Not too long ago you had to be careful where you stepped on visits to the chars. The practice of open defecation was the norm for many years.  Latrines tended to be little more than a hole in the ground; they were unhygienic. Whilst it was convenient to go to the toilet in the bushes… Continue Reading

Even though it only takes a minute, we are all guilty of sometimes ‘forgetting’ to wash our hands before preparing food, after going to the toilet and before eating.  The importance of handwashing is well known in the developed world, but many of us are guilty of just being too lazy. But handwashing is so… Continue Reading

Extreme poor households living on the chars are largely reliant on selling wage labour which can be unreliable and prone to seasonal fluctuations in demand. They often have no alternative source of income which significantly hampers their ability to save, invest, and provide for anything more than daily subsistence. At the core of CLP’s response… Continue Reading

Although flooding occurs annually in Bangladesh, the level of flooding and the damage caused varies from year to year. This year, flooding reached a peak in three districts in northwest Bangladesh – Gaibandha, Tangail, and Kurigram – by the beginning of September, affecting tens of thousands of families and their livelihoods. From 11- 13 September,… Continue Reading

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor, Dr. Atiur Rahman, urged banks and the non-financial private sector to consider the socio-economic development of char regions and its people as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.  Dr. Rahman was the keynote speaker and special guest at a high-level seminar held in Dhaka on Saturday 22 August…. Continue Reading

‘’Spectacular…..the best day ever,’’ said Desmond Swayne, the UK’s Minister of State for International Development after his visit to Char Mudafot and Mudafat Kalikapur in Kurigram district last week.  UKaid is one of CLP’s two donors, through the Department for International Development (DFID), while the other is the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and… Continue Reading

On August 16th, CLP signed an official agreement establishing a partnership with Deep Eye Care Foundation (DECF). The main purpose of this partnership is the prevention and reduction of avoidable blindness (caused by cataracts), and treatment of squint (medically know as strabismus, a condition where eyes do not look in the same direction) by making… Continue Reading

For over 10 years, the Chars Livelihood Programme has been promoting the importance of breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) meaning babies receive only breast milk for the first six months, among the impoverished women who live on the volatile river islands, known as chars, of north-west Bangladesh. According to the most recent Government of Bangladesh’s statistics and… Continue Reading

CLP has distributed assets, the vast majority livestock, to 133,000 extreme poor households living on the chars of North West Bangladesh since 2004. This has been backed up with livestock rearing training and a network of Livestock Service Providers (LSPs) or paravets has also been developed simultaneously. It has been a successful strategy: income sources are… Continue Reading

Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has been one of the best performing nations in the world to fight hunger and achieve food security for its vast population. Recognised by national and international scholars, Bangladesh stands out as one of the three top countries in the world for reducing hunger (click here to see more). CLP… Continue Reading