In the low-lying floodplains of southern Bangladesh, where rivers shift, monsoon rains intensify, and land is often lost overnight, women have increasingly become the backbone of their households. In villages such as Shyamnagar and Koyra in Satkhira District, Dacope and Paikgacha in Khulna, and Kalapara in Patuakhali, many men have migrated to urban centers like Dhaka and Chattogram in search of work, leaving behind families to navigate the compounded effects of climate change, poverty, and disrupted livelihoods.

Since 2020, Hands of Mercy International, with support from the United States Agency for International Development, has been working alongside these women and local volunteers to build climate resilience and restore dignity in communities on the frontlines of environmental shocks. What began as an emergency response to repeated flooding and saline intrusion has evolved into a community-driven resilience initiative that now reaches more than 500 women directly and 1,203 families indirectly.

Through an investment exceeding USD 500,000, the project has enabled women to reclaim degraded land and, in some cases, acquire new plots in safer areas. With technical guidance, they have adopted climate-resilient farming practices such as raised-bed vegetable gardening, saline-tolerant crops, and integrated homestead farming systems. In areas like Batiaghata and Rampal, women’s groups have also restored small-scale fish ponds and established seed banks to ensure continuity of production despite seasonal disruptions.