New beginnings in Bangladesh

ORGANISATION
Manab Mukti Sangstha

LOCATION
Belkuchi Upazila, Sirajganj District, Bangladesh

Setting the context

Along the banks of the Jamuna River, the people of Bardhul Union live with the constant threat of flooding and river erosion. Each year, homes, farmland, and essential services are washed away. For the children of Charbel Government Primary School, this meant more than disrupted classes – it meant lost learning, unsafe journeys, and months without education.

Disasters are never natural. The repeated destruction of Charbel’s school was not just the result of the river’s force, but of underinvestment in resilient infrastructure and risk-informed planning. Each year that passed without action deepened vulnerability.

The project: From erosion to resilience

Established by local volunteers in the 1970s and later recognised as a government school, Charbel Primary School had already been forced to relocate four times due to erosion. By 2020, the building was again rendered unsafe. Local leaders donated new land in Vangabari village, but it remained low-lying and flooded for months during the monsoon, halting education yet again.

In 2023, Manab Mukti Sangstha (MMS) began implementing the Enhancing Disaster Resilience Capacity (EDRC) project in Belkuchi Upazila with support from Oxfam GB and KOICA. Through the project’s Cash for Work (CFW) initiative, the community identified the Charbel school as a top priority for resilience investment.

Working together, local residents, parents, and teachers planned and implemented the construction of a raised playground-cum-flood shelter and a connecting access road. One hundred and fifty community members were employed for 15 days under the CFW scheme, earning daily wages that supported household incomes while building local ownership of the new infrastructure.

Impact in the community

The results go far beyond improved facilities:

• Safe learning space: The raised school ground now remains above flood level, ensuring uninterrupted education. Children can attend classes year-round, even in heavy monsoon rains.
• Playground and flood shelter: The new field serves both as a recreation space and a community flood shelter, accommodating 20–25 households during floods.
• Improved access: The connecting road enables students, teachers, and guardians to reach the school safely, particularly in the rainy season.
• Community gathering place: The open ground has become a hub for local activities, including Eid prayers for over 300 people – a space symbolising unity and safety.
• Livelihood support: The CFW initiative provided 150 residents with short-term employment, injecting 900,000 taka into the local economy and strengthening community resilience.

Rahima, a parent and Project Implementation Committee member, reflected:

“Before, when the rains came, school had to close. Now our children can study and play safely. This is more than development – it’s a blessing.”

Lessons and broader significance

The Charbel school story shows that resilience is built when local voices lead. A modest investment – driven by community priorities and implemented through local labour – has delivered lasting impact for children, families, and the wider village.

It also underscores GNDR’s message for IDDRR 2025: resilience finance is smart finance. Every taka spent on preparedness has saved far more in avoided losses. Civil society organisations like MMS are vital actors in ensuring that resources reach those most at risk, transforming risk-blind development into inclusive, risk-informed action.

Looking forward: Investing in people, not just projects

The new Charbel school compound stands as a model of community-driven resilience. It proves that disaster risk finance must do more than fund emergency response – it must empower local institutions, strengthen infrastructure, and prioritise education and safety.

By investing in communities like Bardhul Union, governments and donors can ensure that every child’s right to learn continues – rain or shine. Funding resilience without funding civil society is a contradiction. When local people are equipped and trusted to act, resilience takes root for generations.

This International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, GNDR calls for governments, donors, the private sector and financial institutions to prioritise funding for resilience, not just funding for disasters when they strike.

All photos: Manab Mukti Sangstha