Questions/Answers

Bangladesh is a riverine haven situated in the epicenter of the Bay of Bengal. Annually, this haven is disrupted and our livelihoods are destroyed by catastrophic cyclones, floods, and other disasters. However, our sociocultural context and the vestiges of colonialism have shaped an unequal world in which women bear the burden of oppression and are often disproportionally impacted by these natural disasters. In 1973, the newly formed government of Bangladesh created the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), which was driven forward on the tenets of community awareness, participation, and engendering social change. In the program’s infancy, there were 20,000 male volunteers divided into 2,000 units. In 1991, the government pushed a quota of at least 2 women in each unit and 3 in total in 2006. However, the female participation remained abysmal with a meagre 1:3 ratio. The gender based biases and rural social structures coupled with a lack of female participation led to women receiving little to no understandable or accessible early warning signs of disasters compared to men. Moreover, gender based and sexual violence became a prominent issue; natural disasters leave many women even more vulnerable to these attacks. Our initiative is a landmark one. We needed to shift perceptions and change structures. We recruited and trained female volunteers to bring the participation ratio to an even 50/50. We identified policy gaps to minimize missed opportunities in engaging women in their own safety and agencies. Our messaging in local communities led to a shift in the understanding of women as custodians of the home, a concept that often leads to women leaving last when disaster strikes, and providing safety mechanisms so that women are safe when they engage with volunteers and shelters. Our initiative has always been centered on the tenets of gender inclusion and female empowerment.

Our initiative promotes gender-responsive disaster risk reduction services to achieve the SDGs by:  Increasing women participation in functional and leadership roles in the management of cyclone shelters, particularly the areas in the shelter earmarked for women and girls.  Empowering female volunteers to encourage more vulnerable women and girls to take shelter in cyclone.  Empowering female volunteers to identify and protect the most vulnerable people such as elderly, pregnant, lactating mother, persons with disabilities in cyclone shelters.  Improving female disaster responsiveness can fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in disaster period.  Developing inclusive and equitable DRM.

Our initiative creates an inclusive and equitable structure that can result in: - Poverty reduction by reducing human loss and facilitating quick economic recovery in disaster prone regions. (Goal 1, 1.5, 1.b) - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages by creating safer and more equitable disaster preparedness programs. (Goal 3, 3.d) - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. (Goal 5) - Reduce inequality within and among countries; the disaster-prone areas are the most socioeconomically poor regions of Bangladesh and our initiative will help alleviate this inequality. (Goal 10) - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by making our rural populations more resilient and adaptive in the face of natural disasters, whose frequency and force are exacerbated by climate change. (Goal 13, 13.1) - Reduces the vulnerability of women and children to abuse and exploitation following loss of home and livelihood. (Goal 16, 16.1, 16.2, 16.7.2, 16.b). Moreover, we included women of all types of ethnicity and religion; this builds bonds between such communities in the long-run as they work together.

This initiative successfully overcame the gendered social stigma. Although volunteers are unpaid, this position increases the social status of women. The engagement and enthusiasm of new recruits were very high. Often, for 5 available spaces, 25 women would show up for interviews. Women were recruited from diverse religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Disaster preparedness is becoming more necessary as a result of climate change. The women death toll from the cyclone has declined due to involvement of CPP women volunteers. The female-male death ration from cyclones was 14:1 in 1970, 5:1 in 1991, 2:1 in 2016 and 1:1 in 2020.

This rampant inequality in the CPP and the services being provided to the female residents of disaster-prone areas were as a result of discriminatory laws and hiring practices by our public administration that were perpetuated by underlying social and cultural gender-based biases. Our initiative conducted various activities to solve this: - The research project that exposed the disparity in numbers highlighted to high ranking government officials that there was a big problem; - We successfully changed by-laws of CPP; - We implemented the new by-laws with the full cooperation of the local and national level; - The number of women volunteers in CPP has been increased from five to ten in unit level to make the structure gender balanced as of 2020. New 18,505 female volunteers were enrolled in CPP, which was formally inaugurated by Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October 2020. - By elevating women as community leaders, we have reconceptualized how women, specifically in rural areas, are perceived and are engaged by public servants and offices.

We are empowering female volunteers, creating leaders, and improving disaster preparedness of women living in cyclone-prone areas. The low female participation in CPP was perpetuated by biases that define women’s main role as homemakers. We engaged communities and male household heads to change these perspectives. Since 1991, we recruited 37,010 women and provided essential training. In turn, our female volunteers are engaging their respective communities and changing gender roles. They are facilitating preparedness of their female neighbors. Eventually, our initiative will have nationwide impact on gender bias.

Our initiative has a wide array of target populations: - female volunteers were trained, had increased access to digital solutions and leadership opportunities; - female residents of cyclone prone areas are actively making decisions in their work and home, are less vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV), and have elevated social status; - larger communities of cyclone prone areas have changed perception of gender roles and are more likely to see their female family members as equal in the private and public spheres; - male counterparts in CPP received gender sensitive training and it gave them strategies to shift their perspectives to work in a gender-balanced work space; - government agencies and officials are actively working to implement gender-positive laws and are more likely to see their female contemporaries as equal in their respective work spaces; - as a result of our efforts, the improved female participation can change national perspective and remove bias/stigma; the social rifts are projected to extend beyond the coastal regions to larger cities and create safer and more equitable public and private lives for ALL people in our country.

In the recent drive of women empowerment:  Quota Policies: After the CPP was founded in 1973, in 1991, the government implemented a quota for 2 women in each volunteer unit. Recognizing a greater need, they increased the quota and engagement efforts to include 3 women per unit in 2006. As a result there were 5 women in each 15-member unit.  Research and Analysis: CPP and UNFPA jointly conducted a research and found the gender gap in CPP in 2019. Therefore, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) planned for a change initiative for Women friendly Early Warning System (EWS) and reducing GBV. They prepare a guideline under the change initiatives.  Changing Laws: CPP’s bylaws were changed in 2020.  Motivational Measure: Motivational campaign through CPP volunteer Cultural Unit conducted in early 2020 (audio-visual attached as Documentation).  Quantitative Measure: As of 2020, CPP has doubled the number of women volunteers from 18,505 out of 55,515 to 37,010 out of 74,020 making it gender balanced.  Recruitment Process: A committee comprised with CPP Upazilla Team Leader, CPP Upazilla and Zonal level officers, existing CPP volunteers and representatives from Local Government Organization and community recruited the new volunteers by following the CPP volunteer recruitment guidelines. Recruitment processes were monitored by CPP head office.  Qualitative Approach: Training started and guidelines were developed to enhance their active role in drills, demonstrations and in real time response.  Equipping with essential gears: All women volunteers received personal protective equipment and first aid kits.  Engagements: Both women and men volunteers worked side by side going into action during all disasters since 1991. The newly recruited 18,505 women jumped into action alongside their existing colleagues in a depression (Signal 4 declared) on 21-23 October 2020 and they are ready for future actions.

The biggest barrier was existing social perception of gender roles and bias/stigma; this extended into government and public offices. - Misconception of women that they will be unsafe when working alongside men We used various strategies to overcome these: - awareness programs including cultural song and theater productions to motivate and engage community - creating new by-laws - engaging local leaders and male heads of households to best reach women of the community - Female family members of CPP male volunteers engaged preferentially to remove chances of interpersonal conflict based on existing bias within the CPP volunteer teams.

Gender inequality is a major issue here. The inequalities in school drop-out rates, wage gaps, employment status, female health status, and other indices are prevalent. Women are also frequently at risk of gender based violence (GBV). The situation is more vulnerable during a natural disaster in which many women lose home and livelihood. We engaged beyond the general quota systems that improved female participation. Our initiative, we think innovative, as:  Promoting women as ‘Agent of Change’  Elevating female leadership  Centering women in decision making process  Ensuring safe environment for women and girls in cyclone shelters

‘Women Empowerment’ is one of our Government’s top priorities. This is our driving force. We recognized also the massive success of quota systems in Bangladesh in primary school system and public service hiring. These increased both female participation but also downstream outcomes for female students and constituents. In the past decade or so, Momtaz Begum, a prominent singer, and other artists have used cultural songs and theater to motivate rural communities for several social projects such as female education and vaccination drives. These have been massively successful in communities, which is also an inspiration for the initiative.

A variety of digital and non-digital resources are used by our teams. Some of these are on frontier and some have only been made newly available in Bangladesh: - Database of all our volunteers for national coordination - Mobile applications: early warning dissemination systems - Devices: transistor radios, megaphones, siren, light and signal flags - Physical protective gear - First aid kits - Reclamation equipment for search and rescue Our initiative has expanded the number of women who are trained in these devices, which is a valuable and transferrable skill.

This is a large-scale program. We have successfully transferred the practice and changes to various regions around Bangladesh. Our nation is divided into 8 divisions and 64 districts. These vary in geographic size and population but there are also large variations in age, gender, religion and socioeconomic distribution. Our focus was on the low-lying, southern coastal regions, which tend to be the cyclone prone areas. We navigated the various religious and ethnic differences to build diverse teams that best serve each specific region. These differences also feed into the varied perspectives on gender roles and reaching women in insular communities was a significant barrier. By engaging local government officials, social organizations, unofficial community leaders and other institutional powers, we were able to create relationships with the community and make our message understandable based on rural dialect and also fit that regions specific needs. We believe that our efforts show the need for gender balancing disaster preparedness in hard to reach regions and our activities can provide a rubric for people-centered practices in countries all over the world.

Not Applicable

 The initiative received full financial support from Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoMDR).  This project included large number of government officials, staff and local community leaders who carried out the recruitment and training activities.  The various training equipment were provided by the CPP and MoMDR.  New digital databases of all volunteers were created.  Word of mouth was a primary tool of engagement in local communities but this was partnered with cultural song and theater programs organized by CPP Cultural Unit across all disaster-prone coastal districts to inspire and motivate female residents to apply.

‘Empowerment of Women’ is one of the top priorities of the Government of Bangladesh. MoDMR guaranteed full financial support required for the initiative. Annually, the budget has expanded from BDT 2.18 crore in the fiscal year of 2008-2009 to BDT 25 crore in the current fiscal year 2020-2021. This initiative engenders collaboration of national and local governments, social organizations and the local communities. Moreover, INGO’s are involved. Concrete policymaking leads to longevity; CPP bylaws have been changed definitively. This initiative is embedded in a disaster program that first began in 1973 by our nation’s founding father and has nationwide support.

Yes

‘Empowerment of Women’ is one of the top priorities of the Government of Bangladesh. MoDMR guaranteed full financial support required for the initiative. Annually, the budget has expanded from BDT 2.18 crore in the fiscal year of 2008-2009 to BDT 25 crore in the current fiscal year 2020-2021. This initiative engenders collaboration of national and local governments, social organizations and the local communities. Moreover, INGO’s are involved. Concrete policymaking leads to longevity; CPP bylaws have been changed definitively. This initiative is embedded in a disaster program that first began in 1973 by our nation’s founding father and has nationwide support.

The indicators fixed for the evaluation were: • Suitability of the criteria for selection of Women Volunteers • Compliance to the guidelines/instructions for selection of Volunteers • Adequacy of the resources mobilized and used for the initiatives • Level of empowerment attained by previously recruited volunteers • Commitment of the Government of Bangladesh for sustainability of initiative. The tools that were used in the evaluation included Focus Group Discussions (FGD), Key Informants Interview (KII), Structured Questionnaire, Discussion Checklist, Review of policy documents and implementation instruments etc.

o The financial and human resources mobilized were adequate for the initiative. o Promotion of women empowerment in the society is a challenge. CPP overcame this challenge by engaging the male member of the family of women volunteers and the opinion leaders of the society. o CPP created space for the women volunteers to be empowered through training, motivational and other initiatives. o The engagement of women volunteers in the cyclone has greatly contributed to significant reduction of casualty of women and children in cyclone. o WECPP initiative has been influencing very positively on the life of the women volunteers and the community they work for. Their level of social awareness and confidence is reflected in the way they manage their family and professional life. They are recognized and treated with respect, compared to others who did not have the opportunity of going through this process of empowerment.

MoDMR determined that having only male volunteer engagement in cyclone prone areas was leading to low female and child safety outcomes. Moreover, an improved female engagement would lead to improved female status and quality of life of volunteers in their local communities. Therefore, women volunteers are recruited. In 2020, the initiative gained momentum. Based on a research carried out by CPP and UNFPA, MoDMR decided to recruit new women volunteers and make the CPP gender balanced. Thus, CPP and Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Center (BDPC) prepared the preliminary guideline and protocols to recruit double the number of existing female volunteers (18,505) with the partnership of local governmental agencies and representatives from communities. The following governmental and social institutions were involved, in no specific order: i. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) ii. CPP iii. UNFPA iv. Cyclone Shelters managed by local level Government officials and overseen on a national level by MoDMR v. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and International Federation of Red Crescent and Red Cross (IFRC) vi. Local Government organizations vii. Local level community leaders and the family unit viii. Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Center (BDPC)

CPP is working under MoDMR. Based on Government decision CPP started to recruit women as volunteers since 1991. In 2020, MoDMR planned to recruit new 18,505 women volunteers in CPP based on a study conducted jointly by CPP and UNFPA. Later, CPP and BDPC prepared a recruitment guideline. MoDMR, local government organizations, local level community leaders and the family unit completed implementation steps including recruitment, training, motivation, and gearing/equipping. In the end, a disaster specialist from BDPC evaluated the improved cyclone preparedness and female engagement outcomes. The religious and cultural context of Bangladesh and its rural, cyclone prone areas required a deeper understanding of family and community dynamics and how to engage women. The recruitment activities in rural communities engaged the prospective female volunteers by engaging community level leaders who tend to be male and male heads of households. In the weeks to come we saw that the status of women in their communities and household were improved based on their participation in CPP. Moreover, to bring sustainably women empowerment we built an inclusive team of women from diverse religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Our initiative was successful in increasing women’s participation in CPP and changing the perspectives of local community members on how women can be empowered in their safety and the safety of their broader communities. The reputation of CPP led to an improvement in social status of women volunteers. It minimised the social barriers in other aspects of their lives and helped them challenge gender roles. Our success will encourage other agencies in the region and abroad to follow our initiative towards the goal of gender equality. Our team are now working on major areas of improvement. We are researching and designing specialised training in preventing and counselling on gender-based violence (GBV) that will be administered to all our volunteers. We are working on elevating our female volunteers and leaders into representatives of GBV reduction/awareness, first aid and support representatives to their respective communities.