BBC Media Action Feed

Brave girls valiantly stopping child marriages in Bangladesh

2022-07-03T11:27:29+00:00

"Just as a caged bird enjoys flying in the blue sky, an adolescent girl rejoices when her early marriage is stopped."

Sanjida Islam Chowa explained to me that, for a teenager, getting married at a young age is no less than life in a cage. And Chowa, along with a few friends, has been helping other girls find a way to fly out of this cage for several years.

We first met these seven teenagers when they were 13 or 14 years-old. Back in 2018 we featured them in BBC Media Action’s popular radio programme Hello Check! because of a wonderful initiative in a school in Nandail, in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Along with other local teenagers, Chowa had learned about the harmful effects of early marriage from a non-government organisation visiting her school.

Armed with new knowledge and motivated by the various physical hardships and long-term effects her own mother had faced due to getting married at a young age, Chowa was inspired to make a difference for her generation.

Part 1: The ‘Grasshoppers’ – small but mighty

When Chowa and Tabassum featured on an episode of Hello Check! They told us that with their friends, Sneha, Tuli, Pranty, Shema, Jannatul, "together we all seven are Ghashforing (Grasshoppers)… we stop a social problem called child marriage". They had taken it upon themselves to report any accounts of sexual harassment, or "eve teasing" as it is known in Bangladesh, to the police.

Chowa and her friends featured on an episode of Hello Check! Our programme in Bangladesh

Back then, they said little by little, their attempts to protect girls had become known. Chowa described how initially they didn’t get told the details, “we just heard there was a marriage happening nearby and then we tried to get the information – was it a child marriage or not? After, stopping a few child marriages in this way people from our area got to know us.”

We asked why they do it… their reply?

"Someone must do it"

“If, we only think about ourselves then there is no point… many people don’t do anything because their family is not supporting them, or they have social bindings. But if all of us sit by then society will never change.” Tabassum said that from the bottom of their hearts they wanted to help stop child marriage and eve teasing.

By 2019, the Grasshoppers had stopped over 50 child marriages.

Part 2: Grassroots, keep going, keep growing

Four years have passed, and I decided to find out what had happened since then. Chowa is now on her way to university but her work with Ghashforing has never stopped. More teenagers have joined the team and now Chowa diligently guides the new girls.

In Bangladesh, over 50% of girls are married before they turn 18.

Chowa is now mentoring the next generation of Grasshoppers

Chowa told me about a particularly memorable child marriage they helped prevent.

They had learned that a senior girl from their school was being forced into an early marriage. Due to financial difficulties, the girl's family was unwilling to continue her education, and had decided to marry her off. But the girl’s family denied they were arranging her marriage.

First, Chowa and her friends went to the headmaster of their school and asked if the school could pay the expenses for the girl to continue her studies. Then they entered the girl’s house, disguised as wedding guests!

They sought out the bride who confirmed the wedding had been arranged against her will. The Grasshopper team then met the bride’s parents and explained the negative impacts of early marriage and told them that the school would pay for the girl's education. It was a tense, nerve-wracking but momentous moment when the family agreed to put a stop to the wedding.

Chowa said that moment shines brightly in her memory.

Amplifying the voices of women and girls

When the Grasshopper girls appeared on BBC Media Action’s Hello Check! Chowa found that many people in all corners of the country, and even outside the country, heard about the work of Ghashforing and it helped other girls be more aware of the issues.

"Many are showing courage and initiative… maybe the situation of early marriage would have changed only in this area. However, because of this publicity, now there is an opportunity for everyone to be aware and change the situation. Of course, you must continue to study if you want to get rid of the injustice, torture and dowry"

Credit: Getty Images

She explained that it’s a societal effort. Girls need the help of someone they can trust – a schoolteacher or an older sibling - and there is a government helpline for the prevention of early marriage. She added that the relationship between a girl and her parents needs to be handled with care – and reflected on another child marriage they stopped.

They found out from the girl’s friend in their school, that an early marriage was taking place against her will. But Chowa described how the family will often deny that there are plans for a child marriage.

On this occasion, they set up a vigil near the family home and – as suspected - the marriage started happening one evening. Ghashforing stopped that marriage with the help of Nandail's Teenage Women Football Team! The good news is that the girl then returned to school and is continuing her studies - which Chowa describes as the most satisfying part of their work.

Spreading the word and wings

Times are changing, early marriage used to be publicly celebrated, but this happens much less now – and Chowa thinks this is down to the success of the Grasshoppers – shared across Bangladesh by BBC Media Action’s Hello Check!.

Teenage girls in Bangladesh face many pressures as they grow up. Many of them cannot study because of financial problems. Many families think that daughters are a burden - that they will get married and leave for another house, so there’s no point spending money on their education. If we can change this kind of thinking, teenagers will grow up wonderfully.

When we asked Chowa about her future, she said she wants to study law at university. She wants to establish justice in our country. She said that if women study law, they will understand their rights. She wants women and girls to be better able to distinguish between right and wrong – and tackle injustice.

Chowa is determined to work with Ghashforing all her life. She wishes that girls should fly freely in the open sky, Grasshoppers is a belief, an idea, and a name to be trusted. Those who have followed in the footsteps of the original seven girls – will always be supported by Chowa.

Together they will keep stopping early marriages.

Final words of conviction from Chowa?

"There will never be a shortage of Grasshoppers in the open sky."

Tasnim Khandoker is an Assistant Producer for BBC Media Action in Bangladesh.

Learn more about:
Our work in Bangladesh here
Our work to support women and girls here
Or listen to the ‘Voices of women and girls’ here

Tackling disability discrimination in Bangladesh

2020-07-24T09:35:06+00:00

This week sees the launch of Inclusive Futures. BBC Media Action joins disability and development specialists, and global leaders from 15 organisations coming together under one initiative. The goal is to ensure opportunities for people with disabilities and a future that’s disability inclusive. In Bangladesh, our journalism mentors Senjuti Masud and Bishawjit Das have been training journalists to improve how people with disabilities are portrayed in the media and tackle negative stereotyping and perceptions. Read their story…

“The way people with disabilities here are being portrayed in the media is from a lens of pity or sympathy,” Senjuti explains. “So, when employers are looking at them, they’re looking at them as a burden to the society, not good enough, not capable enough to contribute to the economy. This is what we want to challenge.

Through our training of media professionals, BBC Media Action shows journalists that disability inclusion widens the scope of their story. It gives another dimension and it presents your subject in a more positive way.”

Senjuti and Bishawjit are training around 150 journalists from all different formats: television, radio, online and print. “They are senior journalists who’ve been working for a while. They know what they’re doing; we are trying to adjust their lens a little bit so that they have this fresh perception about telling the story from a different angle. So far, stories focus on a very pitiful situation and deplorable conditions of people with disability,” Senjuti continues.

Bishawjit explains what is involved in the training. “We bring the journalists together in a room with a group of people with disabilities, so they learn from each other’s experiences,” he says. “We ask the journalists to write an inclusive story… The interesting thing is: not only do the other journalists analyse it, but we ask the people with disabilities to give their feedback by asking: ‘How does it sound to you? Is it really dignified enough?’

Senjuti adds, “We want to show that people with disabilities are an asset and they deserve equal dignity. And when media professionals are presenting them as part of their stories, whatever they’re talking about in media, be it an issue of public interest, economy, growth, the current political situation, they need to be included everywhere. Their voices need to be heard everywhere.”

“We have trained 150 journalists so far and Bangladesh is a country of thousands of journalists. I am proud that BBC Media Action has been part of this new initiative and journalists who were part of it have appreciated this effort so much. I hope more journalists will be able to reach more people. This is just a beginning.”

Bishawjit comments that “Since the training, we’ve noticed some of the journalists are already writing positive stories including people with disabilities. If you analyse the pre-training and post-training news, you will see a huge difference.”

“We saw the language being changed,” Senjuti adds. “I think it’s an amazing change to achieve in such a short period of time.

“Now we are creating a Facebook group where the journalists can talk about stories, to push them to keep talking about people with disability in a more engaging and interactive way. And there’s a little element of competition of who’s the best at making a change to the coverage – we’re going to declare them as champions.”

As part of the mentoring, Bishawjit and Senjuti offer a refresher training session with the journalists a couple of months later, as Bishawjit puts it…

“It’s to see whether they have forgotten anything…I’ve said to them: ‘I want to see at least 50 quality stories that would change the perspective of the audience!’”

BBC Media Action is one of 15 partners working together on Inclusive Futures which is supported by Sightsavers and funded by UK Aid. Learn more at the new website here: www.inclusivefutures.org

The original interviews above were posted by SightSavers here in June 2020, read the full article here or listen to a short audio interview with Bishawjit here as he joins other citizen reporters working towards a more inclusive future.

Preparing for Cyclone Amphan in the COVID-19 pandemic

2020-05-21T08:51:31+00:00

A BBC Media Action cameraman films in a COVID-19 isolation centre in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo by Khandokar Hasanul Banna, BBC Media Action

Nearly a million Rohingya people still live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Having survived terrible violence, they now face the dual threats of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19, and flooding and landslides from Cyclone Amphan. Here is how BBC Media Action is helping people prepare and cope.

Bangladesh is well-versed in cyclone preparation – but preparing for a cyclone in a time of global pandemic is something that perhaps no one in living memory has done before.

Cyclone Amphan has not hit Cox’s Bazar directly, but the camps have still been affected by high winds, heavy rain and flooding. And across Bangladesh, the choices have been stark: evacuate an estimated 2 million people in coastal areas into crowded shelters and risk spreading COVID-19, or continue strict physical distancing and risk more people dying in this enormous storm.

BBC Media Action’s work on preparing for natural threats like cyclones in Bangladesh dates back to 2013. We work closely with government and other agencies, using media and communication to ensure our audiences understand what to do, where to go and how to seek help before, during and after a cyclone.

In coastal areas, people are well-versed in evacuation procedures thanks in part to trusted information carried on local media – it is information that has saved lives.

But because of COVID-19, our team has had to move quickly to redesign procedures and advice to reflect the additional threats posed by the virus, and then to ensure these are communicated to people clearly so that they understand and adapt accordingly.

An infographic demonstrates how to filter and boil water so it is safe for drinking. Credit: BBC Media Action

In the aftermath of a cyclone, people need access to clean water – often requiring purification drops or tablets – as well as food, sanitation, emergency shelter and medical help. All of these procedures and practices now need to be adapted to the risk of COVID-19, so that we don’t advise people to do anything that might be harmful.

In Cox’s Bazar, with the first few cases of COVID-19 now confirmed, people are already worried. Our teams have been working hard to explain the concepts of isolation and quarantine – to show what’s inside an isolation centre, for instance, and to talk to doctors and health-care workers so that the idea of seeking medical help is less frightening. We continue to talk to the community to find out their concerns, and share these across other humanitarian agencies so they can respond and adapt to community needs.

At the same time, we’re providing information in local language about what emergency cyclone warnings mean, where and how to evacuate, and critical survival information – including water purification, hygiene practices, and avoiding waterborne diseases.

We’ve also supported health workers by producing easy to understand videos on hygiene practices in health settings and how to safely use PPE.

These are incredibly challenging times in which to work, especially when our staff are facing movement restrictions and their own challenges in keeping safe and healthy.

We’ve adapted the way we work and deliver our programming, delivering much of our support to the humanitarian sector in online sessions – covering solutions for how NGOs can continue to communicate and respond with the Rohingya population amid physical distancing restrictions.

Every second counts in a crisis. Experience and expertise in local contexts and cultures, and strong relationships with donors, NGOs, local governments and communities themselves, make all the difference in moving quickly to save lives with trusted information.

Richard Lace is the Country Director for BBC Media Action Bangladesh.

BBC Media Action has been working on COVID-19 response in Bangladesh, including Cox’s Bazar, with the support of H2H, funded through the Department for International Development.

Our work in Cox’s Bazar, where we work with Translators Without Borders and Ground Truth Solutions, is funded through EU Humanitarian Aid in partnership with Action Against Hunger; DFID through UNOPS, and UNHCR.

The COVID-19 ‘info-demic’: A view from Bangladesh

2020-03-18T11:12:22+00:00

Rumours, mis- and dis-information about COVID-19 are spreading rapidly around the world and can be almost as harmful as the virus itself. Hear from our Senior Project Manager in Bangladesh, Kate Gunn, about the latest developments from our new global communications initiative tackling the COVID-19 ‘info-demic’.

Proper hand hygiene is key to the COVID-19 response

From working on BBC Media Action’s response to the Rohingya refugee crisis for the past 18+ months, I’ve seen firsthand how media and communication have the power to save lives.

The same is true in a health crisis. Trusted, accurate and timely information can help communities prevent or reduce the spread of disease, and guide those affected towards services and treatment.

This trusted information is needed now more than ever as countries across the world – including here in Bangladesh – take action against the COVID-19 pandemic and work to save lives.

There is so much misinformation swirling – from how the virus is transmitted, to where it has come from, to false rumours about its prevention and treatment. All of these can endanger people’s lives. I’m leading BBC Media Action’s new project, in partnership with Translators without Borders, Internews and Evidence Aid, to deliver clear, fact-based social media content to counter this ‘info-demic’.

There is a lot of content already being produced by a range of development, health and humanitarian organisations and by government departments to dispel misinformation, including the catchy Vietnamese song and animated video “Ghen Cô Vy” which has even sparked a viral TikTok dance challenge. There are many enthusiastic community-level producers too.

Still from the Vietnam Health Ministry's video "Ghen Co Vy"

But while much of this content is really good, some of it we describe as “yes, but…” efforts: mixed messages which might reinforce behaviours that risk transmission of the virus, for instance, showing people in crowds on the street, standing too close together or shaking hands.

So our challenge is not only creating content that applies to our country, our region and globally, but also working to help others do the same.

In Bangladesh, from where we’re managing the project, the situation is changing rapidly. Our main challenge is to keep our public service announcements, video clips and materials (some of which you can see here) up-to-date with official government and World Health Organization advice, and also to meet the fast-evolving concerns and needs of our audiences.

An example of the content we're producing in Bangladesh around hand hygiene and coughing/sneezing etiquette

In Cox’s Bazar, home to vast Rohingya refugee camps, and in other areas of the country where media don’t reach reliably, we usually rely on being able to share our content face-to-face with people – such as in community events and listener groups. We also know that community outreach activities strengthen what goes out on mass media, because we can discuss and interact directly with our audiences.

But, under current circumstances, there is likely to be less opportunity for that. Outreach staff will become more constrained in the level of contact they can have with communities as regulations on social distancing take hold. This is a huge challenge which also puts already vulnerable audiences at risk – imagine living in a rural community right now and facing the spread of COVID-19, with no access to any source of information about what it is or how to protect yourself.

To help address this, we’re already working to make sure that front-line staff in healthcare facilities also have access to our content and receive basic training in how to communicate it, so that communities are still getting access to that vital trusted information.

With the situation developing so quickly, it’s hard to predict what will change tomorrow – let alone next week. But with our team’s experience in humanitarian response communication, and collaboration across our BBC Media Action country offices, we are doing all we can to provide audiences with trusted, accurate and engaging content that can save lives.

Kate Gunn is Senior Project Manager in our Bangladesh office.

Our COVID-19 response work is funded by the H2H Network with the support of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). For more information, click here.

And if you’re a media professional seeking advice on how best to report during public health emergencies, check out our recent blog with top tips here.

Hear Me Too: a drama to tackle violence against Rohingya women in Cox’s Bazar

2018-11-24T09:03:49+00:00

For International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we hear first-hand from Sarah Bradshaw, Training Manager for BBC Academy International and experienced radio producer/director. Sarah worked with our teams in Bangladesh to develop a new radio drama to change attitudes towards gender-based violence.

Rohingya women in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Sarah:

The first thing I hear in the refugee camp is, “Rohingya women can do anything, I can do anything.”

Ayesha, about 60, shows us into her makeshift home with grace and warmth. My BBC Media Action colleagues and I sit on the beaten earth floor of her plastic hut dwelling. We’re in one of the biggest refugee camps in the world: Kutupalong, just outside Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh.

Her welcome is impressive and humbling. She has her baby grandson in her arms. His mother and father are conspicuous by their absence. We don’t ask where they are.

Four writers, a drama director and I are in the camp to talk to any of the Rohingya refugees kind enough to give us their time. But unlike so many of the journalists and NGO workers present, we’re not here to talk about their recent traumatic experiences, instead we want to know about life in the camp and how they’re coping now.

Earlier in the year, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted funding to Norwegian Church Aid and BBC Media Action to create a radio drama for Rohingya communities, specifically to help women and girls. As the project’s radio drama consultant, I’m here to help shape the production team’s ideas into a 20-episode synopsis.

Listening to real women’s stories

BBC Media Action often uses drama as a way to approach sensitive issues, and one of them is what NGOs call Gender-Based Violence, or GBV. This laudably non-judgmental expression is new to me and I can see the advantage of its neutrality. This term respects cultural practices, whereas terms such as ‘wife beating’, ‘sexual assault’ or ‘grievous bodily harm’ could be seen as pejorative and risk shutting down conversations around the issue. By understanding the experiences of Rohingya women and girls, and exploring them openly, this new radio drama has the opportunity to help address sexual violence and abuse.

Back in the office, my Media Action colleagues presented their excellent new research into GBV among the Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar. It revealed that many Rohingya women experience forms of GBV such as child marriage, intimate partner violence and sexual abuse. In the context of a poorly-lit, overcrowded camp, the risks intensify. This research is an invaluable resource, providing accurate evidence which the team can consult when trying out new plot lines.

Sarah and the Bangladesh Team developing storylines for the radio drama

Changing the story

We know that character-led, long form drama has the power to shift opinions, and the hope is that this serial will subtly increase knowledge around GBV through stories with which both men and women can empathise. This drama, created specifically for the Rohingya crisis, will also inform people about the support services available to them in the camp.

But perhaps the drama’s true power is presenting the flip-side, illustrating the largely untapped potential of women and girls.

So the team and I got down to the job of sticking plot lines to the wall, creating the stories for each character over 20 episodes. The writing and directing team were used to working for screen, so I ran a couple of workshops on the relationship between radio scriptwriting and sound effects. The team tried out their draft scripts with their backs turned to the actors – the test was whether they could ‘see’ in their mind’s eye what was physically happening in the scene and which character was talking.

And the production team aren’t alone, the Rohingya audience is unused to radio drama too. One of the challenges is to ensure that the audience understand that the episodes aren’t a real, fly-on-the-wall documentary, but fiction.

Entertaining and informing

The refugees in Kutupalong have little to do and face an uncertain future in their new home of Bangladesh. A drama that could entertain and distract a bored and traumatised people, even for a moment, must be useful. But crucially, it also has the potential to get them talking, asking wider questions around their situation: it could be massive.

Back in the camp, Ayesha walks us up the hill on which her hut is precariously perched. Together, we look out over the vast camp, past the trees and the water to Myanmar. Home.

Perhaps it might come as a surprise to the menfolk in her community to hear Ayesha talk to us so fluently, confidently, proudly about her skills as a net maker. So we have given her a voice – basing one of our characters on her.

After all she can do anything.

Sarah Bradshaw has worked for BBC Radio Drama as a producer, director and writer. She’s also worked as a consultant for BBC Media Action’s very own Life in Lulu.

Our new radio drama for Rohingya communities is currently in piloting and is due to air in Cox’s Bazar in early 2019. To find out more about how we’re responding to the Rohingya crisis and how listening to those affected informs our work, take a look at this short video.

If you’d like to learn more about how drama can be an effective tool for tackling sensitive issues such as gender-based violence, you might like to read this blog written by our Executive Director, Caroline Nursey, last year.

Information is aid: empowering Rohingya women in Cox’s Bazar

2018-08-21T14:43:07+00:00

On the first anniversary of the Rohingya crisis, one of our humanitarian workers on the ground in Bangladesh tells how a radio programme helped a mother keep her baby son healthy.

“I have learnt lots of new things from the radio programme, especially when the doctor advised about different health issues and encouraged me to visit nearer health care centres along with my husband when my children got sick.” Saiyada, Kutupalong camp, Bangladesh.

For the last seven months I’ve been working in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as part of BBC Media Action’s response to the Rohingya crisis. We help humanitarian organisations better understand the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people currently living in the camps and ensure displaced Rohingya people and the host communities receive the vital, often life-saving, information they need to support themselves and their families.

I have helped set up listener groups especially for women, giving them the chance to listen to, and discuss, some of the most pressing issues affecting their lives right now. As a woman, I am able to enter the homes of Rohingya women on a regular basis to hear their thoughts and concerns first-hand.

I first met 25-year-old Saiyada when I was setting up listener groups in Kutupalong camp. She had fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh with her family in October 2017 when she was three months pregnant.

Since January 2018, a group of around 20 people have been gathering on a weekly basis in front of her makeshift home – some are regulars, and some come and go. At these gatherings, they listen to a podcast produced by BBC Media Action, comprised of highlights from the radio show Beggunor Lai (For Everyone). The programme is made by the Bangladesh state broadcaster, Bangladesh Betar, with support from BBC Media Action and UNICEF, and provides refugees and host communities with the vital, sometimes life-saving, information they need to support themselves in day-to-day camp life.

Saiyada started listening to Beggunor Lai inside her home, sometimes joined by her husband. But after a few months, she began hosting the listener groups where fellow women in the camp came together to hear the podcast and discuss the issues raised in the show with each other.

After hearing an episode about health, Saiyada was motivated to visit her nearest health centre with her husband. She had been experiencing difficulties with her pregnancy and the doctor she heard on the programme prompted listeners to seek professional advice. Saiyada was seen quickly by a doctor who helped her with her symptoms, resulting in the healthy arrival of a baby boy – Abdul.

Then in June of this year, Abdul unfortunately fell sick. Her husband took him to the health centre, but returned without a solution. Empowered by advice she received via our podcast, Saiyada convinced her husband that she should accompany him to the health centre and explain the symptoms to the doctor as she had been monitoring her son’s illness closely. The following day, they both returned to see the doctor and Saiyada was able to properly explain the issues herself, resulting in the doctor prescribing appropriate medication and their son quickly recovering.

“Now I am telling my neighbours to listen this radio program – which has opened my eyes”, Saiyada said.

The majority of Rohingya women are typically confined to the home and reliant on male members of the family to access any sort of information, including how and where to access different kinds of aid. This can be particularly difficult for women who unfortunately don’t have male members of family – for instance those who have been widowed or separated from their fathers or brothers. Given that women make up just over half of the population in Cox’s Bazar, this creates a huge information vacuum.

That’s where BBC Media Action comes in and why listening groups are so important for women like Saiyada.

Information is aid

You may think that the most important types of aid needed by those affected by the Rohingya crisis are food, shelter and water. But timely and reliable information is also crucial so that people can know where and how to access aid in the first place.

Listener groups are a rapidly growing and increasingly relevant and effective mechanism for providing information and advice to displaced Rohingya communities, as well as for collecting views, opinions and feedback to inform the humanitarian response to the crisis.

For Saiyada, the information she received via Beggunor Lai and the listener group both prompted her to take action for her child’s health, but also informed her where she could go and who she could speak to in order to get the help she and her family needed.

Receiving the right information at the right time empowered her in the decision-making process for her family’s wellbeing. I feel proud to play a part in helping to improve the lives of Rohingya women, like Saiyada, by engaging them through our radio programmes and podcasts.

Mukta Roy is a Humanitarian Officer in Bangladesh.

Saturday 25th August marks the first anniversary of the start of the Rohingya emergency, which in August 2017 saw an unprecedented number of Rohingya refugees flee from Myanmar’s Rakhine State across the border into neighbouring Bangladesh - specifically in the district of Cox’s Bazar.

BBC Media Action has been at the heart of the response to the Rohingya emergency from the very start, ensuring refugees and host communities have access to vital information and can convey their needs to humanitarian agencies on the ground.

We’ve helped set up and support 233 listener groups currently operating in 12 camps, like the one described by Mukta, and the number is growing rapidly.

BBC Media Action’s support to radio broadcasters in Cox’s Bazar is funded by UNICEF. Our work training and supporting listener groups is funded by IOM, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF.

Understanding the Rohingya crisis: A Researcher’s diary

2018-05-15T15:11:33+00:00

“My husband was killed in Myanmar, and I had to flee with my children, leaving everything behind. I didn’t know where I am going. But, after coming to this camp I am living a much better life.” Rohingya widow, Kutupalong camp, Bangladesh.

In late January I visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to find out how the community gets its information and the media they preferred – to inform the humanitarian programmes we’re supporting local broadcasters to make in response to the emergency.

It was my first visit and I had mixed feelings – empowered at being part of this huge emergency response, yet not ready to confront the brutal reality of what so many people had faced.

While designing any research we always map the ethical considerations before we go to the field. I was hesitant to ask people to relive difficult experiences, and very conscious that Rohingya people are managing extreme trauma.

However, whilst people were distressed I felt the interviews acted as a catharsis for them as they talked about their past and expressed their fears about what the future held.

Many aid agencies around the world are responding to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis after more than 670,000 Rohingya people fled into Bangladesh last year. However, the illiteracy rate is high, so people living in the camps are often not aware they’re entitled to relief or how to access the services available.

This is where BBC Media Action comes in.

Since October 2017 we’ve been supporting local partners to make humanitarian programmes in the local dialect - which is, largely, understood by Rohingya people in the camps and the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

But, we wanted to do more to reach the affected communities.

So, through focus groups we explored how people are able to access information. It was fascinating.

We discovered the Rohingya people in the camps get information via word of mouth from “Majhis”, selected leaders who, in turn, acquire information from aid workers. Religious leaders are also a trusted authority.

The majority of Rohingya are Muslims. Women tend to leave the home only if they have something important to do – and they cover themselves up while outside. “We pray during our breaks and talk to our neighbours, that is our only entertainment,” as one woman told me.

It means that many women rely on the men in their family for information – and those without male relatives (such as the large number of women who were widowed before leaving Myanmar) find it even harder to find out what is going on.

Most women have no access to mobile phones and even men, who own a phone struggle to recharge them because there is little electricity in the camps.

In other humanitarian emergencies, such as in Jordan and Darfur, our listener groups have helped vulnerable people – such as women and children – to get information and support each other.

But here, whilst some women feel able to come to the listening group, others only attend if they are women-led, women-only groups and held inside homes or shelters.

Face-to-face communication

These research insights are being used to shape our communication plans – radio programmes, podcasts, vital face-to-face information at community hubs as well as sharing our content for the door-to-door communication carried out by UNICEF and other partners. And, we now know that making content aimed at women, as well as training and providing this content to information workers at the places that women (and children) are able to visit - is key.

But to continue making effective programming for displaced people and host communities (many of whom told us of their concerns about losing land, trees and other assets), there is still more we need to understand. For example, how we can work with the local and religious leaders to disseminate information using their networks. Likewise, we need to find a way to disseminate our media content further in the areas with scarce electricity. And, we need to continue to find ways to connect, support and inform female-led families and other vulnerable groups.

Without a doubt this is complex humanitarian emergency – where information is aid – so we continue to strive to reach those most affected with vital and life-saving information.

Aniqa Hossain is a Research Officer in Bangladesh

With our support, Bangladesh’s state broadcaster and Radio Naf have now broadcast over 100 episodes of the radio programme Beggunar Lai (For Everyone), with our support Radio Naf is now producing Shishur Hashi (Children’s Smile) a programme aimed at children. A monthly programme called Betar Sanglap (Radio Dialogue) - aired by the state broadcaster – is offering a space for the local Bangladeshi communities affected by the emergency to ask questions and share their views with local officials and aid providers.

BBC Media Action’s work within the Rohingya emergency response is funded by Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development and UNICEF; and is delivered in partnership with Action Against Hunger and IOM.

Rohingya crisis: When information is a matter of life and death

2018-02-07T11:06:08+00:00

The scale of the humanitarian crisis is visible on the road winding away from Cox's Bazar long before you reach the camps.

Empty aid trucks head back to town as the landscape shifts from palm trees to rice fields and then hillsides full of shacks with orange and blue plastic sheeting for roofs.

These camps are now home to nearly 860,000 Rohingya people who have fled violence in Myanmar - with more than 600,000 arriving since August 2017. That's more than the population of Sheffield.

There is no disguising that it's a major emergency and getting bigger and more complicated. It is predicted that 48,000 babies will be born into these conditions where poor sanitation increases the risk that deadly diseases will spread quickly. People are traumatised: they have left behind their homes and livelihoods and witnessed unspeakable violence. Many are now at risk of exploitation by criminals.

Caroline Nursey viewing the camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

In a situation like this, access to information is as important as food, water and shelter - it saves lives. And we are there, supporting our local radio station to produce Lifeline radio programmes providing vital information to Rohingya people on how to survive, cope and recover.

Beggunor Lai (For Everyone) is broadcast locally on Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh's state broadcaster and Radio Naf, a community radio station. With our support, Radio Naf also produces Shishur Hashi (Children) a programme aimed at children, who make up more than half of those displaced from Myanmar.

I visited Cox's Bazar to see first-hand how we're delivering this life-saving work and the impact it is having. People gathered around a wind-up radio in one of the day centres set up in the camp - a makeshift structure with a corrugated iron roof - and it was clear that access to information is a critical need. I also met our team and local broadcasters who all felt proud and enthusiastic to be producing programmes that are making life bearable for people in desperate need.

Programmes have given advice on getting vaccinated against cholera and diphtheria, finding clean water, nutrition and keeping children and other vulnerable people safe. As cyclone season approached, the shows explained how to strengthen temporary shelters in preparation for storms.

And they give Rohingya people a voice through phone-ins and vox pops - vital for mental well-being.

Women and children listening to Beggunor Lai (For Everyone) in Cox's Bazar

The programmes - funded by Unicef - are broadcast in the local Chittagong dialect that the Rohingya people can understand. And we are working with a range of partners to set up listening groups, like the one I saw, because few people have radios of their own.

There are serious problems in store unless more land becomes available to build secure shelters before the monsoon season starts in April. The hillside camps are at risk of serious mudslides, and disease will spread if floods pollute water points.

And the next stage - with a new tranche of UN funding - involves us working with Internews and Translators Without Borders to strengthen the two-way communication between people affected by the crisis and aid providers so that Rohingya people can help shape the services and information that they receive.

I have never come across a crisis where communication is recognised as such an integral part of the humanitarian response - thanks in large part to our work in Bangladesh over many years to help prepare for natural disasters. The work is impressive - but there is much more to be done.

Communication is aid: BBC Media Action response to floods in Sierra Leone, Nepal, Bangladesh and India

2017-08-18T08:51:33+00:00

In the aftermath of a disaster information is as important as food, water and shelter. It can save lives. This week BBC Media Action teams from West Africa to South Asia have been delivering vital, life-saving information to people affected by a series of devastating floods.

Bystanders look on as floodwaters rage past a damaged building in an area of Freetown on August 14, 2017, after landslides struck the capital of Sierra Leone.

In Sierra Leone, where mudslides and floods have killed almost 400 and hundreds are still missing our team has been using their Facebook page, the most popular in the country, to provide information on how to access emergency numbers and centres where those affected can access food, clothing and other assistance.

We are also using Facebook to share advice on how people can keep their families safe by avoiding water contaminated by the flooding and prevent an outbreak of cholera or typhoid. And we’ve produced radio public service announcements on flood preparedness and cholera prevention as part of the Sierra Leone government’s communications response to the disaster that will be broadcast over the weekend.

Incessant monsoon rain has also caused widespread and deadly flooding in Nepal, Bangladesh and India which has left around 500 people dead and affected millions more.

Our team in Nepal has been working with BBC Nepali Service, national broadcaster Radio Nepal and other radio stations to address the urgent information needs of affected communities. Researchers have been contacting people in flood-affected areas using Facebook, email and phone to understand their priority information needs.

Mona Laczo, Country Director Nepal, said: "People have told us they need information on subjects including weather forecasts, personal and family safety, how to avoid snake bites and harmful insects, water purification, how to get medical assistance, who to contact for support, and how to create a temporary shelter."

"This feedback is then being fed into Lifeline programming, special media content for people who are facing humanitarian crises, which have been shared widely with BBC Nepali and local stations."

A Nepali family make their way through flood waters in Tilathi Village in Saptari District.

We have shared the research and Lifeline programming production manual - a guide for the media on how to help audiences affected by crises - with broadcast partners to inform their programming. Producers with Lifeline programming experience are providing coaching and mentoring support to Radio Nepal and training has also been provided to staff at Radio Kantipur. And we’re liaising with agencies mobilising humanitarian assistance on the ground and identifying opportunities to incorporate communications into their response.

The team are also working with The Association of Community Radio Broadcasters to assess the damage to local radio stations and approaching organisations who may be able to provide new equipment to get them back on air.

In Bangladesh, pre-developed advice and guidance specially designed for Facebook has been published on our own channels and through partner organisations with big online followings.

"We are supporting local and national radio stations to broadcast life-saving information." says Richard Lace, Country Director in Bangladesh.

“We’re also creating a ‘pool’ of audio content aimed at providing advice and support to immediately flood-affected people through radio stations but also likely to be used initially through loudspeakers attached to boats because road communication in affected areas is getting increasingly difficult."

Bangladeshi stand on a raft made of banana tree trunks in an area submerged by flood in Kurigram, northern Bangladesh on August 14, 2017.

The team will act as a temporary ‘humanitarian communications agency’ for other organisations – providing coordinated, consistent audio and graphic materials on a range of topics including obvious things like water purification as well as less obvious topics like access to maternity care in flooded areas. These outputs are designed to help other humanitarian agencies integrate communication techniques into their response in a coordinated, consistent way and we’ll continue to support them as they start to plan their own, medium and long-term response.

In India the flooding has been concentrated in Bihar where the state government is rebroadcasting Lifeline programmes previously produced by our India team.

More rain is forecast in all of the areas so badly affected this week. Access to relevant, timely and trust worthy information will be vital in helping people prepare for more flooding and eventually rebuilding their lives.

BBC Media Action is not funded by the BBC licence fee and depends on the generous support of donors. Help support our work here.

Gaming for good: answering those awkward questions about puberty in Bangladesh

2017-01-09T09:00:00+00:00

Talking about their bodies can be a taboo for young people in Bangladesh. A new series of interactive computer games – accessible in 350 schools – are helping them learn about growing up in a safe and fun environment.

Tania is lost in an enchanted forest. Her only way to escape is to correctly answer questions posed by a collection of exotic animals. First up, a troop of cheeky monkeys, blocks her path. “You shouldn’t eat fish during menstruation – it will make you smell” they say. To gain enough points to leave the forest – Tania must choose whether the monkey’s statements are ‘myth’ or ‘fact’.

‘Tania’s Forest Adventure’ is one of seven new computer games in Bangladesh addressing teenage issues. The initiative is part of a wider project, Generation Breakthrough, using radio and digital tools to help tackle of broad range of issues, including sexual health, gender equality and preventing harassment against women and girls.

Our research tells us teachers and parents, acknowledge a need to educate teenagers about puberty but lack the confidence to raise it with their children. Without open discussion about taboo topics like menstruation or the breaking of a boy’s voice, an information vacuum can develop – leaving young people without adequate knowledge to understand what is happening to their bodies.

Independent learning

“We feel really alone and helpless when puberty starts and can’t talk frankly about teenage issues” said a 15-year boy from Barisal during user-testing. “This type of game helps us learn about the right and wrongs of [growing up] by ourselves.”

When developing the games, we realised it was important not to overload people with information. With their colourful characters, puzzles and animations – the interactive computer games make sure young people have a fun and educational learning experience.

The games – currently accessible from computers in 350 schools in Dhaka, Barisal, Barguna and Patuakhali – are popular amongst boys and girls alike.

Edutainment

“This game is really different. Other games are only for entertainment but this game increased my knowledge as well”, a 13-year old boy from Barguna told us. “I’m playing such a game for the very first time. I really liked it!” said another female test-participant.

Teenagers often have lots of deeply personal questions about changes in their bodies so it was a privilege to help develop the computer games to help provide some answers. I wish there had been something like this when I was growing up.

We don’t receive any funding from the BBC’s licence fee and depend on the generous support of donors. Help support our work.

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The TV drama helping improve the health of garment factory workers in Bangladesh on their lunch break.

2016-09-20T10:18:23+00:00

Garment factory workers in Bangladesh are watching screenings of a health drama during their lunch breaks to help improve their – and their children’s health.

Rows of factory workers in colourful dress sit attentively looking up at flickering images cast on the wall by a purring projector. Many of the clothes they produce make their way to high-street shops in Europe and America.

They are sitting comfortably on fabric-covered benches watching Ujan Ganger Naiya (Sailing Against the Tide), a television drama designed to help improve child and maternal health in Bangladesh.

Its sister programme, Natoker Pore (After the Drama), immediately follows. It features actors from Ujan Ganger Naiya discussing the issues raised on the show with families and specialist doctors. The two programmes are designed to encourage families to discuss what they can do to help women have safer pregnancies and take better care of themselves and their babies.

“Before [giving birth] we should promise to follow routine health check-ups and…advice of trained physicians or family welfare visitors” said Rahima, a garment factory worker, during a hard-earned break. “This may change our lives and save us from unwanted danger.”

Food for thought

Rahima was discussing an episode of Ujan Ganger Naiya where the main character – a young, pregnant woman - was debating with her family whether she should go to the clinic for a check-up. Her mother-in-law had intervened, insisting that an ante-natal check-up wouldn’t make a difference to her health.

Shining a light on health issues

The screening was part of a regular outreach programme by Light House, a local charity in Bangladesh working on a wide range of social issues. One part of their work is helping improve the health of garment factory workers, who often suffer from long working hours, dangerous working conditions and poor access to health information. BBC Media Action has been working with Light House over the past two years, screening episodes of Ujan Ganger Naiya, followed by a discussion among the women about the drama and how they can apply it to their own lives.

“We have received a positive response from the garment workers while screening different episodes of the drama”, said Md. Harun-or-Rashid, Executive Director of Light House. “Since we [already have] different health activities in garment industries, screenings [of the drama] are helping supplement our activities.”

Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing. The factory owners were initially resistant to showing the drama during work hours thinking it would reduce productivity. Light House was able to convince them to change their mind. Due to the success of the programme – now happening in 13 factories - they’re now planning to expand the project to even more.

There are always signs of enjoyment when the drama is screened. Workers clap and laugh at some of the happier, lighter scenes – and angrily discuss the negative storylines in the discussion afterwards, including one where one of the main characters is the victim of child marriage.

After watching one such episode, a pregnant garment factory worker told her colleagues: “When I got married as a teenager, I suffered many biological and mental issues. We should be aware of these issues so that no other girl becomes a victim of child marriage.”

Read more about the impact of Ujan Ganger Naiya on the Media Action Insight blog.

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‘Together we can do it’: an action-packed festival

2016-07-05T10:00:41+00:00

“This event helped me learn these techniques by heart” one man told me after he finished watching a demonstration of how to build a simple water filter. This knowledge will help him remove iron from his water, which can lead to serious health complications if consumed in excess. He’d just spent his Friday afternoon at a special Amrai Pari mini-festival held in Rangpur in the north of Bangladesh.

Amrai Pari (Together we can do it) began life as a television programme. It featured communities adopting low cost, replicable solutions to everyday problems caused by extreme weather and changing weather patterns.

A battery powered rickshaw

Now the season has ended, I’m part of a team staging a series of community events to encourage people across Bangladesh to discuss these solutions. We’re targeting people in rural communities who might not have access to TV. Ahead of our festival in Rangpur, volunteers from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society used this battery-powered rickshaw to visit remote parts in the region to make sure as many people as possible knew about the event.

The mini-festival attracted a crowd of over 2,000 people who came to watch screenings of the TV show, folk singers, puppet shows and live demonstrations of simple techniques like the iron filter.

Drip irrigation

Here, volunteers are teaching a group of farmers and their children about “bottle drip irrigation”, a water saving technique.

The events took place in the day so women felt safer travelling to the event and could bring their children – and as you can see, they turned out in force.

Cooking after flood

Attendees were given stickers and fans featuring “how to” diagrams to help people remember the techniques first demonstrated in the TV programme.

One diagram showed the audience how to build a tin stove. Many households in rural Bangladesh use heavy clay stoves. Stoves made out of recycled tin are much more portable, making it possible to cook food after a flood if people have had to leave their homes.

Huge crowds

Music and drama was a big part of event. To stress the importance of taking measures to cope with floods and other disasters, puppeteers worked with local children and local folk singers drew huge crowds. Here’s a snippet from one of the performers, Bishwanath Mohanta, warning of the dangers of iron in water after heavy rains.

“Listen my countrymen, people from the villages and the cities faraway, iron water will cause you harm, and you can’t get away!”

We hope to organise many more events like this. In just one day, Amrai Pari the TV show became Amrai Pari the festival, a place where people could gain practical, potentially life-saving skills while enjoying themselves at the same time.

“Please, ask my husband”

2016-03-10T17:44:13+00:00

A Sanglap audience member asks the panel a question

Women in Bangladesh tend to see political debate as "men’s business" but the female viewers of BBC Sanglap are an exception.

Discussing politics over a cup of tea at a roadside stall is common practice for men - but not, it seems, for women – in Bangladesh.

I discovered this while conducting research for Sanglap (Dialogue), a political discussion TV show enabling Bangladeshis from all walks of life to question their leaders on the issues that matter to them. We wanted to find out who exactly is watching our TV show, and how it is helping improve people’s understanding of politics and ability to hold their government to account.

Staying silent

Most of the women we approached for an interview immediately came up with any number of reasons to avoid speaking about politics. It seemed that praying, cooking, child-minding or sleeping were more important topics of conversation. Time and time again, women told us, ‘please, ask my husband whatever you want to know.’ With a shudder I realised that I also chose to stay silent whenever my male colleagues embarked on their frequent debates.

The scenario was pretty much the same in all the households I visited.

We’d asked about some of the issues most discussed on Sanglap: political violence and the strikes that followed the 2014 national election. In line with my experience with the interviewees, it wasn’t a surprise to find that while only 2% of men didn’t want to talk about the issue, the non-response rate for women was 11%.

Lack of female engagement in politics isn’t a new phenomenon. We’ve observed the same patterns since the start of BBC Sanglap in 2012. As one woman said during research, “As we are women, our major concern is our family, our children and our household activities. We are not interested in political discussions. The men are interested in those things.”

Encouraging women

It was a pleasure, then, to discover that the non-response rate was much lower among women who had watched or listened to Sanglap. In fact, the vast majority of female viewers told us that they were aware of the post-election violence of 2014, indicating a higher level of knowledge of political issues.
Despite these positive findings, reaching a wider female audience remains a challenge.

Our survey, taken at the end of our most recent series, shows that only 17% of the Sanglap audience is female – down from 29% in 2014. The reason for the drop may be that the 2014 national election increased interest in political talk shows, resulting in a higher reach among all groups, including women. When the election period was over these women became less engaged again, and Sanglap could only retain its most loyal audiences, who are largely male, educated and slightly more likely to live in urban areas.

Sanglap has always aimed to encourage more young and female audiences to participate in politics. We work hard to maintain an equal proportion of women and men in our studio audiences and have at least one female panellist each week.

Addressing the gender imbalance of political discussion in Bangladesh will always be a challenge, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. For those women who did watch Sanglap, our research clearly shows that the programme has been effective in increasing women’s levels of knowledge about key governance issues. I can only hope that this translates into wider political discussion between women, and men in the tea-stalls, workplaces, kitchens and bedrooms of Bangladesh.

Cricket aid: Bangladesh stars help out waterlogged village

2016-02-02T08:33:34+00:00

Villagers in Bangladesh’s waterlogged Satkhira region were bowled over when their national team cricket captain, Mashrafe Mortaza flew in with his team mates to take part in a special edition of Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It), a TV show helping communities adapt to extreme weather.

As we drove to our filming location in the early hours of the morning, I watched the fog getting thicker. By the time we reached the village, the bamboo bridge that the community had begun building the day before was completely obscured. Dense fog covered the pond and clung to the coconut and date trees. The only flashes of colour were the bright garments of village women as they expectantly gathered around our cameras.

This external content is available at its source: Women gather around a camera

We all looked at our watches. Our star guests, the Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza and three of his team mates, were due to take off from Dhaka in a seaplane in the next couple of hours. They’d agreed to take part in a special episode of Amrai Pari. This episode would tell the story of Narayanpur of Tala Upazilla, a village in the waterlogged Satkhira district of Bangladesh.

For up to nine months of the year, this village – and much of the surrounding area – is completely waterlogged. It’s the dry season now, but when I first visited the area last October I watched women wade through waist-high water to carry their children to school. One woman was paddling a make-shift boat made of polystyrene and wood.

This external content is available at its source: A woman paddles a child in a make-shift boat

“Because of the water, we can’t grow anything and there’s no work here for most of the year. Sometimes children drown in the water and, because you can’t earn anything, most households have problems with loans because that’s the only way to survive”, said Sufia Begum, a mother.

This external content is available at its source: Sufia Begum

The waterlogging has got worse since the area was first flooded in 2011, bursting the banks of the Kopotakkho River. A lack of fertile land is a major problem and many of the men in the community have been forced to urban areas to find work. The women who remain behind make a little money from cultivating fish and rearing ducks but now – with the help of Amrai Pari experts – nine families have decided to try something new by working together.

“We have a pond to farm fish but the pond was creating a lot of problems, because when the water rises it used to seep out and flood the whole area. Now we’re working to reinforce the banks of the pond and use the four corners to grow vegetables in raised platforms. We are also making a duck house and a 70-foot long bamboo bridge to help us cross the water”, said Jhorna Begum, a community member and outspoken advocate for sustainable farming.

This external content is available at its source: Jhorna Begum

Finally the fog began to lift and we heard that the cricketers had been able to land nearby. As they arrived, excited and eager to help, they were met by children whose jaws dropped in disbelief as they ran to greet them.

“I’ve heard about these things, but this is the first time I’ve seen it with my very own eyes.” Mashrafe told us as he picked up some bamboo and started to help members of the community build their bridge.

“It’s evident how tough the nine months of waterlogging is for these people. It’s good that we’ve come out here, but I’d feel better if we could do something longer-term.”

This external content is available at its source: Mashrafe

His teammate Soumya Sarkar is from Satkhira and stopped to say hello to his grandparents on the way to the filming. “Its wonderful to see how they’re working together, their attitude is really inspiring. I’m sure they will achieve something great,” he said.

They were also joined by two members of the Bangladesh women’s cricket team, ODI (One Day International) Captain Salma Khatun and T20 (Twenty20) Captain Jahanara Alam.

“It’s wonderful to be able to work with the nine families that are here and I’m really happy that we were able to do this”, said Salma at the end of the day.

This external content is available at its source: A community in Bangladesh builds a bamboo bridge

Their visit helped to inspire the whole of the community to carry on and make their new project a success.

“These four are our best cricketers and they represent our country everywhere. We never believed we’d have the opportunity to see them face-to-face.” One man told me as he waved the cricketers goodbye.

“They came out here and worked with us. I couldn’t feel any more proud that they came out and actually worked with us.”

The special episode will air 7 February 2016 on ATN Bangla.

Amrai Pari is created by BBC Media Action with funds from the UK Department for International Development and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department.

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Kutubdia: the vanishing island

2015-12-09T09:30:18+00:00

How one community in Bangladesh – living on a shrinking island – is inspiring others in the fight against extreme weather.

Supti Nath lives on an island that is disappearing. Kutubdia, in the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, has halved in size over the last 20 years with water levels rising an average of 8mm a year. It has the fastest recorded sea level rises in the world.

“Most of the people on this island are living very near to the sea. As the dam [sea defence] is not very well made, during the high tide these areas are regularly flooded which destroys our fertile lands and damages the houses.” Supti told me.

I met her when I travelled to Kutubdia as part of the production team for the new series of BBC Media Action’s factual TV show Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It).

The programme encourages communities to work together to prepare for the effects of climate change and extreme weather and improve their economic wellbeing. It provides a platform for people to share knowledge and inform and inspire others.

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 longer-term problems, like food shortages, as a result of watching the show.

Supti lives in a community of fishermen and salt farmers. The seasons bring weather extremes – the coastal area that was once filled with mangroves and jhau plants has been transformed into miles of barren, cracked and desert-like land. But when the rains come the arid plains flood. Since 1991, six villages on the island have been completely swamped and about 40,000 people have fled to neighbouring areas.

But, in spite of their difficulties, many islanders on Kutubdia are determined to stay.

Fixing the dam together

“When the dam broke last year, all the villagers helped to fix it. Even school children started helping us. My child, who is in sixth grade, also worked to save the dam. But now the dry season is coming up, this is the proper time to repair and work on it. It shouldn’t be done in the rainy season.”

Supti invited me to go with her to a public hearing where she was going to ask for resources from the local government, on behalf of the whole community, to fix the dam properly.

The public hearings, that take place twice a year, are a way that islanders get things done.
“We ask the question to the government officials and they give us answers,” one person explained. “If this kind of thing was arranged in every area then it would be great for everyone”.

Public hearings have opened my eyes

One government representative told me he thought around three quarters of problems are resolved this way. “I think the public hearings have opened my eyes and help me do a better job,” he said.

Following the hearing, Supti was assured that funding would be allocated to repair the dam.
“I feel confident that I can be a leader among the community and help to bring about change. If we understand and demand our rights then we can make progress. ”

As I was leaving Kutubdia I felt inspired by Supti’s determination to get the dam fixed before the rains come again. We hope that Supti, and the many other amazing stories we feature in this new series, will inspire viewers to come together to take action as well as helping climate vulnerable communities to access the support they’re entitled to.

Amrai Pari is produced by BBC Media Action with funding from the UK Department for International Development and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department.

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