Livelihood Changes of Char (Dry Land) Women Due to Involvement in Activities of the Char Livelihood Program

Abstract

Climatic hazards are common in Bangladesh on delta and riverine island communities, which are large sandbars formed in riverbeds due to silt and alluvium deposition. Specifically, these hazards are caused by the dynamic erosion and accretion of riverbanks. The natural disaster caused by the subsequent sediment buildup on the riverbed and river bank erosion poses a serious threat to the way of life for the residents of Char, particularly the women, by causing damage to or destruction of houses, crops, and family income. The Char Livelihood Program (CLP) attempted to strengthen women's resilience and sense of empowerment while simultaneously improving their livelihoods, nutrition, access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene habits of char women. This study was mainly undertaken to investigate the extent of changes in the livelihood status of char women due to the involvement in Char Livelihood Program (CLP), explore the factors that may influence the livelihood changes of the char women due to involvement in the CLP. Besides, the problems faced by the char women while working in CLP were also investigated. Data were collected from four villages of Islampur Upazila (sub-district) under Jamalpur district purposively and analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression Models. The goal was to identify the variables that affect the char women's changes in their livelihood. Findings indicated that involvement in char livelihood program had significant influence on the livelihood of char women. The main factor included years of schooling, family size and knowledge of CLP. Collectively, the factors explained 32.3% variation in the livelihood changes of char women. The most influential challenges, from highest to lowest, included unavailability of transport and poor communication status, and lack of commitment of the service provider. Therefore, in order to overcome these obstacles, efforts must be made to ensure seasonal transportation system and enhance road communication infrastructure to enable char women to move around freely in order to carry agricultural products and to connect with relevant stakeholders for better farming and income operations.