Take actions/initiatives and awareness building at all levels of the state and society to prevent climate change and environmental disasters and increase the use of renewable energy.

Climate justice is defined as the commitment to providing a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right for all individuals. Additionally, it is mandatory to support those who are most affected by climate change, as declared by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2021. WAVE stands in solidarity with the climate-vulnerable communities and understands their struggles. We are committed to advocate for them and negotiating with all stakeholders to ensure their concerns are heard and addressed appropriately. We pay special attention to increasing the resilience of respective communities to support their defense and capacity to withstand shocks and damages from disasters. We are dedicated to address and facilitate all possible climate crises and climate actions, means and ways to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as nature conservation for sustainable development. Besides, in an era of rapid environmental degradation and climate change, renewable energy-based energy instead of fossil-fuel-based energy is increasing worldwide. We have undertaken Solar Irrigation Pumps, Solar Pump Grid Integration, Solar Hybrid Systems for households and Industries, Improved Cook Stoves, Biogas, and Bio-fertilizer projects to ensure an environment-friendly, sustainable, and independent energy source for people. Under renewable energy, the Solar Powered System is an essential initiative in developing solar energy, providing access to electricity to many people living in remote and urban areas of the country located inside or outside the national grid. We will continue to promote climate actions and our efforts to promote solar power-based electricity generation for irrigation systems, promote household use of bio-gas, and contribute Surplus energy from the solar electricity export to the national grid system. 

It is a multi-country project. The purpose of the project is to reduce the vulnerability and suffering of communities affected by recurrent disasters in highly vulnerable areas in Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal) by enhancing the capacities of stakeholders for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world due to climate change impact and also presenting its good performance in copping natural disasters as a role model. Vulnerable communities are expected to be better equipped to co-lead relief and recovery efforts in collaboration with local authorities. Hence, the specific objectives of the project are to enhance the capacity of the communities, disaster management committees, government, and local and national humanitarian actors on response, recovery, and disaster preparedness along with a focus on increasing the capability of the women and youth on disaster response and make the disaster response committee more accountable to follow humanitarian standard. So that their roles can be sustained after the project period and learning can be shared widely. The major activities under the project are the functioning union disaster management committee (UDMC), training for local leaders, and youth, to engage with government and other key actors to ensure that inclusive DRR is appropriately integrated into local plans. WAVE in partnership with Oxfam has been implementing this project in 6 Unions of Bakergonj Upazilla under the Barisal district covering 5400 stakeholders. 

Thousands of youths emerge as entrepreneurs every year in Bangladesh. Many of them are being lost due to lack of experience and capital. As the job market is tiny in the context of Bangladesh, government and private development agencies encourage youth entrepreneurship. However, the youth are generally not interested in becoming entrepreneurs due to the lack of adequate facilities in the public and private sectors. At one point, a section of the youth emerged as entrepreneurs in desperation to overcome unemployment. Although some training initiatives have been taken for them by the government/private sector, this information does not reach to most youth. Moreover, some NGOs organized youth entrepreneurship training and provided minimum startup capital support for starting a business. Some of these young entrepreneurs run around for financial support in different places to expand their business. Still, they are unable to raise capital at low interest and are forced to close the business. The system of low-interest money from banks is so complex that it becomes difficult for new entrepreneurs to enter. Keeping all these entrepreneurs in mind, WAVE Foundation, in collaboration with Oxfam Bangladesh, experimentally launched a program called Impact Investment. The main objective of this program is to provide capital support to potential youth entrepreneurs based on profit and loss sharing for business growth. The entrepreneurs receive 70% of the dividend from capital, and 30% is given to the organization..This investment enables the entrepreneur to operate their business for a certain period and return the entire investment received after the specified period. WAVE Foundation has been implemening this work in Bakerganj Upazila of Barisal district since 2021.

The project is committed to boosting the resilience of climate-vulnerable communities in drought-prone regions of Godagari Upazila, Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Through a multifaceted approach, the project aims to mitigate the adverse effects of droughts and foster sustainable adaptation measures. The key objectives include (i) enhancing institutional and technical capacities to address climate change-induced droughts, (ii) augmenting water availability for irrigation and drinking purposes, and (iii) increasing drought-resilient livelihoods through sustainable agricultural practices. As an implementation strategy, WAVE builds capacities among government institutions and NGOs to address climate change impacts, particularly those related to droughts. To achieve this, WAVE implements various interventions such as capacity-building, water management systems including managed aquifer recharge and rainwater harvesting, infrastructure development including canal renovation and installation of recharge wells, and the promotion of drought-adaptive agricultural techniques. The target beneficiaries are climate-vulnerable communities, particularly smallholder farmers reliant on rainfed agriculture and women who often bear the disproportionate burden of water scarcity and agricultural challenges in drought-affected regions. The project aligns seamlessly with the goals of the WAVE Foundation, contributing to its mission of advancing climate justice and sustainable development. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded the project through the PKSF.  

Solar Irrigation Systems

In Bangladesh, extending affordable and sustainable agro-technologies to poor farmers can transform small farming into viable companies, thereby making a measurable change in gross agricultural production. The advent of eco-friendly renewable solar energy is widely recognized and relevant to Bangladesh. WAVE Foundation launches solar irrigation systems for the broad base of poor small farmers who cannot afford the conventional costly irrigation system. Renewable Energy Development Program adopts a group approach that brings small farmers under a single umbrella who attain ownership of the solar irrigation system. Unlike conventional irrigation systems, solar irrigation systems diminish the wastage of water and land by devising an underground water canal for water circulation. The mandatory arsenic and TDS test before solar irrigation system installation make it scientifically secure both for farming and farmers. 

Bio-gas and Bio-fertilizer

The project’s overall objective is to develop and disseminate domestic biogas in rural areas to establish a sustainable and commercial biogas sector in Bangladesh. It aims to reduce women’s workloads, improve health and sanitation conditions, increase agriculture production with proper slurry utilization, generate employment, save conventional fuel sources such as firewood, agriculture residues, and dried dung cake, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. IDCOL supports the project implementation in the Chuadanga district. 

Improved Cooking Stove

The World Health Organization has estimated that 46,000 women and children die each year in Bangladesh as a direct result of exposure to indoor air pollution. At the same time, millions more suffer from respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, eye problems, lung cancer, etc. 70% of the victims of indoor air pollution are children under five. An estimated 90% of rural households in Bangladesh use cow dung, jute sticks, other agricultural waste, and wood for cooking, and most use inefficient and poorly ventilated clay stoves that produce smoke, carbon monoxide, and carcinogens. It is a severe health threat for women and children. Due to these reasons, WAVE Foundation is promoting improved cooking stoves (BONDHU CHULA) at the rural level through partnering with PKSF since 2010.  

Solar Home System

Nowadays, electricity is the right of the people. Our state is committed to providing electricity for everyone and every home. To promote the green economy and natural conservation, WAVE is promoting a solar power program emphasizing the people living in off-grid areas of the country. The major program interventions are Solar Home Systems (SHS), irrigation, and small industry. WAVE Foundation implements the project through partnering with IDCOL.