FRIENDS OF BANGLADESH NEWSLETTER Autumn 2014

Training Program 2013

Trainee Profile
Alamin Howlander is a second year student at Dhaka university, and is studying Islamic studies. He comes from a grassroots background in one of the areas of Bangladesh most affected by cyclone Sidr in 2007. What were your favourite topics? I have enjoyed being here as there are many different people coming from many different places and learning ideas. Leadership is so crucial for us how can we best inform others pro actively? How can we best match ourselves to others who are so different? How can we adapt to them? What is the quality of leadership? Instead of title-leaders, for example, buying support of the people, we need quality leadership that uses moral influence to inspire. All these ideas are so fruitful for us, very effective for the future life of our society. We are trying to build leadership that can include all members of society easily - so very much big thanks to training. What are some of the problems in your community? Good leaders work for the welfare of the people, but in my area, the leaders are not involved in the welfare of the people, instead they are involved in voting and business purposes. BKF are involved in land occupation movements, as opposed to these leaders who are not giving the people anything, they are just saying words. How will you apply the information you have learnt in your own community? People in the community are so innocent and nave, they do not know the hidden side of politics and it is difficult for them to see false leaders and false statements. Now I understand how a real leader is different to a fake leader. I want to bring this knowledge to my community, start a group with my peers to share knowledge, so that they will be able to expand how they see the world. This work is so crucial. Without real leadership, it is impossible to have truly sustainable development, so we must build awareness of this.

Sebina Yesmin A big thank you to everyone who supported our training program in 2013. We raised a total of $5,055 thanks to your generous donations and support! The eight participants successfully completed the training program, which has allowed them to become more active within our partner organisations, Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF) and Bangladesh Kishani Sabha (BKS) and in their communities. Sebina Yesmin is developing skills in teaching and is currently assisting with educating 8 new participants in the second round of the training program. There are 4 men and 4 women participating in this round, from Dhaka and rural areas of Bangladesh. For photos of the previous and current participants, please go to page 5. Following on from the success of the 2011 Climate Caravan in Bangladesh (see our upcoming film night and Bengali dinner event), Friends of Bangladesh are excited to announce that a Climate Caravan is planned for 2014. The caravan is hosted by a number of grass roots peasant and farmer organisations, that include, BKF, BKS, the India-based Bharatiya Kisan Union, the All Nepal Peasant Federation and the All Nepal Womens Association. Representatives from each of these movements participated in the recent 6th Conference of La Via Campesina in Jakarta, Indonesia. The caravan will travel through Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The caravan will be a great opportunity to learn, share, participate, increase solidarity networks and strengthen local movements in the fight for food sovereignty, climate and gender justice.

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Alamin Howlander

DOCUMENTARY & DINNER FILM NIGHT

Friends of Bangladesh is excited to invite all our supporters and friends to a documentary screening and delicious Bengali dinner at Friends of the Earth. Were finally in possession of an inspiring documentary which was filmed during the 2011 Climate Caravan in Bangladesh by fellow German participants featuring highlights from the 18 day whirlwind tour around this beautiful and vulnerable country. See vividly the stories of hope and resilience from people at the front line of climate change. The dinner will be prepared (with help!) by Pathak Lal Golder, secretary of the Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF). Hes also a gourmet cook, so the meal will be a real treat - a delicious Bangladeshi feast! Drinks to stave off the Melbourne winter will be supplied by donation. There will also be discussion about the inspiring work of BKF/BKS as well as an opportunity to hear about the exciting upcoming 2014 Climate Caravan. All are welcome. Proceeds from the night will go to help BKF and its sister organisation BKS continue their invaluable work with grassroots groups in Bangladesh. If you cannot attend the screening but would like to know more about the caravan please contact us at: friendsofbangladesh@hushmail.com

Come join us at

Friends of the Earth

$15 unwaged $25 waged

312 Smith St, Collingwood

Saturday, 10 May 2014 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Photos of training participants

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CLIMATE CARAVAN 2014

GENDER FOOD SOVEREIGNTY CLIMATE JUSTICE
climate change; (iv) holding gender trainings and workshops; and (v) conducting rallies and public events.

Aims of the Caravan

The caravan aims to address the key issues of climate change, gender and food sovereignty and their interrelationships. There is an ongoing and urgent need to inform and mobilize vulnerable peasant populations in order to respond to the threats of climate change, and to further develop international solidarity networks concerning climate change and food sovereignty. The purpose of the caravan is to: (i) inform and mobilize vulnerable peasant populations throughout these three countries in order to respond to the threats of climate change: and (ii) build upon international solidarity networks concerning climate change and food sovereignty, such as those nurtured within La Via Campesina of which all three movements are participants. The caravan will also deepen and extend networks of grassroots movements in South Asia and build international solidarity around specific campaigns concerning issues of climate change, gender and food sovereignty. The caravan will include a gender perspective on these issues throughout its duration, exploring the nexus between climate change, gender and food sovereignty from the perspective of climate justice. There will be participation from grassroots movements from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, as well as activists from other countries.

Dates and Cost of Caravan

1. The Caravan will start from Dhaka, Bangladesh and will culminate in Kathmandu, Nepal. 2. The Caravan will commence in the first week of November 2014, however specific dates are yet to be confirmed. The caravan will travel for 18 days in total. 3.The specific venues may change if responsible organizations want to, however the total amount of locations will not change. 4. The cost for participants from enriched (developed / northern) countries also includes covering in-country costs of one Bangladeshi and one South Asian participant. The total cost is $1500. This will cover food, transport and accommodation. A reduced rate will be available for participants who only attend a part of the caravan. 5. The trip will be by bus - there will be two bus change overs, one in India and one in Nepal. 6. From Kathmandu international delegates can either fly back to their respective countries, or to Bangladesh where there will be opportunities to participate in another tour in different parts of Bangladesh specifically the occupied char areas in the costal belt.

The focus of the caravan will be on:

(i) movement to movement communication, learning, and the sharing of experiences, skills and strategies, for example concerning traditional and indigenous knowledge; (ii) farmer to farmer training workshops on sustainable farming practices; agro-ecology etc. (iii) popular education of communities about the effects of

To register or for more information

Please email: friendsofbangladesh@hushmail.com

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CLIMATE CARAVAN 2014

GENDER FOOD SOVEREIGNTY CLIMATE JUSTICE
Finish Katmandu

Nepal
Janakpur

Myanmar
NEPAL
Damak

India

Bangladesh
Puthia Sirajganj

Patratu

Mirpur

Start

Dhaka

West Bengal Jharkhand

Nandigram Singur

India

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Climate Justice Caravan South Asia 2014: Call for Funding

Communities around the world are threatened by economic and environmental crisis as the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and climate change increasingly impact the lives and livelihoods of the poor, peasants, agricultural workers, landless, women and indigenous peoples. The global economic system accumulates profits by dispossessing others, and this requires the constant exploitation of key resources such as land, water, fossil fuels, forests, and seeds. In particular, the global food economy is contributing to both economic and environmental crises: as subsistence, indigenous and traditional ways of farming are replaced by corporate controlled agribusiness that requires massive use of fossil fuels and agrochemicals, deforestation, and the displacement of farmers from the land. This has led to numerous land conflicts as corporations or governments seek to acquire and develop land (through land grabs) for industry and agribusiness. Climate change exacerbates such conflicts over resources both within and between countries, and has serious impacts on food production and yields because of increased frequency and severity of droughts, floods, and unpredictable rainfall. Indeed, climate change has already been responsible for 300,000 deaths a year, has displaced 31 million people worldwide (e.g. through floods) and is affecting 300m people across the planet. The South Asian region is highly sensitive to the consequences of climate change. It is known to be the most disaster prone region in the world supporting a huge population of more than 1.3 billion. This is critical as climate predictions for the future highlight increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like droughts and floods (IPCC 2001); indicative of the huge population that is likely to be exposed and affected in the region. In South Asia alone, 2.5 billion people will be affected with water stress and scarcity by the year 2050 before changes in climatic conditions have been considered. The effects of climate change are being particularly felt by the poor, peasants, indigenous people, children and women. Peasant women already have to negotiate the inequalities associated with patriarchal societies such as dual labour (working in agriculture as well as looking after the household, though cooking, child care etc); restrictions on mobility; lack of participation in decision-making etc. The effects of climate change then exacerbate these inequalities. Climate change is deepening the food crisis for women and their families. Women are the majority of the worlds small-scale farmers and produce most of the worlds food. For example, because of their role in farming, women depend upon local natural resources: land, water, forests etc. These are the very resources that get impacted by climate change and extreme weather events. In response to these threats to their livelihoods, peasant farmers movements in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and in their networks such as La Via Campesina, have occupied land, defended peasant livelihoods and created alternative, sustainable approaches to agriculture, enshrined in the concept of food sovereignty. Food sovereignty implies peasant control over territory, biodiversity, seeds and the means of (food) production as well as environmental sustainability and the use of traditional farmers knowledge. Food sovereignty is one of the most important practices that enable peasant communities to both mitigate, and adapt to, the effects of climate change because peasant farming is more resilient to extreme climatic events than industrial agriculture. Through programmes such as farmer-to-farmer exchanges initiated by La Via Campesina and caravans such as the 2011 Climate Change, Food Sovereignty and Gender caravan in Bangladesh (supported by La Via Campesina, Grassroots International, the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation and Misereor and different individuals), peasant farmers from different communities around the world have been able to come together to share skills, information and experiences concerning the economic and environmental crises that they face. However, there is an urgent need for both continued education concerning climate change amongst peasant populations, and the mobilization of peasant communities around key issues such as access to land and food sovereignty.

Rubyna Pahlan

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