Sunamganj is a district of the ecosystem of wetlands in northeast Bangladesh, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Floods arrive quickly and suddenly and can last weeks. They disrupt life, move families and cut access to services.
For more than 670,000 reproductive women living in the region, increasingly extreme weather events threaten their access to reproductive health care.
Preparation and planning
To help prepare these crises, Unfpa Train women of reproductive age to protect themselves and protect themselves and their children during the next flood.
Shakila Akhter, a mother of two 24 -year -olds, was eight months pregnant in the last flood.
“Thanks to the training I received, I knew what to wear, how to prepare and how to protect my family,” she recalls. She now uses family planning tools that she did not know before: “I want to choose when I am ready for another child. »»
She also underlined the link between climate change and these serious floods: “We understand that the climate has changed in the past 20 years. In Bangladesh, the flood season has become longer, the sudden floods are more frequent, heat waves have intensified and winters are now shorter.
“So we must all be ready to manage it to survive.”
Local volunteers
This training is made possible by volunteers trained to help others prepare for climatic shocks.
Shakila Begum, 26, began to volunteer with only two days of training. She works with the health system for climate resilience and the community initiative – supported by the UNFPA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – which educates women on subjects of menstruation to childbirth during floods.
Ms. Begum is now the point of contact for 75 families, helping them with problems such as family planning and maternal health care.
“A woman had dangerously high blood pressure just before giving birth,” she recalls. “I advised her family to go to the local hospital, where she delivered safely – completely for free.”
The representative of the UNFPA, Catherine Breen Kamkong (Center), meeting Shakila Begum (right, green), a 26 -year -old volunteer with the health system for climate resilience and a community project in Sunamganj.
Empowerment through safe spaces
The initiative also offers safe community spaces where women can learn more about sexual and reproductive health.
In Kurban Nagarn, a Sunamganj region, volunteers began to welcome “street dramas”. Volunteers exercise scenes related to questions such as maternal health, preparation for disasters and child marriage prevention, with more than 500 people participating in each performance.
Taskira Hauque Tazin, a local student, is one of the basic members of the moving theater. She has attended numerous conferences in Bangladesh and abroad, where she shares her experiences and is recognized for her work.
“I am proud to work for the empowerment of women and to support disadvantaged communities. “Whether in the sun, rain or storm – we will continue to do this job for people. »»
The villagers come together for an afternoon street drama in Bodipur, Kurban Nagar Union, Sunamganj, as part of the climate resilience health system and the community project.
Anima Akhter, a 24 -year -old mother in Kurban Nagarn, explained that street dramas offer a safe space for difficult conversations: “We want to share our problems, especially on our body – but we often cannot speak.”
With the support of local volunteers, Anima delivered her youngest child safe in the hospital.
Amina’s husband, Nurul, is now accompanying him to community sessions and has become a model in the community, receiving volunteer training to teach his neighbors the health of women and girls.
“Since my wife has undergone training, I took her very seriously and I felt inspired to help our neighbors, especially concerning the health of women and girls,” he said. “I regularly talk about these important messages with other men at the tea stand, encouraging them to prepare for disasters and take the same precautions.
“I urge them to ask for the help of service providers if they are faced with problems, especially concerning deliveries of pregnant women and family planning methods.”
Anima Akhter, 24, with her husband Ruhul Amin, 30, a sidral, and their two children outside their home in the village of Bodipur in Kurban Nagar Union.
Current challenges
But the challenges remain despite the best efforts of UNFPA and other UN partners.
In the villages subject to the floods of Sunamganj, more than half of the deliveries occur at home.
Many women and girls also feel the shame of discussing subjects such as menstruation, and cultural norms often restrict women who try to generate their own income.
These vulnerabilities faced by women and girls are exacerbated by climate -related disasters, which often strike them the hardest.
Continuous commitments
From July 28 to 31, global experts gathered at the World Symposium on Climate Justice and had an impact on the populations of BrasÃlia, co-organized by the UNFPA and the Government of Brazil.
There, the leaders worked to combat the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls. The event called for inclusive climatic negotiations and a renewed commitment to understand the impact of climate change on health and sexual and reproductive rights.
Diene Keita, acting executive director of UNFPA, underlined the sexual impact of climate change during the event: “Evidence tells us that climate change increases the risk of maternal mortality, disturbing access to contraceptives and increases the risk of sexist violence.”
“Our collective efforts must strengthen the resilience of women, girls and health systems to resist and adapt to climatic shocks,” said Keita. “Being prepared, responding quickly and building better must be central pillars for our work.”
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
