When the water rises: How women are adapting to a changing climate in north-eastern Bangladesh

Sunamganj, BANGLADESH – When floodwaters sweep into the village of Bodipur in north-eastern Bangladesh, life does not pause – it adapts. For women like Shakila Akhter, a 24-year-old mother of two, adaptation is not a choice but a matter of survival.

“I was eight months pregnant during the last flood,” Ms. Akhter recalled. “We took shelter for three days with only the essentials. Thanks to the training I received, I knew what to carry, how to prepare and how to protect my family.”

Bodipur is located in Sunamganj, a climate-vulnerable district nestled in the heart of the haor – a wetland ecosystem in north-eastern Bangladesh. Here, floods arrive suddenly and can last for weeks, disrupting life, displacing families and cutting off access to basic services. Factors related to climate change, such as extreme and erratic rainfall, are increasing the risk of dangerous flooding in the country. With over 670,000 women of reproductive age living in Sunamganj, climate-related events like these can have an immediate and devastating impact on the provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare services.

Ms. Akhter is now trying to improve her resilience to climate-related disasters. “I use family planning tools now – something I never knew about before,” she said. “I want to choose when I’m ready for another child.”

Finding creative solutions

Women like Shakila Begum are stepping up to help others prepare for climate shocks. Ms. Begum, a 26-year-old volunteer, was equipped with just two days of training when she began to work directly with her community. She now supports 75 local families by acting as a first point of contact for women in need of guidance on issues such as family planning and maternal healthcare.

“One woman had dangerously high blood pressure just before giving birth,” she said. “I advised her family to go to the local hospital, where she safely delivered – completely free of cost.”

Ms. Begum began this work as part of the Partners in Health and Development: Climate Resilience Health System and Community initiative, a project which has been supported by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) since 2022. The initiative supports women and girls in Sunamganj to learn about the links between climate change and health, from managing menstrual complications to preparing for childbirth during floods.

With new challenges come new opportunities to develop creative solutions. In the district of Kurban Nagarn, volunteers have begun to host “street dramas” for the local community. Performers act out scenes related to issues such as maternal health, disaster preparedness and child marriage prevention. Over 500 people gather to watch each performance.

Anima Akhter, a 24-year-old mother living in the community, explained that the street dramas provide a space for difficult conversations: “We want to share our problems, especially about our bodies – but we often can’t speak.”

With the support of volunteers like Shakila Begum, Anima and her husband received training and delivered their youngest child safely at the hospital.

“We are learning how to protect our children and prepare for floods,” she said. “Now we share what we know with others.”

A global effort

Despite these efforts, challenges remain. In flood-prone villages such as Bodipur, over half of deliveries still occur at home. Many women and girls are ashamed to discuss topics such as menstruation openly, while women who try to generate their own income by growing vegetables or selling goods are restricted by cultural norms. Vulnerabilities such as these are exacerbated by climate-related disasters, which often hit women and girls the hardest.

From 28-31 July 2025, global experts met at the Global Symposium on Climate Justice and Impacted Populations in Brasília to address the outsized impact of climate change on women and girls. The event, which was co-hosted by UNFPA together with the Government of Brazil, called for urgent action to shape gender-responsive climate negotiations and for a renewed commitment to understanding the impact of climate change on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Speaking at the event, Diene Keita, Acting Executive Director of UNFPA, drew attention to the gendered impact of climate change: “The evidence tells us that climate change is increasing the risk of maternal mortality, disrupting access to contraceptives and increasing the risk of gender-based violence.”

In 2024, UNFPA distributed life-saving healthcare supplies, including dignity kits and emergency cash assistance, to 184,000 women in Bangladesh, reaching 19,000 people within 72 hours of the severe August floods. 

“Our collective efforts need to strengthen the resilience of women, girls and health systems to withstand and adapt to climate shocks,” said Ms. Keita. “Being prepared, responding rapidly, and building forward better must be central pillars for our work.”