An initiative was taken jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Moner Bondhu  to address the psychological crisis brought about by the impacts of climate change, for the people in the coastal belt.

An event was organised in Kamarkhola Union of Dakope Upazila under Khulna District to mark World Mental Health Day, where nearly 50 people, including men, women and adolescents from climate-vulnerable areas of Bangladesh, were brought together to raise awareness on the correlation between climate change and mental wellbeing, as well as provide strategies to the victims to build psycho-social resilience in their day-to-day struggle with the impacts due to natural disasters.

Attending the event, Rowshan Ara Begum, one of the participants of the event mentioned, “Never in all my 25 years of work have I been part of such a unique session”.

Supported by UNDP’s Local Government Initiatives on Climate Change (LoGIC) project, the one-day event was led by Moner Bondhu, a winning startup of Youth Co: Lab, aiming to address this year’s theme of “Making mental health and well-being for all a global priority”.

According to a recent report (2022), salinity, rising sea levels, and other adverse climate impacts could cause as many as 13.3 million people to leave their homes in the coastal areas of Bangladesh by 2050.^[1]

Climate change poses serious risks to mental health and emotional well-being, from distress to anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, grief, and suicidal behaviour.

“This session made us feel confident from within”, said Rozina, a housewife from Kamarkhola Ward No. “I had no idea that simple breathing techniques and free-hand exercise could make me feel better both physically and mentally. Among all the training I have attended, this was surely the most rewarding one.”