The European Union-funded Lives in Dignity Grant Facility has awarded a €600,000 grant to a project that will help communities in Bangladesh mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change.
The project will help build knowledge, skills and access to finance and other services needed to tackle the effects of environmental shifts, the EU said in a statement.
The project will be implemented by two non-governmental organisations, namely Uttaran and the Education and Development Foundation, Educo, reports bdnews24.com.
Increasingly powerful cyclones in the Satkhira district of southwest Bangladesh can leave land underwater for up to six months, the EU noted. Soil salinity is growing and, with it, unemployment in the coastal agricultural communities.
Forced to move into urban areas, most people find refuge in slums, where women face a greater risk of gender-based violence, it said.
The project will assist those living in slums in the urban areas of Satkhira, with a strong focus on assisting women and girls. It will improve access to education, water and sanitation services, and provide skills and other support, both technical and financial, with which to generate an income, according to the EU.
The impact of future climate shocks on communities both in the slums and on the coast is also focused on in the project, which is underpinned by a strong commitment to innovation and learning, with the partners working alongside local researchers and the local authority in order to address the root causes of displacement.
The EU founded the Lives in Dignity Grant Facility in 2020 to promote development-oriented approaches and solutions to new, recurrent and protracted displacement crises. The facility funds innovative projects that support the resilience of communities and empower their members through livelihoods and basic services, making a concrete difference in the lives of displaced people.