The challengesExternal shocks affect households, communities and even entire regions and when these shocks occur it is the extreme poor who are most severely impacted and least able to recover. The shocks may be naturally occurring (eg cyclone, flood, river erosion) but are often man made including slum eviction, fire and the result of inter communal conflict.The Shiree experience of working with over 150,000 extreme poor households indicates that many have been catapulted deeper into poverty through naturally occurring disasters such as repeated displacement through river erosion or flood. Two major cyclones, Aila and Sidr, as well as severe waterlogging caused by tidal surge left thousands of families in the Southern coastal belt stranded on embankments.While many of those with assets, savings, support networks and with multiple income earners will have recovered their economic livelihood, it is the extreme poor who are most vulnerable and for whom these shocks can propel them into a dependency on humanitarian relief.In urban areas slum eviction and frequently occurring fires are two types of externally induced shock that can have no less devastating impact than that of a natural disaster. Again families are uprooted, assets are frequently lost, injury can occur, livelihoods are lost and families become fragmented.The extreme poor are particularly vulnerable to both environmental and manmade shocks, especially given their highly insecure position, complete absence of formal or informal insurance and inability to plan for the future. They lack the means to mitigate the potential damage of floods, droughts, cyclones, fires, and eviction because they have little or no savings, insurance or access to other safety nets.While major natural disasters are normally followed by extensive humanitarian relief efforts these distributions are often little more than a means of survival and the extreme poor face the same constraints in accessing these benefits as they do all other public resources. Given climate change and rapid urbanization the frequency of both naturally induced rural and human induced urban disasters is likely to increase.The status of both urban and rural extreme poor families is the barometer of success for Bangladesh in facing climate change and the challenges of urbanization. If the numbers of extreme poor households in climate vulnerable regions such as the coastal belt, and in the urban areas, increases there is no prospect of Bangladesh achieving Millennium Development Goal One of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
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QUICK FACTSSocial safety nets are meant to buffer the vulnerable from external shock, but Shiree CMS2 data shows that only 10% of beneficiaries are covered by safety nets, though all are extremely vulnerable. A recent eviction in Korail slum has left 800 of Shiree’s DSK beneficiaries in a destitute situation. They have lost homes, businesses and productive assets, with an estimated loss of 200,000-300,000 BDT. After severe flooding in 1998, studies showed that a child living in a household exposed to the floods faced a seven times greater risk of wasting – low weight for height – than one not exposed at all. Studies carried out after a major flood in 2004 showed that flooded households often fall into a vicious cycle of debt and roughly OTHER CHALLENGES |
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Expert view One expert submitted his recommendations for action: “Vulnerabilities to external shocks is related to the development trends of the area and where they are before (i.e. their socio-economic situation) they are hit by a shock will largely dictate how they recover. What is the impact of the disaster? What is the context of the area looking at external factors? What are the climate change trends of the area and how has it affected their resiliency? The coastal belt is a good example – one of the major issues related to chronic poverty there is the impact of shrimp farming which further aggravates the natural challenges the area faces, such as by increasing salinity levels. The answer is not to ban shrimp farming, but rather to return to a more diversified livelihood approach.You have to understand the context of the area. You must have an integrative approach to addressing the issues faced by the extreme poor. The ultra poor are the first people to impacted by hazards because they usually live in disaster prone areas and they do not have the capacity to recover from hazards; one recommendation is to promote government policy to be resilient in disaster prone areas; and prepare the community to face shocks by diversifying their livelihoods.”Another expert view on how to address the vulnerabilities the extreme poor face from external shocks: “We need to look at what hazards the extreme poor face to effectively mitigate vulnerabilities. We currently only take post-disaster measures. Major shocks include natural disasters; evictions from shelter and businesses. Recommendations for action include: policy and budget for disaster prone areas should be made inclusive of the extreme poor; law against eviction from slums without securing an alternative dwelling first; targeted social protection schemes to be increased and improved and inclusive of the extreme poor – especially the disabled and elderly; communities need to be engaged in targeting the extreme poor for safety nets. In general, we need to know who the extreme poor are first by identity cards; and we need to develop an institutional framework for the extreme poor at the national level. We are looking for national level changes – policy law, institutional framework and programme budget.”
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Case studiesNatural Disaster, Sidr, Aila, Tidal Surges, SalinityKamrunnahar’s parents both lost their land; her mother’s family homestead was lost to the Shibsha River and her father’s property was illegally occupied by others. Kamrunnahar was born in 1982 and when she was three, her home was washed away by a flood. This was a difficult time for the family as they had to eat once a day with whatever they could collect. They reconstructed their house with government support.Kamrunnahar was not enrolled in school as she had to care for her brothers while her parents worked as daily labourers, paid in wheat which was inadequate to feed the family. To help, Kamrunahar spent some time working in a fish depot, beheading shrimps, paid 1 taka per KG of fish, but this was only possible after the high tides which occurred every 15 days. In 1998, her family suffered huge losses during another flood. Their five goats were killed when the wall of their home collapsed. Again, they were destitute. In 2007, cyclone Sidr washed away Kamrunnahar’s parents’ home but they were able to save their goats and geese.They shifted to the nearby fish depot and stayed there for two months. The household became totally dependent on relief as even her brother, who drove a hired van, could not drive as all the roads were broken by the cyclone. After Sidr, her elder brother procured a van from Delta Life Insurance on instalments. They reconstructed a house with aid money.However, their livestock and poultry died off due to the salinity of the water. In 2009, Aila struck and their home was again washed away. Kamrunnahar’s family went again to the local cyclone shelter and later on shifted to a nearby shop. Since then, they have built a home with Uttaran-shiree support, but when will disaster hit again? For the rest of this story, click here.Note: The names of individuals have been changed to protect their identity
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Some examples of what is already being done
i. Shushilan promotes climatically adapted agro-based microenterprises such as floating gardens, mangrove nurseries and crab fattening. ii. Shidhulia Swanirvar Sangstha reaches remote flood-prone villages cut off from roads via solar-powered boat. Along with agricultural assets, beneficiaries are also given low-cost solar lanterns. iii. Dustho Shastho Kendro lobbies against unannounced evictions which threaten the livelihoods of slum dwellers. iv. Practical Action Bangladesh promotes sand bar cropping which allows extreme poor people to make use of otherwise barren dry river beds to grow pumpkins in the summer.
The above are only a few examples. There is loads of good work already taking place. If you would like to add further examples or a link to a relevant website, please contribute through the form below. |
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More examples of current good practicesAdd your text
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What should be done to address this challenge?The following are recommendations shiree has received online and through various consultations with NGOs, private sector actors, government officials, international donors and other civil society activists interested in making a difference and bringing change to Bangladesh.
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