The third series of Amrai Pari was launched yesterday. A TV show that encourages communities in Bangladesh to work together to improve their economic well-being and prepare them for the effects of extreme weather.
The eight-part series of Amrai Pari (together we can do it) will visit communities across the country as they work with their neighbours to become more resilient by diversifying crops, improving local infrastructure or finding new ways of earning.
The programme hopes to inspire and inform people by providing a platform for communities to share their knowledge. Amrai Pari demonstrates simple, low cost solutions to everyday problems that can be easily replicated.
This series sees co-presenters Shohel Hossain, Dipanbita Iety, Manoj Kumar Pramanik and Sahana Rahman travelling the country covering stories from strengthening sea defences in Kutubdia and discovering new ways of earning money from bamboo in Cox’s Bazar, to community-led mangrove reforestation in Shatkhira and an innovative way of purifying pond water in Lalmonirhat.
Episode one features a story from the village of Hothkhali, in the Barisal division, where rising water levels from the canal are causing homes and land to flood. In response, Minoti Rani, a member of the local women’s organisation, decided to do something about it.
“I told my husband that the canal hadn’t been excavated for some time. I said we should start digging the canal out ourselves and use the soil to raise the plinth of our house,” she said.
Before long, other villagers joined in too and, after seeing the success of the project, the local government agreed to support the re-excavation of the rest of the canal.
Richard Lace, country director for BBC Media Action, Bangladesh said, “By showcasing stories like Minoti Rani’s, we hope that Amrai Pari will encourage others to take action in their own lives by working together. It also aims to equip people to be better able to access support from local government. Our research shows that more than a third of viewers of the first two series took action to be better prepared for natural hazards or long-term problems, like food shortages, as a result of watching the show.”
Amrai Pari will be aired on ATN Bangla every Sunday at 8pm and repeated on Wednesdays at 9:30am.
BBC Media Action has produced the series with funds from the UK Department for International Development and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department.
