Helping Vulnerable Communities Increase Resilience to Climate Change
DHAKA, Oct. 28 (nsnewswire) — The Government of Bangladesh has set up a multi-donor trust fund, the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF), which acts as a mechanism for large-scale climate change financing in Bangladesh. One of the two windows of BCCRF, the Community Climate Change Project (CCCP) is allocating funds on a competitive basis to non-governmental organization (NGOs) to implement community-driven interventions that build resilience to climate change impacts. The Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) is the designated umbrella agency responsible for oversight.
Till now CCCP has funded eleven NGO projects of a total amount of US$ 3.99 million. The awarded NGOs are: RDRS Bangladesh, Satkhira Unnayan Sangstha (SUS), Wave Foundation, SKS Foundation, Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), Nazrul Smriti Sangsad (NSS), Ashrai, National Development Programme (NDP), Dak Diye Jai, Jhanjira Samaj Kallyan Sangstha (JSKS) and Jagrata Juba Shangha (JJS).
The NGOs will implement these sub-projects in selected unions of Kurigram, Nilphamari, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Barguna, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Bagerhat and Khulna districts.
Some of the major activities that will be undertaken by these sub-projects are: homestead plinth raising, repairing of road and embankment with tree plantation, promotion of renewable energy such as installation of solar panels, establishment of community grain banks for food availability during lean periods, installation of tube-wells for safe drinking water, installation of sanitary latrines for safe hygiene practice, promotion of environment-friendly cooking stoves, slatted housing for goat keeping, promotion of saline and flood tolerant crops, introduction of improved local variety of Black Bengal goat and support to hen rearing support to drought-resilient fodder cultivation.
PKSF had maintained clarity and transparency in communicating with NGOs whose proposals did not receive grants. Official letters with clear indications as to which selection criteria they had not fulfilled had been sent to these NGOs. The project has also developed its own website (www.pksf-cccp-bd.org) with the aim to share relevant information about the activities under the project.
PKSF has worked extensively with the NGOs to assure smooth start-up of the operations. The project is moving ahead to increase the resilience and adaptation capacity of local communities to combat the climate change induced vulnerability. Source: World Bank Statement