“Initially neighbors did not accept our activities well, even though there were barriers from family”. Tanya, a 23-year-old woman from Bharpasha Union of Bakerganj Upazila under Barisal district, shared their hurdles. “But when they saw young people are coming forward at the peril of all, then all began to praise us” she added delightfully.
As her union, Bharpasha faces constant disasters including cyclones, high tides, storms, and river erosions, regularly she and a bunch of young people play an active role in managing disaster risks in the area. In the following conversations with Tanya Akhter, the General Secretary of the Youth Organization ‘Swapnachhoya Jubo Sangathan’ expressed how their activities are reducing the disaster risks.
Back in 2018, she joined the Youth Organization through the EYW project that was supported by Oxfam Bangladesh. Within a short while, she became an inspiration for young people in Bharpasha. To encourage young people like Tanya, WAVE Foundation has been implementing the ACT project in this Union since 2020 with the support of Oxfam Bangladesh. Tanya engaged herself in the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program of the ACT project. While leading the project interventions, she realized that youth could be a bigger source to create an impact on disaster risk reduction. With that realization, Tanya along with the other young members developed a risk & asset mapping of the area. Alongside this, they also prepared an action plan to mitigate the risk factors.
As continuous activities of their action plan, the youth members distribute dustbins in bazaars, spread disaster warnings, take vulnerable people to cyclone centers, plant trees and keep the area clean. Under her leadership, distribution of relief materials including masks, sanitizer, and area disinfection activities were conducted in their area during the pandemic. Apart from leading these activities, she works closely with local administration. These continuous interventions have made a significant change to the attitudes and actions of community people towards disaster management. All these initiatives led by Tanya have established her as a reliance among the community people. Rafiqul Islam (34) an inhabitant of the Bhorpasha union shared “Tanya Akhtar has become a symbol of trust to helpless people in our locality. Whenever we need her, she is always there to help us”.
However, her journey does not end here. For her relentless efforts and leadership role in the last 4 years, her contribution has been recognized nationally. Tanya received Joyita Award from the Directorate of Women’s Affairs. However, when asked about the success, Tanya acknowledges, “ACT project has given me the courage to do all these activities”. Her dream of enabling people to deal with any disaster will turn into a reality if this project continues to liberate her wings.
