Where the Water Rises: How Women in Sunamganj Are Reclaiming Health and Dignity Amid a Changing Climate

When floodwaters creep into Bodipur village, life does not pause — it adapts. For women like Shakila Akhter, a 24-year-old mother of two, adaptation is not a choice but a matter of survival.

“I was eight months pregnant during the last flood,” Shakila recalls. “We took shelter for three days with only the essentials. Thanks to the training I received, I knew what to carry, how to prepare, and how to protect my family.”

 

Sunamganj, a climate vulnerable district nestled in the heart of the haor wetlands in northeast Bangladesh, is a place of stunning beauty but brutal challenges. Here, floods arrive suddenly and linger long, disrupting life, displacing families and cutting off access to basic health services — particularly sexual and reproductive health care. With over 670,000 women of reproductive age and frequent climate shocks, the district’s women face a silent crisis.

Shakila Begum, a 26-year-old volunteer, empowers women to provide feedback on their health needs. Equipped with just two days of training and an unwavering commitment to women's health, she now supports 75 families in her village. From contraception to maternal emergencies, Shakila is the first point of contact for women who would otherwise have no access to trusted health information.

“One woman had dangerously high blood pressure just before giving birth,” she recounts. “I advised her family to go to the local hospital, where she safely delivered — completely free of cost.”

Shakila’s efforts are part of the “Partners in Health and Development Climate Resilience Health System and Community” initiative supported by UNFPA in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) since 2022. Through this initiative, women and girls in Sunamganj learn about the links between climate and health — from managing menstrual complications to preparing for childbirth during floods.

The project also offers "family cards," empowering women with information on health facilities and available services. Yet, deep-rooted barriers persist.

Street dramas in unions like Kurban Nagarn are changing that. These performances, attended by hundreds, bring messages of resilience, hygiene, and gender equality into public consciousness. They also open space for difficult conversations. As Amina Akhter, a 24-year-old mother, puts it: “We want to share our problems, especially about our bodies — but we often can’t speak.”

With support from health volunteers, Amina delivered her youngest child safely at the hospital. Her husband now accompanies her to community sessions.

“We are learning how to protect our children and prepare for floods,” she says. “Now we share what we know with others.”

Still, challenges remain. In flood-prone villages, over half of deliveries still occur at home. Women cook over smoky fires that worsen indoor heat, risking the health of pregnant mothers. Girls menstruate in secret, ashamed and unsure of what is normal. And for women who try to grow vegetables or sell goods, cultural norms often confine their economic potential.

Shakila Akhter, like many others, is trying to shift that narrative. “I have started using an eco-friendly stove to reduce indoor heat,” she says. “I use family planning tools now — something I never knew about before. I want to choose when I’m ready for another child.”

Her voice is part of a growing wave of community-led change, powered by women, for women — even in the face of floods. Climate resilience starts with women and girls — if they are equipped, included, and heard.