Putting ingenious ideas to work in

Bangladesh

To help people thrive in one of the planet’s most densely populated places.

 

From poverty to potential

 

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely-populated countries. Its people live among a delta of rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal.

In recent years, a reduction in population growth and improved health and education has helped ease some of the country’s extreme poverty. But the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, and Bangladesh’s geography makes its people increasingly vulnerable to disasters and rising sea levels.

We work in both rural and urban areas in Bangladesh. Our HQ is in the country’s capital, Dhaka.

Our work includes improvements to farming practices that help the poorest farmers thrive in the most challenging conditions, and collaboration at local and national levels to transform the lives of people in city slums and refugee camps.

We take a holistic approach to our work in Bangladesh. We implement Practical Action projects alongside the contracts we carry out as Practical Action Consulting.

 

 

More than 80% of Bangladesh’s population is exposed to floods, earthquakes and droughts, and more than 70% to cyclones. Urgent adaptation is needed.

 

Recognition

We received the 2019 UNIDO Award for Innovative Ideas and Technologies in Agribusiness in the Climate Change category for our sandbar cropping work. This innovative farming approach transforms barren sandbanks into highly productive farmland so that people can feed their families and earn an income.

We also received the Collaboration Award in the 2019 Development Awards from BOND, the UK network for organisations working in international development. This recognised the breadth and depth of our collaboration with communities, local and national government, companies and international bodies as we worked together to improve the management of human waste in Bangladesh. The lessons we learned are now being shared around the world.

Funding Partners

Funding partners for our work in Bangladesh include:

  • European Union
  • Netherlands Enterprise Agency
  • United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • International Organisation for Migration
  • Asian Development Bank
  • Maxwell Stuart Charitable Trust

 

Spotlight

Two men harvesting pumpkins for poverty alleviation.

Pumpkins against poverty

New skills mean that 50,000 people in Bangladesh, who have no land of their own, can grow up to 600 pumpkins a year. With the extra income they earn, they can send their children to school, buy livestock and become more resilient to the monsoon climate.

View the Project
Climate changeFarmingFood & agricultureGovernancePoverty

Postal address: Practical Action, GPO Box 3881, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Street address: House 28/A, Road 5, Dhanmondi, Dhaka – 1205, Bangladesh

Telephone: +88 02 9672683
+88 02 9675236
+88 029675243
Fax:: +88 02 9674340
e-mail: [email protected]