In Bangladesh, CERF helped people prepare for the worst

Bangladesh | 2024 | CERF

Bangladesh, Sirajganj.  “Every year, our area experiences severe flooding,” says Salma Khatun. “Water floods our home, and snakes also find their way inside. This forces us to take refuge in higher places.”

Salma and her neighbors again faced the floods this year. The Jamuna basin started to swell above the danger line in the first week of July, inundating entire villages along the major rivers.

This activated ‘anticipatory action’ triggers for funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund to the UN and partners – meaning immediate help can get to those communities, helping them prepare and respond.

CERF is leading the way in establishing and financing anticipatory action initiatives, to get assistance to people who need it most before the worst of predictable disasters.

How does Anticipatory Action work?

Predictive analytics can help anticipate humanitarian needs arising from different shocks. This opens a window of opportunity allowing humanitarians to reduce the overall impact of shocks by acting before people actually need help.

In Bangladesh, this meant agreeing pre-agreed triggers and activities to respond to flooding. Assistance like this allows people to allocate resources and make their own choices on how best to get through the crisis.

Cash transfers to buy supplies

In Bangladesh, once the triggers were activated by burgeoning rainfall, CERF partner WFP sent cash transfers – via mobile phone – to 75,000 families in the districts that were worst hit.

Sabina Yasmin is one mother affected by the floods. “On the day the water rose, we received some money from WFP, which allowed us to buy food using a makeshift raft. This cash assistance was a relief for us,” she said.

Without the money, they wouldn’t have been able to get what they needed. “We bought lentils, salt, and other dry food essentials. Before that, I didn’t have a single penny on hand, so that money made a huge difference,” says Sabina.

Basic supplies for women and children

Once the funding was activated, UNFPA distributed baby kits and hygiene kits to mothers and women.

Mousumi’s family also had to leave their home. For her and her daughters, the sanitary kits – which include disposable menstrual supplies – were really important. “These pads are much safer than using cloths, which can stay damp and lead to infections.”

Khadiza, who also had to leave her home, said it is hard to be comfortable living in displacement. “The most essential items help with my daily needs during these challenging times.”

For Fatema, who fled with her small baby, having disposable nappies along with fresh blankets and pillows was important. “They make a big difference in taking care of my baby.”

Keeping livestock safe.

Shaheda, who had to move with her cows because of the flooding, didn’t want to have to sell some of them for a low price just to survive. “If I sell them now, I will only get half the price of what they’re worth.”

With animal feed from FAO, also distributed as part of the anticipatory response, she is able to keep her cows alive and healthy, during the crisis – maintaining her savings for later.

Anticipatory action funding is fundamental to CERF’s ongoing response to climate change. While there is no humanitarian solution to the climate crisis, funding like this does help the most at-risk communities be more resilient – and it minimizes loss and damage.

Based on orginal stories from WFP, UNFPA, and FAO.

More information on the CERF Allocation in Bangladesh.

More detailed information on OCHA’s involvement with Anticipatory Action can be found here.

An overview of OCHA’s Anticipatory Action frameworks from the Centre for Humanitarian Data can be found here.

Published November 2024