The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new initiative, the Host and Impacted Community Resilience Activity, aimed at improving the livelihoods of Bangladeshis affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Jacobson and Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, jointly launched the initiative at an event on Monday, according to a release from the US Embassy in Dhaka.
Implemented by the local organization Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB), the program will offer job skills training, economic opportunities, improved access to safe drinking water, and better sanitation and hygiene. It will also help prepare host communities to mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
Additionally, the initiative will foster collaboration between host and impacted communities and local authorities to protect over 35,000 hectares of land and conserve the region’s vital natural resources.
“Developing sustainable solutions requires us to work together and leverage local expertise to lead the way. This is why we are bringing together partners from government, business, civil society, and most importantly, community members, and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to build brighter and more prosperous futures for themselves,” said Ambassador Jacobson.
This new program builds on US government support for host communities in Bangladesh as part of more than $2.5 billion in regional assistance for the Rohingya response since August 2017. This includes over $2.1 billion dedicated to supporting refugees and host and impacted communities in Bangladesh. Under the Host and Impacted Community Resilience Activity, FIVDB will lead a consortium of partners, including Nature Conservation Management (NACOM), DevWorks International, Helen Keller International, Christian Aid, and the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, alongside local organizations from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, such as ANANDO, ASHIKA Development Associates, and Bolipara Nari Kalyan Somity.
