Date and time: December 14th, 2010, 13:30-16:30
Venue: Small Conference Room-I (Room no. 330), on the 3rd floor of Inamori Foundation Memorial Building
Program:
*Speaker-1:
Mr. Mohammad Najmul Islam (Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University)
Presentation title: "Survival Strategies of the *Char* Dwellers from Flood Hazards: A Study on the Ganges-Padma Floodplain in Bangladesh"
*Speaker-2:
Dr. Gulsan Ara Parvin (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, International Environment and Disaster Management, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University)
Presentation title: "Role of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Coastal Community's Disaster Risk Reduction, Response and Recovery: A Case Study of Hatiya Island of Bangladesh"
*Speaker-3:
Dr. Tazul Islam (Foreign Visiting Fellow, Center for South East Asian Studies, Kyoto University)
Presentation title: "Grameen Phase Two: Exploring the Potential of Microfinance"
Abstract:
1. Bangladesh is the largest floodplain delta in the world where flooding of different magnitude is a major hazard. Due to population pressure and scarcity of land many of the poorest communities are obliged to live in the floodplain riverine areas known as char-lands. The char people and their livelihood in the Ganges-Padma floodplain are under threat due to floods. In the study area Island char and attached char villages are largely affected by annual floods. The excess of water happens during the monsoon season because of widespread flooding those damages char-land settlements, agricultural crops, dwelling assets, infrastructures and communication networks. The purpose of this research is to assess the socioeconomic impacts of flood hazards on char-livelihood and explore the survival strategies and better practices to reduce their damages and vulnerabilities as local wisdoms. This study has revealed that indigenous knowledge of the char people is an important survival means during the flood period. Seasonality-based diversified livelihood, alternative sources of income, dwelling protection by local materials, cow-shed and floor raising, poultry case built on high platform, gardening and seed-bed preparation in the homestead area, fuel-stock and seed preservation as invented by indigenous knowledge of the char-dwellers that can reduce damage and flood vulnerabilities.
2. Due to climate change threats Bangladesh and its coastal areas have achieved great attentions by the researchers and environmentalists. On the other hand, Bangladesh has made its distinctive niche in the world for being the pioneer in the innovation of microfinance system for the poor. Thousands of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are working for the social and economic development of the deprived communities in Bangladesh. Almost every part of Bangladesh including coastal areas there are numbers of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) operating their
development programs. Welfare, social development and poverty alleviation through micro-credit are the prime focus of the most of the MFIs. Role of microfinance in poverty alleviation is examined by several researchers. But what MFIs are doing for disaster risk reduction is not well addressed yet. By empirical study in one of the most vulnerable coastal communities of Bangladesh, named Hatiya, this research intends to evaluate community’s perception about the role of MFIs in coastal communities’ disaster risk reduction, response and recovery. Findings reveal that though most of the MFIs claimed to offer skill development training programs only a few clients of MFIs (only 16%) have received this training.
More than half of the clients claimed that their ability of risk reduction in income and occupation has not been changed. But since the ability of overall change in disaster fighting is significantly correlated with the years of membership, it can be said that the longer is the membership time period the better is the disaster preparedness, response and recovery process. It is expected that outcome of this research would give pragmatic guidance to the current efforts of MFIs and thus contribute to make the coastal community more resilient in disaster fighting.
3. This paper explores the prospects of the Grameen Phase Two, also known as the Grameen Generalized System, in overcoming the limitations of the one-size-fits-all, credit-driven classical Grameen model and in the process highlights the internal and external contributing factors to the evolution of the Grameen Phase Two, and analyzes briefly the changes made in Grameen Phase Two, and the impact, especially the impact on poverty alleviation, of the Grameen Two. The paper concludes that with the Nobel Peace Prize the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh has won the worldwide reputation as the pioneer of microcredit movement, with the introduction of Grameen Phase Two, though an unfinished task, it is now highly hoped that it can successfully move into the much-needed next phase of supplying client-responsive, flexible financial services to ensure enhanced impact on poverty alleviation and financial sustainability.