Every year, the people of Bepari Para in Kurigram, Bangladesh, face rising floods that sweep through their homes and farmlands. For Maheda Begum and her husband Aminul Islam, this meant living in constant uncertainty.
Aminul worked as a mason and sometimes at a brick kiln, but his income was barely enough to feed the family. When the floods came, work stopped, food ran short, and clean water became difficult to find.
That began to change when Maheda joined the Community Resilience Against Disaster (CRAD) Project, led by Good Neighbors Bangladesh with support from the Good Neighbors Global Partnership Center. The project helps families, especially women, prepare for disasters and build sustainable livelihoods in flood-prone areas.
Through entrepreneurship and disaster preparedness training, Maheda learned practical skills for earning income even during floods. When heavy rains hit her village in July, she used her new skills to make and sell flood-adaptive cookstoves, a clever idea that met an urgent community need.
With just 200 BDT (around 1.60 USD), Maheda and her husband produced 20 stoves and sold them locally. When demand grew, they made 100 more and earned enough to cover their household expenses.
Later, through cash grant support and training on electronic fund transfers, they opened a small grocery shop beside their home. The shop now provides steady income, helping the family afford food, medicine, and school fees for their daughters.
“Good Neighbors Bangladesh helped me believe in myself,” Maheda shared. “Without their training and support, I would not have been able to stand on my own.”
Maheda’s success is part of a much larger story. Under the CRAD Project, 500 women received training and are now practicing flood-adaptive income-generating activities, helping their families earn consistently throughout the year. The project also taught beneficiaries how to manage electronic fund transfers during floods, ensuring they can access money quickly in emergencies.
To strengthen disaster readiness, the project organized two community mock drills on flood preparedness, helping residents understand how to respond before and during disasters. Linkages with government and non-government organizations were also established, connecting families with services and support systems.
Through these combined efforts, the CRAD Project has helped women enhance their family incomes, strengthen resilience, and better cope with the effects of climate change.
A HOPEFUL FUTURE
Today, Maheda dreams of expanding her grocery shop and adding more essential goods to help her community during future floods. Her journey shows that when women are equipped with knowledge, skills, and confidence, they become powerful agents of change.
“I never thought I could earn or help others,” Maheda said. “Now I know that when women are prepared, we can rise above any flood.”
Yet, communities like Maheda’s in flood-prone Kurigram still face many challenges. More support is needed to ensure families can stay safe, healthy, and resilient when disasters strike.
This includes mobile medical clinics for healthcare and psychological support, disease prevention initiatives and sanitation facilities such as portable toilets, and temporary shelters with proper ventilation for displaced families. Equally important is engaging local communities in decision-making and relief planning so that recovery efforts are inclusive and sustainable.
By continuing to invest in women like Maheda and the communities they lead, we can build a future where every family has the strength to recover, adapt, and thrive, no matter how high the water rises.
Good Neighbors is an international humanitarian and development organization founded in 1991, working in over 50 countries to make the world a place without hunger and where people live in harmony. Engaging with over 200 communities globally, we empower people and transform communities through social and economic development initiatives. Good Neighbors has General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) since 1996.
For further information, please contact Good Neighbors Global Partnership Center.
Good Neighbors is a global NGO dedicated to improving the lives of children and communities in over 50 countries.
Good Neighbors has held a General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1996.
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