Ben Beaumont speaks to Hasina from an island community in Bangladesh, where women are at the heart of the response to climate change.Ben Beaumont speaks to Hasina from an island community in Bangladesh, where women are at the heart of the response to climate change. “We had our own land, but the river washed it away. Now, I live on someone else’s land. It’s very painful for me. How is my family going to survive?” “We had our own land, but the river washed it away. Now, I live on someone else’s land. It’s very painful for me. How is my family going to survive?”

Meet Hasina Begum - mother of four, wife, and day labourer – who is struggling to care for her family as the climate changes around her. Hasina lives on Char Atra, a river island I visited in Bangladesh which is already experiencing deeper and longer lasting floods as a result of climate change.

“Eight months ago I was living where the river is now,” Hasina tells me. “Since I got married I have moved to a new home six times because of the river erosion. Before, we used to stay for three or four years in one place, but during the last five years we have been forced to move every year.”

Hasina’s story is typical of women the world over as climate change hits hard. As principal carers, breadwinners, and all-round super-mums, it is they who are hit hardest by the new extremes of weather. In Hasina’s case, the men of her village, including her husband, go to the city for long spells to search for work as labourers or rickshaw pullers, leaving the women behind to look after children and the elderly when disaster strikes.
I’ve met Hasina a few times now – her house is one of the first you come to as you arrive on the island, just a short walk from where the boats drop you off from the mainland. Her home’s proximity to the river means her family is one of the most vulnerable. After she lost her old house and land in a previous flood, she had no choice but to set up home here.

Hasina Begum at the Shanti Mohila Committee (Women’s Peace Group) on Char Atra, Shariatpur [Photo credit: Dan Chung] But her vulnerability doesn’t mean she’s helpless. Hasina is at the very heart of her community’s efforts to deal with the worsening floods. As someone who has experienced the worst of the floods first hand, and who isn’t shy of voicing her opinion, she’s now president of a local women’s group that supports its members before, during, and after the floods.

We were invited along to one of the group’s weekly meetings – a raucous affair where the women debated how they are preparing for floods, and collected a small amount of money off each member to put into their group’s savings. The money is kept until one of the members has most need for it – to buy materials for a new home or cow, for example.
What struck me most was the energy and passion of this group of 20 or so women. Speaking to Oxfam’s partner staff, women in this community haven’t always been so vocal – in conservative, rural areas like this, women often play very traditional roles, and stay at home with the family. But now, Hasina and her friends are full of confidence – earning and saving money as day labourers, and providing for their families.

As Hasina herself puts it: “There are so many benefits to this. Before joining this group, I couldn’t even sign my name – now I can. Now we know how to plant trees, and about the importance of latrines. There have been a lot of changes – our attitudes have changed a lot.”
And, as the floods get more unpredictable, it’s the women who are at the centre of their community’s response. This is why the role of women is so important in the response to climate change. Watch Hasina’s video, and you’ll see what I mean.  Also see more of Hasina’s story in an online report by the BBC on climate change in Bangladesh from earlier this week.

Popularity: 2% [?]