Involving climate migrants from vulnerable urban communities in Khulna and Rajshahi, the project is in partnership with the BRAC Ultra-poor Graduation (UPG) Program and the BRAC Humanitarian Programme (BHP). The research looks at how the program incorporates elements of climate change adaptation for the urban migrants, and how it addresses the climate vulnerability of the participants.
Researchers: Dr Rohini Kamal; Adeeba Nuraina Risha; Tasfia Mehzabin; Sonia Afrin
Partners: BRAC Ultra-poor Graduation Program (UPGP); BRAC Climate Change Program (CCP); BRAC Skills Development Program (SDP); BRAC Urban Development Program (UDP); BRAC Migration Program
Timeline: January 2022–December 2024
Status: Ongoing
Contact: Dr Rohini Kamal; rohini.kamal@bracu.ac.bd
Context
Climate change and the COVID 19 pandemic are affecting poor and vulnerable people in multitudes of ways. BRAC has designed multiple interventions under its multiple programs to combat the ongoing crisis:
To address the loss of livelihood and increased migration/reverse migration among the poor in urban slums and rural areas, BRAC UPGP plans to support 4,200 women who are climate migrants, climate-vulnerable, or reverse migrants. The project aims to diversify livelihood sources to be climate adaptive, and to provide training and counselling on climate change adaptation, social and health issues, etc.
BRAC UDP has a project for 5,500 climate migrants and new poor based in urban slums and employed in professions that directly depend on climatic conditions. The participants are trained on financial literacy, entrepreneurship development, business management, etc.
BRAC SDP has a number of projects that aim to boost employable skills and employment in the informal sector. In terms of unemployment or underemployment, the pandemic has disproportionately affected poor women and youth in the country. The program’s projects aim to provide these demographics with employable skills in demand-driven occupations for the future, as well as equipping them to better deal with the double shock of COVID-19 and climate change.
BRAC’s Climate Change Program (CCP) recognizes that farmers living in climate vulnerable areas face huge challenges as both the pandemic and climate change are affecting their livelihood and pushing them below the poverty line, leading to unprecedented displacement and social crisis. In order to strengthen their resilience, the program plans to provide 6,000 rural farmers with knowledge on adopting climate-adaptive livestock, crops, and farming techniques, in addition to asset and financial support for initial economic retrieval.
The BRAC Migration Program is seeking to engage 2,500 beneficiaries—migrants who have lost jobs and returned during the pandemic—in income-generating activities, with training on capacity development and psychosocial well-being. The program also has a detailed plan to raise community awareness about COVID-19, climate change impacts, adaptation measures, and safe migration.
The impact of the projects, listed below, will be evaluated using diverse, mixed research methods ranging from quantitative quasi-experiments to qualitative focus group discussions.
The following are the seven projects:
This study is relevant to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), particularly to ending poverty in all its forms everywhere and taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Methodology
The study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Findings and Recommendations
Study ongoing.
