Friendship works in hard-to-reach and underserved areas of Bangladesh that are exposed to extreme climatic events. All projects and programs of Friendship have been conceived and developed, by necessity, to be adapted to such climate-impacted environments. All services are designed to minimise disruptions and damages due to climate events. By maintaining access to vital services, we ensure that the climatic realities faced by these most vulnerable communities do not hamper their opportunity to live with dignity and hope.

Instead of letting children’s education be disrupted by inevitable floods and river erosion calamities, we adapt by building school premises that are prefabricated and that can be dismantled and set up again within a few hours. Friendship makes sure that our schools follow our students. In the unfortunate event of community migration to other chars, Friendship dismantles school classrooms and sets them up again in the locations where the majority of students’ families have migrated to.

Our climate adaptation solutions are all locally-led and community-managed. At the field level, awareness raising about climate change, preparedness and proportionate response are key for the communities to avoid losses and become more resilient. At the other end of the spectrum, Friendship has established a global network, which is a source of financial resources but also constitutes a unique platform for exchanging skills and ideas. Within this network and even beyond, we actively engage to inform and advocate about the effectiveness of locally-led adaptation, and Bangladesh being a world leader in climate adaptation. Participating in international events and forums is also a way to convey the voices from the frontlines of climate change.

Every year, Friendship conducts household-level tree plantation campaigns to sensitise communities about the importance of a greener world. We give them information on the best kind of trees, the right time and right method to plant them. If needed, we support beneficiaries with seeds, saplings and fertilisers for the tree plantation. At schools, we conduct separate awareness sessions for children to let them know about the importance of planting trees and to encourage them to help their parents in tree plantation.

Cyclone-resilient houses a community allow people to seek shelter much closer to their homes, compared to traditional cyclone shelters which can be several kilometres away. Three such houses-cum-mini shelters were built as a pilot project using local and environment-friendly materials and designed to the needs of the community.

Communities survey their villages to understand their vulnerabilities. This includes developing a map of the area to pinpoint vulnerable households and identify geographic barriers to market access and earning opportunities. These are then brought up at meetings with relevant local government authorities to find ways resolve them.

The transition fund helps families impoverished by climatic disasters to recover and get back on their feet through one-time grants of livestock and seeds, and support in the form of vaccination, feed, veterinary support, and training.

Floods and other climatic disasters compromise the mobility of communities and often make basic medical care impossible to access. During floods, roving health teams provide primary health services by boat, ensuring that those displaced or marooned by floods have access to vital medical care.