RDRS won ACT Climate Award 2013

Sabrina Sharmin, 23 May 2013, Dhaka: RDRS Bangladesh has won the ACT Alliance Climate Change Award 2013. The award was given to RDRS for its best practice in disaster management and mitigating the effects of climate change through the project ‘Alleviating Poverty through Disaster Risk Reduction’ in northwest region of Bangladesh.

Executive Director of RDRS Bangladesh Dr. Salima Rahman received the award on 21 May in Geneva, Switzerland, while the Community Leader and RDRS Group member Morzina Begum (also Chair of Shapla Borokhata Union Federation and Member of Union Council) shared her experience in this field.

“The award means a lot for us, especially for our staff and programme participant. It gives us a continued encouragement to work in disaster prone area where people continuously struggle with floods, storms and droughts. In these disasters women and children are affected the most. If we continue to capacitate women we can reach those who need the help. Receiving this award gives us inspiration to continue with this work” said Dr. Salima Rahman when receiving the Climate Award.

Speaking at the award ceremony at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, John Nduna, ACT’s General Secretary said, “one of the added values of a network like the ACT Alliance is the ability to stimulate mutual sharing, learning and capacity-support among and for its members. The ACT Alliance Climate Award will certainly inspire action by ACT members and others on the ground”.

“The project, ‘Alleviating Poverty through Disaster Risk Reduction’ represents an excellent example of linking relief, rehabilitation and development by enhancing local communities’ self-help mechanism, early warning and individual support to households that are most at risk,” said Peter Rottach, the chair of the ACT community of practice on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.

This year, a total of 17 submissions were made for the award by ACT members from Burundi, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, Haiti, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Switzerland. The project ranged from community based climate change resilience and adaptation initiatives to comprehensive disaster risk reduction initiatives.

The next ACT Alliance Climate Award will be given in 2015.