> School on a Boat

The dramatic effect of climate change has increased incidences of flooding in South Asia in recent years. One-third of the area of Bangladesh floods annually during the monsoon season, but extreme floods now cover up to two-thirds of the country.

The upstream areas of the Meghna River house wetland habitats; including rivers, streams and seasonally flooded cultivated plains, in addition to wetlands of static water. This making transportation challenging - flooding roads and paths make access to essentials such as health facilities, schools and markets difficult.

During the monsoon season, children find themselves unable to attend school due to these challenges in geography and the negative consequences of extreme weather. Flash floods frequently cause loss and damage to housing and personal property in the area, which in turn perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Too often, children are forced to drop out of school and work to earn money for their family.