“In July, torrential rain caused several landslides in different camps. When faced with something similar happening in our camp, we moved people in the community from the vulnerable areas to temporary communal safe shelters. These types of lifesaving activities amazed me most.”
Nasima, a 35-year-old Rohingya woman, shared her experiences of working in the recent monsoon response for her community in Camp 20, a refugee camp for the Rohingyas in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. “I never thought that I would ever carry out such brave work in adverse weather, even a couple of years back. I did not have such courage then. It was only after I underwent training and became a volunteer of the Disaster Management Unit (DMU) in 2018 that I developed the courage to do this.”
From July to August this year, Nasima directly assisted 20 families during pre- and post-monsoon response. She also referred 30 families who needed support to other service-providing agencies in the camp.
“During any emergency like flood, cyclone or fire incidents, we have to work very hard. In July, when it rained a lot, I checked every day for any damage, landslide, or flood. I reported back immediately to Site Management Support (SMS) volunteers whenever I noticed anything.”
At least 200 families were affected by the flash flood in Camp 19 in July. DMU volunteers immediately relocated the affected families to safe places. They provided direct support in landslide and flood-affected shelters. They also assisted in emergency soil removal and rescue and moved the affected population to safe communal shelters.
DMU Volunteer Nasima is conducting door-to-door awareness session in the Rohingya camp.
“I never thought that I would ever carry out such brave work in adverse weather, even a couple of years back. I did not have such courage then. It was only after I underwent training and became a volunteer of the Disaster Management Unit (DMU) in 2018 that I developed the courage to do this.”
The IOM Site Management Site Development (SMSD) Programme scaled up its emergency response activities to address the damages caused by the heavy rain. The volunteers played a very important role in ensuring better emergency response during the monsoon season.
“Previously, I was scared of cyclones, floods, landslides and other natural disasters. I used to keep myself and my family members from going out when it rained or when there are risks of floods or landslides. But now, I come out from my house not only to save my kids and belongings but also to save my neighbors and members of the community who fall into distress due to the calamity,” Nasima said confidently.
As a first responder, Nasima received trainings on cyclone preparedness, fire safety and response, search and rescue, first aid, and other disaster risks reduction-related trainings. The trainings she received helped her build her capacity and strengthened her understanding of dealing with emergencies. “Before undergoing the training, I had little understanding about any natural calamity and how we should respond to it. Now, I am more confident about my role. I am capable to serve my community and I want to continue my work. Many people in my community know me already through my role. They come to me with the hope that their problems will be heard and solved. I feel very happy and proud to be able to help them.”
IOM teams are alerting the refugees who are living at landslide risk-prone areas in Rohingya camps.
Nasima is among of the 761 DMU volunteers composed of 208 women and 553 men. They are based in their respective camps which are among the 10 IOM-managed camps in Cox’s Bazar, namely Camps 9, 15, 18, 19, 20, 20 Extension, 22, 23, 24, and 25. People from her community were previously not aware of her role as a volunteer. However, they are motivated when they see her perform her role and approach her whenever there is any need.
The volunteers are among the first responders who arrive immediately after an emergency and provide initial support to the affected community until professional emergency responders arrive. They also disseminate messages on cyclone awareness and early warnings, landslide risks, fire safety, and monsoon awareness in the community during normal times.
In 2018, IOM SMSD, coordinating with the SMSD Sector, other Site Management (SM) partners, American Red Cross and the national Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), established the community-based groups called ‘Safety Volunteers’. These volunteer groups subsequently expanded and became DMU in 2019.
Jeno Beno, IOM SMSD’s Area Operations Coordinator for Teknaf said, “The DMU volunteers working together with the IOM SMS teams are a crucial part of our operations both in emergency preparedness and response activities. Thanks to their commitment, their readiness to learn and to be trained.” Beno added, “Rescuing distressed people after landslide incidents, putting fires off, or saving people affected by the flood are part of their response activities. You have to be strong and committed to carry out these responsibilities.”
Cox's Bazar is one of the most disaster-affected districts of Bangladesh. It is exposed to tropical cyclones and associated storm surges, flash floods and landslides. The Rohingya refugee camps both in Kutupalong-Balukhali Extension (KBE) and Teknaf are under heightened risks due to the environmental degradation and further heightened by the congested population of the camps. The DMU activities in IOM-managed Rohingya camps are now carried out with the support of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

Mahela Begum (38) returned from Greece to her native Sirajdhikhan sub-district in the Munshiganj district in 2018. Upon return, she and her family struggled to support themselves, with three children and only a low salary from her husband’s job as a carpenter.
As early as 2014 Mahela had wanted to migrate to Greece as a way of ensuring a better future for her young family, after hearing success stories from friends and relatives. She persuaded her husband it was the best thing for the family and connected with a local middleman to facilitate migration.
Maleha gave BDT 600,000 (EUR 6,200) to the middleman to arrange the trip to Greece. To secure that amount she sold her land and borrowed money from neighbors. The broker promised Mahela she would get a work permit in Greece easily and would soon secure a decent job. After arriving in Greece in March 2016 she soon realized that the middleman’s promises had been dishonest, and that he had in fact secured her a work visa as a domestic worker.
She began working as a housemaid, but the salary was not enough to support her family. While she did look for other jobs, she was not able to secure any due to her visa status. She continued to work as a domestic worker - which was not the decent job she had been promised.
By 2017 Mahela’s mental and physical health was deteriorating as a result of her situation. However, her employer only provided very basics primary healthcare, which was insufficient for her. In early 2018, Mahela ran away from her employer's house and surrendered to Greek police.
On 6 March 2018 with the assistance of several Bangladeshis living in Greece, Mahela returned to Bangladesh empty-handed and with her dreams in tatters.
Upon return, her family's financial difficulties and the debt she still owed to her neighbors added to her distress. As a female returnee, she was not welcomed back to the community warmly – and this only compounded her physical and mental health concerns.
During this period a member of the Prottasha Migration Forum came to know about her and directed her to a Prottasha Field Organizer (FO) in Shirazdikhan. The FO screened Mahela’s situation, and a Tailored Reintegration Plan (TRP) was developed for her in March 2021. The TRP included psychosocial counselling, skills development training, and in-kind assistance. She was also provided with psychosocial support when she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety during the screening process.
She felt a great sense of relief after discussing her experiences, emotions and thoughts with the psychosocial counsellor. She requested medical support from the project when her lever disease deteriorated. Mahela received BDT 16,960 (EUR 175) for her medical treatment from the project.
The Reintegration Service Center (RSC) provided economic reintegration assistance. Through the Prottasha project she was provided with construction materials such as bricks, cement, rods, and sand worth BDT 85,000 (EUR 876) as in-kind support to help her build a grocery shop in her community. Mahela and her husband also received financial literacy and remittance management training to help them make the best use of their money. Now, she runs a shop in Munshiganj, earning roughly BDT 5,000 (EUR 52) per month. Mahela is optimistic about a better future. She says, "While no one understood me or my physical
limitations, these incredible people from the Prottasha project came to my help. The Prottasha project has benefited me in numerous ways. My family and I are very appreciative of this support."
Additionally, she has a message to aspirant migrants, "Please never rely on a dalal (middleman) while travelling to another country. Only use regular and legal migration channels. Prior to making a migration decision, make an effort to learn as much as possible about where you are going and the what jobs are available there."

“The floods occurred so fast, literally in one day. In the morning, I came to the hospital for a normal work day. When I left home, there was chaos everywhere. People were rushing all over the place and the roads were all covered in water.” This is how Hazera Akther, a 26-year old midwife from Sardar Upazila Health Complex in Sunamganj District describes the fear and anxiety that engulfed the people of northeastern Bangladesh in June of this year, when floods hit the region’s Sunamganj, Sylhet and Netrokona districts. While the districts had endured natural disasters in the past, this year’s floods were both unexpected and exceptionally intense for the region, which resulted in the local communities not being adequately prepared for the disaster. Close to 500,000 people had to evacuate their homes and many basic services were severely compromised. This included Hazera’s hospital, where she has been working as part of UNFPA-supported mentorship programme since 2020. An estimated 25,000 people took shelter in the hospital and for the first three days, the midwives had to perform their duties without electricity and a functioning telecommunications network. “All the rooms of the hospital were just packed with people. A lot of the families also brought their dogs, hens and goats with them. It was smelly and there was dung everywhere. However, we always made sure that the delivery room remained unoccupied. During the first three days, there was no electricity so at night, we did all the deliveries, surgeries and all other necessary procedures in candlelight,” Hazera explains. One night, a woman from a nearby village who had just delivered a baby at home arrived in the hospital, bleeding profusely. “She had postpartum hemorrhage and had somehow managed to take a boat to our hospital after being referred here by the dai (traditional birth attendant) who had performed the delivery.” With no possibility of calling senior doctors in other hospitals for advice, Hazera depended on her own expertise to solve the difficult case. Miraculously, she was able to identify a bad tear inside the woman and repair it with the help of her colleagues in the candlelit room. “This was definitely the most challenging thing I had to do during the crisis,” Hazera says with a hearty laugh. Throughout all these hardships, Hazera herself was 5 months pregnant with her first child. For three days, she was not able to reach her husband or family in Chadpur District who were worried to death about how she was surviving the flood. “All updates they could receive of the situation in Sunamganj through the news, which was so traumatizing for them.” When Hazera was finally able to reconnect with them, the family pressured her to stop working and if possible, return to her village. Hazera had considered the possibility herselfonce the floods began. “I admit that my first thought was that I would not go out. Because was pregnant myself, I thought that I should save myself before I saved anybody else. I felt I would need to take a step back from my service,” Hazera explains. “However, when I thought about the plight of other pregnant women, I knew I could not stop working. Knowing exactly the struggle they were going through, how could I neglect my duty? I had to be there for them.” she continues. Witnessing the heroism and sacrifices of her colleagues throughout the crisis further confirmed to Hazera that she had made the right decision. As pregnant woman kept being referred to the hospital from smaller villages, many of her colleagues kept working after their shift was over. As transportation options were limited, the midwives often waded to work through chest-deep water and performed their duties in wet uniforms. “Amidst all this, I was so proud that I was coming to the hospital to serve other pregnant mothers. As a pregnant woman myself, I was able to relate to them. I listened to their worries about money, food scarcity and other things. I was able to comfort them by reminding them that the floods would not last forever and that soon, we would all return home,” she concludes.

Women’s economic empowerment is at the core of inclusive economic development of communities and countries. Given the many barriers that women and girls face in accessing economic opportunities, UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women came together with an unique approach towards women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh. The initiative originated from a global programme titled the “Inclusive Economic and Local Development Programme (IELD)”, funded by Sweden, Switzerland and Norway. The programme sought to facilitate the design, implementation, and sustainability of local investments by governments and the private sector to remove barriers to women’s economic empowerment. The programme also aimed at reversing some of the discriminatory social norms and practices that thwart women’s equitable access to economic opportunities. In Bangladesh, the three agencies looked at two key constraints. First, women entrepreneurs, especially in the cottage, micro, small, and medium scale enterprises (CMSMEs) have very limited access to finance. During 2010-2018, only 3.5% of the total BDT9.4 million in credit disbursed to CMSME entrepreneurs went to women entrepreneurs. Second, women lack sustainable employment for resilience against shocks. Rural women, including those getting microfinance, training and running small businesses, tend to fall back into poverty when faced with shocks like natural hazards, job losses in the family or ill-health, the COVID pandemic or market volatility. Moreover, socio-cultural and other structural barriers also impede women’s economic empowerment. To address these challenges, the IELD program engaged the local authorities, project developers and women’s groups to identify, fund and implement women’s economic empowerment projects; built capacities of local government for gender-responsive economic policy, planning and budgeting; and identified practical and innovative financial instruments to channel additional funding for SME financing and capacity building for private sector players including commercial banks and women entrepreneurs.   Individual women under economic stress do not have the leverage to negotiate with other economic actors even in well-functioning markets. So IELD enabled the power of collective knowledge and bargaining by linking women entrepreneurs to groups like (i) Women-led SMEs (ii) Women Development Forums (WDFs), a collective group of women’s elected representatives at local government bodies (iii) NGO-led social enterprises and (iv) Women led cooperatives. Since 2018, IELD has initiated eight investment projects related to women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh with a total project size of $1.4 million. The total investment of $ 287,238 unlocked an additional $1.1 million from local partners, including governments, private companies, banks, and local government bodies. Against $1 of seed capital invested, US$4 was unlocked from domestic sources. Over 2535 women have benefitted directly from these projects as suppliers, traders and employees and 1014 jobs were created locally. Encouraged by the success of IELD in catalyzing local investment, when the IELD project in Bangladesh ended, the three agencies – UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women decided to design the next phase of the programme appropriate to the specific context of Bangladesh and mobilize fund locally. The new project titled Women’s Empowerment for Inclusive Growth (WING) started in 2020 building on existing programme approach and partnerships. Funded by the Government of the Netherlands, the project sought to contribute to the Government’s aim of inclusive growth as articulated in its 8th five-year plan. As part of the WING project, some of the global tools of IELD are being implemented in Bangladesh and embedded into national institutions. For instance, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Index for evaluating the social impact and financial feasibility of investments has been institutionalized with Bangladesh Bank. Capacity development for gender responsive budgeting and planning with local government and promotion of UNWOMEN’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) with private sector is being carried out, complemented by local level and national level advocacy for women’s economic empowerment. During COVID pandemic, Anondomela, an e-commerce platform was one of the innovations that helped women SMEs in linking with the market with WING support. With a small seed funding, the three agencies UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women are taking a systems approach to address the issue of women’s economic empowerment by building a conducive policy and institutional set up, empowering partner organizations for women’s entrepreneurship to leverage the power of collectivity, and improving access to finance by generating local investments. The approach brings together the programme infrastructure and comparative expertise of the three agencies to generate outstanding returns on the initial seed funding. While the three agencies contribute to different aspects of the programme, by approaching local government officials and partner organizations together, the joint project is also reducing transactions cost for the Government and partners through time saved in meetings, better management of events, and more coherent and smooth information sharing. Joint communication and synchronized collaboration with national and local government actors has also led to better coordinated work and minimized the duplication of efforts.