She Leads Before It Breaks: Women, Youth, and the Call to Fund Resilience

Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, facing regular floods, cyclones, sea-level rise, and other climate change-induced natural hazards. Vulnerable communities, who have the least resources to adapt, are disproportionately affected by climate change, which is increasingly acknowledged as one of the biggest global issues (IPCC, 2023). 

Identifying gender-based social vulnerabilities is crucial because men and women experience and respond to climate change differently due to their distinct roles and responsibilities in society (Masson, 2016). Amid disasters, women are particularly vulnerable yet resilient, often facing double labor that exceeds their responsibilities compared to men (Nasreen, 2012a). A number of studies have highlighted women's vulnerability to the effects of climate change, particularly in relation to gender (Angula et al., 2021; Neumayer & Plümper, 2007; Ngigi et al., 2017; Sekine et al., 2009). Effective climate action in Bangladesh requires inclusive participation, social coordination, and transformation, with women and youth at the centre of policy and funding decisions. As the theme of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) 2025, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” reminds us, the future of disaster management depends on sustained investments in prevention, inclusion, and long-term resilience rather than short-term recovery efforts. Women and youth are no longer passive beneficiaries; they are leading real solutions, from agriculture to renewable energy, grounded in their lived experiences. Yet, despite their contributions, funding gaps remain huge.

The significance of gender-responsive adaptation is emphasized by international policy frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adaptation and resilience-building strategies play a crucial role in reducing the vulnerability of communities and ecosystems to climate change impacts. Bangladesh has been at the forefront of implementing such measures, including early warning systems (EWS), community-based women-led adaptation projects, and climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Climate change, gender, and disaster risk reduction are crosscutting issues that demand an all-of-government and all-of-society approach.

Nevertheless, debates continue to emerge regarding the effectiveness of these approaches and the need for enhanced coordination among stakeholders. Additionally, there is an ongoing discussion on the importance of integrating traditional knowledge systems with modern scientific approaches to ensure sustainable and locally appropriate adaptation measures (Huq et al., 2021).

Bangladesh's approach to disaster management has gradually changed from top-down to bottom-up, emphasizing inclusion and participation. However, women's agency or leadership are not assured by simple participation. In addition to being a vulnerable population, women are also important agents of change. Tanjeela (2023) highlighted the unequal social relations and hierarchies that enforce gendered vulnerabilities for women. Community resilience can be greatly enhanced by their traditional knowledge, leadership in housewhold decision-making, and active involvement in local institutions (Arora-Jonsson, 2011; Ahmed & Fajber, 2009). Highlighting women-led adaptation has become crucial for guaranteeing successful climate strategies, as local-led adaptation (LLA) has drawn more and more attention from around the world.

In Bangladesh's coastal region, women and young people have long been the unsung heroes of adaptation. From spearheading community-based mangrove restoration to setting up livelihood cooperatives and early-warning networks, they transform local expertise into collective power.

However, their leadership in mainstream climate policy and funding channels is frequently underappreciated and underpaid. It requires intelligent, evidence-based resilience planning, not charity, to identify and support these local change makers. Putting women and young people at the forefront of decision-making guarantees that adaptation plans take into account the actual needs of communities, which include inclusive livelihood, safe housing, water security, and education continuity of child and youth. Through their active engagement, traditional wisdom meets innovation, enriched by creativity, empathy, and a long-term vision for resilience. When funding directly supports these community-led initiatives, the impact extends far beyond mere disaster survival; fostering lasting social transformation and genuine community empowerment.

As IDDRR 2025 calls on the world to invest in resilience, Bangladesh's coastal women and youth are already demonstrating what that means in practice: transformation led from the ground up, leadership based on trust, and hope rooted in inclusiveness.

Success story from the ground:

Every week in a small Bangladeshi coastal village, a group of women meet under a roof to handle their own finances rather than look for loans. The self-help group (SHG) approach known as the Elimination of Extreme Poverty (EEP) model developed by Islamic Relief Bangladesh (IRB) is changing the lives of women who were previously impoverished and vulnerable to climate change. This innovative model challenges the long-standing cycle of financial exclusion and climate-induced debt. Unlike many conventional microcredit programs that burden poor households with high interest rates and rigid repayment deadlines, the EEP approach is built on resilience, trust, and empowerment. It begins by identifying women living below the poverty line often widows, single mothers, or disaster-affected survivors and organizing them into Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Each woman receives an interest-free seed capital of around 18,000 BDT, enabling her to invest in income-generating assets such as goats, chickens, fish farming, or sewing machines. Some have even launched small grocery shops and roadside tea stalls; modest ventures that bring stability and dignity back into their lives. The most extraordinary element of this mechanism is the group-managed revolving fund that the repayment feeds into. According to one of them,

“Our repayments have no deadlines and no interest. Instead, the money goes into a shared account that we manage ourselves. This way, we are not just borrowers; we become fund managers, building our own savings and a collective capital pool that we can access whenever we need.”

The EEP–SHG model is demonstrating that genuine resilience begins with inclusion through enhanced income, shared responsibility, and social solidarity. It lessens friction in the home, empowers women to make decisions, and supports families in enduring environmental and financial hardships. The initiative perfectly embodies the IDDRR 2025 call to “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters” by placing financial power directly in the hands of women. It shows that when resources are guided by trust, flexibility, and collective ownership, resilience doesn’t just endure the storm — it emerges stronger once the skies clear.

Raisa Imran Chowdhury

Raisa Imran Chowdhury is currently working as a Lecturer at the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies (IDMVS), University of Dhaka. Besides, she was the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation (M &E) Coordinator for Gender Responsive Resilience & Intersectionality in Policy & Practice (GRRIPP) South Asian Region, collaborative knowledge sharing project led by the Centre for Gender and Disaster, University College London (UCL), United Kingdom & University of Dhaka.