Churab Ali, a 35-year-old vegetable seller from Sylhet, Bangladesh, has faced numerous challenges running his small business. However, nothing prepared him for the devastating flood that struck his village in 2022. Growing up in difficult conditions, Churab Ali had to forgo his education to support his family by selling vegetables. Living in a modest house with his wife and infant daughter Fabiha, Churab’s family faced a constant struggle to make ends meet.
In June 2022, unprecedented heavy rains caused widespread flooding in northeastern Bangladesh, including Sylhet. The region experienced the highest rainfall in 62 years, a clear indication of climate change. Churab Ali’s hut was quickly submerged as the floodwaters rose rapidly, leaving no time to the family to salvage their possessions, including utensils, gadgets, and livestock.
“Although flooding is a common phenomenon in Sylhet, it's not something that would hit my village ever. What happened this time is something none of us could have expected in our lifetime. We didn’t know what to do next”
The family waited for the floods to receed but as the rains continued and the area got more and more flooded entire community had to be evacuated and relocated to a nearby school for safety.
A local humanitarian organisation provided temporary assistance to the suffering families by offering dry and cooked food and sanitation products. Although conditions were challenging, the affected families understood the temporary nature of their stay and hoped to return home once the water receded. After 27 days, when Churab Ali and his family returned to their house, they were met with devastation. The flood had destroyed their home, leaving behind broken fences, poles, and doors, as well as an upturned mud floor covered in sludge. The daunting task of rebuilding their house and their life awaited them.
SOS Children’s Village Sylhet’s stepped in to help him at this point. The organisation provided him with 185 Euros in cash transfer as livelihood recovery support for reopening his business as part of the “Humanitarian Response to Flood Victim Families in Sylhet, Bangladesh” project. With this assistance Ali says, ” I was able to buy a stock of vegetables from the market and put it on sale in my cart to restart my business. Some money also went to make the house liveable for my family. Once I felt really in the dark after the floods and didn’t know how anything good would happen again, now when I see my daughter’s face, I feel confident that I can provide her with the secure environment she needs to grow up in.”
The “Humanitarian Response to Flood Victim Families in Sylhet, Bangladesh” project provided various forms of assistance to flood-affected families. A total of 190 families received livelihood recovery assistance in the form of BDT 21,300 (Approx 180 Euros) which was used for purposes such as livestock, small businesses, and agricultural implements. In addition, 200 families received conditional cash assistance of BDT 19,000 (165 Euros), while 2050 families received unconditional cash assistance of BDT 5,000 (43 Euros) and a hygiene kit. The hygiene kit included two buckets with lids, one mug, two packets of sanitary pads, six pieces of laundry soap, and six pieces of bathing soap. This emergency response program benefited a total of 2440 families helping more than 4000 children and 7000 adults.
Over the last two decades, the Global Climate Risk Index rates Bangladesh as the seventh most affected country in the world from extreme weather events. Depending on the extent of sea level rise in the coming decades, an estimated 15 to 30 million Bangladeshis could be displaced from coastal areas, This can result in extreme poverty or family separation due to forced migration. With its community-strengthening initiatives, SOS Children’s Villages Bangladesh aims to not only provide immediate relief and support to families affected by climate change but also work towards long-term solutions that promote resilience and sustainability.
