Women and their kids in Kunderpara, Bangladesh.The women of Kunderpara village are used to having water all around them. They live on an island in the middle of one of Bangladesh’s many large rivers. The women are even used to the occasional seasonal flood.
But lately when the river floods, it takes on new, terrifying meaning. The women do all they can to prepare, but more and more often the water comes without warning.
When it comes, there is little to do but gather their children and climb up on raised beds, out of its reach. The water brings stress. It brings sickness. Children cannot go to school, and pregnant women cannot access health care.
When the water comes, they must wait, sometimes for weeks, until it subsides again.
As the climate changes, floods in the northwest corner of Bangladesh are becoming more unpredictable, and lasting longer than they did in the past. And the women of Kunderpara are doing their best to adapt to this changing reality.
With the help of a local organization, Ganna Unnayan Kendra (GUK), the residents of Kunderpara are learning how to prepare for the unpredictability of flooding. They have formed a ... Read more
