The 25th Asian Zone Emergency and Environment Cooperation Network (AZEECON) Summit began this morning at the Begum Rokeya Auditorium, RDRS Office, Rangpur. The five-day event, running from October 21-25, is hosted by RDRS Bangladesh, a leading NGO with over 53 years of development work in Northern Bangladesh.

AZEECON is a network of country programs under The Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service (LWF/DWS), established in 1997. Active in seven countries—Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal—AZEECON focuses on promoting disaster risk reduction and reducing vulnerabilities in the working areas of its member programs. The network aims to strengthen the capacities of local communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters through disaster preparedness, risk management, and environmental programs.

Delegates from LWF Nepal, LHCO Cambodia, and CDRM and CDS Indonesia are attending the summit to address pressing environmental issues and enhance emergency cooperation across the region. Tapan Kumar Karmaker, Executive Director of RDRS Bangladesh, delivered the inaugural speech, welcoming participants and emphasizing the importance of joint efforts in building a resilient future for the Asian region.

The meeting, organized by RDRS, also provided a platform for participants to share best practices from their organizations in addressing climate change, responding to disaster risk reduction, and planning for disaster preparedness. This exchange of knowledge and experience aims to further strengthen regional collaboration in mitigating the impacts of climate change and enhancing disaster resilience.

A two-member delegation from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) recently visited RDRS’s education projects in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. The team, led by Mr. Robert Wilson Waddell, Global Funding Coordinator, and Mr. Matendo Lokiru Yohana, Regional Program Coordinator, explored the initiatives undertaken by RDRS, focusing on the “Promoting Education for Early Learners Project” funded by USAID and the “Out of School” project funded by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) of the Bangladesh government.

On February 27th, the delegation toured Moulvi Tea Garden School and Hence Besch Primary School in Moulvibazar. RDRS, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop Bangladesh, is actively involved in promoting quality education in these schools, primarily catering to students from tea garden laborer and ethnic communities’ families. The projects, funded by USAID, include provisions such as educational materials, libraries, and efforts to strengthen school management committees.

The following day, on February 28th, the team visited Tea Garden Hospital line Non-Formal School, Rajnagar, and Iliaspur Non-Formal Primary School, Iliaspur. RDRS is running non-formal learning centers providing 42 months of education to approximately 60 school dropouts from tea garden laborer families. Supported by BNFE, RDRS offers essential support, including books, materials, clothing, and a monthly stipend of 120 taka. The educational program extends up to level four, with the belief that completing this level will encourage children to re-enter formal schooling.

During a meeting with the RDRS team in Moulvibazar, the LWF delegation commended the well-justified sustainability plan and the dedication of the project teams. The delegation expressed happiness over the visible impact of RDRS activities, especially the strong linkages between RDRS and the government in promoting quality education for disadvantaged children. The LWF team plans to extend their visit to witness various other RDRS initiatives in Rangpur.

RDRS Bangladesh, a pioneering organization in development and humanitarian efforts for over 52 years, proudly announces the election of Mr. Faruque Ahmed as the new chairperson of its esteemed Board of Trustees. Mr. Faruque Ahmed is the Chairperson of the RDRS Board of Trustees. His election occurred during the 66th meeting of the Board, and his three-year tenure has started on April 27, 2024.

Mr. Faruque Ahmed with a master’s degree in Economics from Dhaka University and another master’s in Health Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, USA, brings extensive experience in the development sector. Previously, he was the Executive Director of BRAC International and worked at the World Bank office in Dhaka. Mr. Ahmed was a board member of the vaccine alliance, GAVI, in Geneva and worked in various committees of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.

Currently, Mr. Ahmed is a board member of the Social Marketing Company (SMC) Enterprise and an active member of the Bangladesh Health Watch working group. Mr. Ahmed has been a member of the RDRS Board of Trustees since March 16, 2020, and his continued commitment to the organization’s mission underscores his passion for development. RDRS believes that with Mr. Faruque Ahmed’s leadership, the organization will be able to continue and strengthen its commitment to serving disadvantaged people across the country.

Sabrina Sharmin/RDRS-Dhaka/7 October 2023: Climate change impacts are already adding significant stress to our physical and environmental resources, human ability, and economic activities. The climate change in Bangladesh currently creates insecurities for food, water, life, property, settlement, livelihoods, and others. Climatic impacts reduce securities directly and indirectly. Environmental degradation of land resources reduces food security, increases conflicts over resources and livelihood persuasions, and increases different diseases and health hazards.

RDRS Bangladesh is taking steps to bring people from different flocks together to address this crucial issue. In this context, RDRS organized a seminar on ‘Climate Change Adaptation, Agricultural Innovation, and Resilience’ on 7 October 2023 at Hotel Radisson Blu in Dhaka. The purpose of organizing this seminar was to focus on the challenges caused by climate change and the alarming situation of our country and share RDRS experiences addressing the issue. The representatives from different government organizations, NGOs, international donor agencies, and educational institutions participated in the seminar.

Dr. Atiur Rahman, Emeritus Professor, University of Dhaka; Former Governor, Bangladesh Bank; and Founder Chairman, National Char Alliance was present as the Chief Guest, while Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman, Dhaka School of Economics; Eminent Economist and Environmental Activist chaired the event. Dr. Md. Abdul Muyeed, Member, Governing Body, PKSF, and former Director General, Department of Agricultural Extension; Shykh Seraj, Director & Head of News, Channel i; were present as panelists. Dr. Mrinmoy Guha Neogi, Deputy Project Leader, University of Western Australia, and Independence Award Winner presented the keynote paper at the seminar.

RDRS undertook various initiatives to enhance the capacity of vulnerable communities in northwest Bangladesh to address the impacts of climate change such as low and uneven rainfall, floods, cold spells, drought, and other natural calamities. Major activities taken under the climate change adaptation program are: developing community coping mechanisms, innovation and extending short-duration rice-based cropping patterns, promoting rice-fish culture at the household level, flood-tolerant and drought-tolerant rice in a changed climate, promoting rice-bank for community food security during emergency, homestead raising in the flood-prone areas, alternate wetting and drying technology, bio-gas plant, conservation agriculture for improving farm productivity, tree plantation and many more.

The speakers said that learning is always a good opportunity to feed our mind. Sharing experiences and learning from each other help us to map our future actions. Through such events, we get a chance to boost our knowledge with a unique opportunity to accelerate our targets and interventions for climate change adaptation and resilience. Dr. Atiur Rahman said that partnership is the best strategy to work on climate change issues. Such events give us an opportunity to come under one umbrella and work together. Dr. Neogi said that more researches for agricultural innovation, introducing of high-yielding crops will help the country to ensure food security for all. Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman emphasizes on justified economic