity programme is working to build and improve the human capital, physical capital, natural capital, financial capital and social capital of extreme-poor households to, among other things, reduce their vulnerabilities to climatic hazards. This is being done mainly through four types of interventions: for example, a) improving institutional knowledge and involvement on climate change b) helping people to cope with climate change and other shocks c) supporting those facing risks posed by specific climate-induced hazards and d) linking vulnerable people with other support systems.
Read the full article titled The Nexus between Poverty and Climate Change by PKSF General Manager (Programme) Dr AKM Nuruzzaman here.
|
|
|
|
Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was a powerful and deadly tropical one that caused widespread damage on its course over Bangladesh on May 20, 2020. This map shows the impact of cyclone Amphan on 5 Prosperity districts in coastal area.
|
|
Prosperity partners set up branches to launch programme activities
Nine Prosperity partner organisations started setting up branches in their respective piloting unions last week so they can take the programme interventions at the doorsteps of the extreme-poor people. The move will expedite the programme activities, which are being affected by the Covid-19 impacts across the country.
Through the branches in the 17 piloting unions, the POs will now be able to start providing various services under the programme’s Livelihoods and Enterprise Development, Nutrition and Community Mobilisation components as well as other cross-cutting issues.
Read more ...
|
|
|
AMPHAN IMPACT:
More than 700 Prosperity villages affected
Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan caused widespread damage on its course over Bangladesh on May 20, 2020. Some of the most extensive damage was suffered by the five Prosperity districts in the southern coastal region, namely Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Bhola. More than 700 villages in 58 selected Prosperity unions under 16 upazilas in the southwestern region have suffered damage in various degrees. Of these villages, 276 have suffered extensive damage, 193 moderate damage and 238 villages minor damage, according to preliminary data sent by the Prosperity partner organisations in the respective areas.
Read more ...
|
|
|
Extreme poor people hit by Amphan get free potable water
Cyclone Amphan has left a trail of destruction in many districts, most extensively in the southern coastal belt of Bangladesh where the poverty rate is high. The cyclonic storm and the accompanied rain and tidal surge damaged homes and crops and submerged houses, ponds and tube wells, setting off a severe food and drinking water crisis for the extreme-poor people living along the coast. A month after the cyclone, food and water crisis remains acute in some areas, particularly in Satkhira, the worst-hit district.
As a part of its response, the Prosperity Programme Implementation Unit has started distributing free drinking water for some of the affected people in the district, a prosperity working area. Starting from 20 June 2020, the distribution will continue for three months. A total of 34,000 litres of water will be distributed among 3,400 extreme poor households.
Read more ...
|
|
|
PIU starts virtual training for the PO staff
PKSF’s Programme Implementation Unit (PIU) of the Pathways to Prosperity is organising a month-long virtual training for the technical staff of the partner organisations (POs), who are implementing the programme. The training began on 15 June 2020 using Zoom, as project staff are unable to travel to conduct the training in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic. PKSF also held a number of virtual meetings with the technical staff recruited by the partner organisations.
Read more ...
|
|
|
Partner Organisations' endeavour for the communities continues
|
|
|
|
A staff member of a Partner Organisation of Prosperity programme is showing an extreme-poor woman in Southern Bangladesh how to make a device dispensing soapy water for handwashing to fight against Coronavirus infection.
|
|
Some media articles on Covid-19 and Amphan situations
|
|
|
|
