Social Purpose Organization Friendship started a special initiative in 2021 among the students in remote areas to face climate hazards and disasters in the riverine islets (chars) of the Brahmaputra river basin, which are separated from the mainland.
The aim of this project is to make students skilled in climate change and disaster management in marginal areas in Bangladesh.
As per the program, students of Friendship's own schools participated in online sessions with students abroad, sharing experiences and knowledge and fostering camaraderie, companionship and mutual understanding.
This year the program is being expanded to 5 countries, with an inauguration event held on Wednesday.
Students of 15 Friendship Schools will continue to exchange climate and disaster coping capacity knowledge with 18 schools from faraway France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Cambodia under this project.
Organized as an online event, Runa Khan, founder of Friendship, delivered the welcome speech at the “Inter-School Connectivity” project inauguration event.
She said: “Students from the chars survive facing natural disasters like floods, river erosion, cold wave, drought and cyclones every year. Improving and spreading survival strategies will contribute to climate change and sustainable development.”
CourtesyAQM Shafiul Azam, director of secondary and higher education and Nicolas Marquis, deputy director of the National Education and Youth Ministry of France, discussed the objectives of the project as honoured guests.
They hoped that the student's language and communication skills will improve using the technology of this project.
Besides this, the pupils' knowledge of science, geography, English, ethics and others can also benefit.
At the event, Brigadier General (Retd) Ilyas Iftekhar Rasul, Friendship's head of Education, informed the attendees about the “Inter-School Connectivity” project.
He said the project is being implemented in 5 upazilas (subdistricts) of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts.
A total of 360 students from Friendship schools will be benefited in the Jamuna-Brahmaputra char region under Kurigram Sadar, Chilmari, Rowmari, Gaibandha Sadar and Phulchari upazila.
On the corresponding side, 360 students from 18 schools in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Cambodia are also participating from their respective countries, he said.
As a result, near about 30,000 people char people will get direct and indirect benefits from this project, he added.
Prof Samia Salim, director of the Centre for Sustainable Development, Neyamat Ullah, project manager and Shakhawat Ferdous, project specialist at Friendship and related officials joined the online discussion.
They hoped that this project will have a special role in protecting lives and resources in the remote Jamuna-Brahmaputra char areas.
In Bangladesh, a country facing the most pressing of humanity's challenges, Friendship strengthens marginalized communities and empowers people to transform their lives and reach their full potential.
Operational since 2002, the international Social Purpose Organization reaches 7.5 million people every year, in the most remote areas impacted by climate change, through an innovative, integrated development model.
