13th December 2014
USAID video of Sundarbans
We are delighted to be partnering with USAID, through Winrock International, in the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans is the largest natural mangrove forest in the world and the people living within it are extremely poor with very little opportunity. USAID have made a fabulous video with beautiful pictures and a very clear story telling us all about the Sundarbans, its opportunities and its challenges.
Image: from USAID video Sundarbans: Conservation is Development
You can see the full USAID video here
Image: Mutka from USAID film
The story of the Sundarbans is told through the eyes of a young woman, Mukta.
Image: Pebble training centre in the Sundarbans
The work of Pebble and its training side, Hathay Bunano, is featured very nicely in the video showing how it can be an alternative livelihood source so that women no longer need to chop down the trees to sell the firewood for money and instead can do this handicraft work and earn money to help their families.
Image: Royal Bengal tiger from the Sundarbans
The Sundarbans are a protected site and home to the Royal Bengal tiger. This presents challenges for the communities living in the forest and USAID has been helping them by sharing strategies for co-existing safely with the endangered tigeers.
Image: Mother and daughter from the USAID film
As with all our work, its about working with whole communities, keeping families together and providing new sources of income to create very real economic development within these areas and grow their otherwise isolated economies.
We hope that our partnership with USAID will continue to run for the benefit of all these people.
