Rural Heritage April/May 2026

such as the Connected Schools Program, which aims to connect secondary school students from the Chars and Europe for exchanging very different experiences and views on climate change. In addition to video conferences, this program also includes direct exchanges on-site, wherein this report has been written during a ten-days field trip to the Gaibandha District in Northern Bangladesh in the beginning of November 2025. Climate change for real On the Chars, the threat of climate change isn’t a distant reality, it is not just an abstract headline, it’s a fight for day-to-day survival. The people live here on the frontlines of climate change, and even if being least responsible, feeling the effects first. Climate change reshapes rivers, displaces people, and challenges the food on their plates. However, like many other silent humanitarian crises, this rarely makes headlines in the western world, if any. From 2000 to 2019, Bangladesh already suffered economic losses worth $3.72 billion and witnessed 185 extreme weather events due to climate change. Around 12 million, out of the 19.4 million children most affected by climate change in Bangladesh, live in and around the powerful river systems which flow through Bangladesh and regularly burst their banks (UNICEF, 2025). Livelihood vulnerability in Bangladesh is closely intertwined with the adverse phenomenon of natural disasters, which are rooted in the nature of its terrain. Indeed, the story of how that came to be is in many ways a story about geography. Bangladesh, except for the hilly regions in the northeast and southeast as well as terraced land in the northwest, is one of the largest deltas in the world. Most of Bangladesh’s 148,460 km2 total area, lying between the Himalayan Mountains and the Bay of Bengal, consists of low-lying deltaic floodplains of the largest rivers of the world, less than 15 meters above sea level. More than half the country lies less than 6 meters above sea level (Quader, 2020). The confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers forms not just one of the largest, but also one of the most dynamic deltas in the world. While rich in fertility, this landscape is highly unstable. Therefore, it is high on the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change. The World Risk Index 2023 ranks Bangladesh ninth worldwide. Despite ranging among the countries most affected by extreme climate conditions, it contributed only 0,29% of global

soon became clear that to make a lasting impact on these people’s lives, other issues had to be resolved by a holistic approach. Today, besides a fleet of 7 hospital boats, 44 schools on the Chars have been built. But FRIENDSHIP’s distinctive model isn’t limited to just health care and education. For climate adaptation, sustainable economic development and inclusive citizenship, a variety of other services are offered, such as legal assistance in up to 82 so-called Legal Information Booths. To defy the floods within a long-term climate adaptation strategy, the school buildings are designed in such a way that they can be set up and dismantled in the shortest possible time. Within an early warning dissemination system, so-called “flood volunteers” warn the villagers in the disaster-prone areas with megaphones of impending flooding and are also trained to serve as rescue teams (Friendship, 2025). People can live in poverty, but not without dignity and hope. Runa Khan Today, FRIENDSHIP has grown into a Social Purpose Organization (SPO) employing some 3200 people in Bangladesh, of whom two thirds are from the communities served. Around 4000 volunteers, also from abroad, complete the team (Friendship, 2025). In addition to the Char regions in Northern Bangladesh, FRIENDSHIP is also active in the southern coastal areas at the Bay of Bengal, where among other actions, mangroves are restored. Bangladesh is home of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest. This UNESCO World Heritage site not just provides a livelihood for local people and makes world-renowned biodiversity possible but also shields Bangladesh from the worst of the region’s many cyclones. In November 2025, FRIENDSHIP’s overall commitment was honored with the prestigious Earthshot Prize, founded by HRH Prince William, in the category "Fix our Climate”. In contrast to many other organizations, founded in the global north to support the south, Bangladesh is the birthplace of FRIENDSHIP. Within an integrated and place-based model, all actions are greatly locally led. Agencies exist in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, France and Luxembourg, mainly to generate and govern donations and subsidies. But also, to participate in international educational programs,

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