Preparation for the following flood: Protect women’s health in Bangladesh

Sunamganj is a district in the Wetland ecosystem in northeastern Bangladesh, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Floods arrive quickly and suddenly and can last for weeks. They disrupt life, move families and reduce access to services.

For the more than 670,000 women of the reproductive age who live in the area, extreme weather events always threaten their access to reproductive health care.

Preparation and planning

To prepare for these crises, Underpa Training of women of reproductive age to protect themselves and their children during the next flood.

Shakila Akhter, a 24-year-old mother of two, was eight months pregnant during the last flood.

“Thanks to the training I received, I knew what to wear, how to prepare and how to protect my family,” she remembered. She now uses family planning tools that she never knew before: “I want to choose when I’m ready for another child.”

She also underlined the relationship between climate change and these serious floods: “We understand that the climate has changed in the last 20 years. In Bangladesh the flood season has become longer, sudden floods are more frequent, heat waves are intensified and winters are now shorter.

“So we must all be willing to manage it to survive.”

Local volunteers

This training is made possible by volunteers who are trained to help others prepare for climate shocks.

Shakila Begum, 26, started volunteering with just two days of training. She works with the Climate Resilience Health System and Community Initiative – supported by the UNFPA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – that trains women on topics from menstrualization to delivery during flooding.

Mrs Begum is now the contact point for 75 families and helps them with problems such as family planning and maternal health care.

“A woman had dangerously high blood pressure just before she had the birth,” she remembered. “I advised her family to go to the local hospital, where she has delivered safely – completely free.”

Empowerment through safe spaces

The initiative also offers safe community spaces where women can learn about sexual and reproductive health.

In Kurban Nagarn, an area in Sunamganj, volunteers started hosting “street dramas”. The volunteers act scenes that are related to issues such as the health of mothers, disaster parrosity and prevention of children, with more than 500 people who attend every performance.

Taskira Hauque Tazin, a local student, is one of the core members of the moving theater. She has attended many 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. Through these plays we increase consciousness so that women do not stay behind. We want to stop early marriage, promote the education of girls and ensure that women gain access to mother health care,” she said. “Whether in the sun, rain or storm – we will continue to do this work for the people.”

Anima Akhter, a 24-year-old mother in Kurban Nagarn, explained that the street dramas offer a safe space for difficult conversations: “We want to share our problems, especially about our body but we often cannot speak.”

With the support of local volunteers, Anima supplied her youngest child safely in the hospital.

Amina’s husband, Nurul, now accompanies her to community sessions and has become a role model in the community, who receives training from volunteers to learn his neighbors about the health of women and girls.

“Because my wife followed training, I took it very seriously and I felt inspired to help our neighbors, especially with regard to the health of women and girls,” he said. “I regularly talk about these important messages with other men in the Teastal, and encourage them to be prepared for disasters and to take the same precautions.

“I urge them to seek help from service providers if they experience problems, especially with regard to the deliveries of pregnant women and methods for family planning.”

Continuous challenges

But challenges remain despite the efforts of the UNFPA and other UN partners.

In flood -sensitive villages in Sunamganj, more than half of the deliveries occur at home.

Many women and girls still feel shame about discussing topics such as menstruation, and cultural standards often limit women who try to generate their own income.

These vulnerabilities with which women and girls are confronted are exacerbated by climate -related disasters, which often become the most difficult for them.

Continuous obligations

From 28 to 31 July, worldwide experts met at the Global Symposium on Climate Justice and influenced the population in Brasília, co-host of UNFPA and the government of Brazil.

Leaders worked there to tackle the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls. The event called for gender-inclusive climate negotiations and a renewed dedication to understand the impact that climate change has on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Duine Keita, acting executive director of UNFPA, emphasized the gender impact of climate change during the event: “The evidence tells us that climate change increases the risk of mother mortality, disrupts access to anti-conceptiva and increases the risk of gender-based violence.”

“Our collective efforts must strengthen the resilience of women, girls and health systems to resist and adapt to climate shocks,” Mrs Keita emphasized. “Being prepared, responding quickly and building better, must be central pillars for our work.”