The Green Bangle Movement
"The ideation of this project began in 2019. We started to plant palms around the Asian University for Women (AUW) campus as a bio fence. That was our first initiative, with the involvement of our students," says Dr Mosae Selvakumar, associate professor of Chemistry, AUW, and founder of the Green Bangle Movement.
The project is taking place in Guliakhali, a coastal village in Chattogram. Due to climate change, the level of seawater is increasing and because of its location, Guliakhali is now at risk of submersion. Safe drinking water is also a dwindling resource here. Women of Gulikhali spend most of their time collecting drinking water, unable to invest that time into work and become financially independent. The Green Bangle Movement wants to support coastal women by introducing the concept of ecofeminism, a branch of feminism that connects women and nature.
The project is being funded by the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. Recently Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) and Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute (BSRI) have signed memorandums of association to provide resources on mangrove plantation techniques and research materials. Dr Ahmedul Kabir, a professor from AUW, is the co-investigator of this project and played a key role in creating these collaborations.
Nuzaba Tasannum, the assistant project manager, talks about her motivation to join the movement. She says, "Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt Movement, was the inspiration behind our project. Our work is multidisciplinary. On one hand, our students are doing fieldwork-based research empowering women and at the same time, a book on palmyra culture is in the works."
The goal is to plant about 30 thousand mangrove and palmyra palm trees along the shorelines of Gulikhali over three years to combat soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and rising sea levels. AUW VC Dr Rubana Huq allocated a half-acre of land on the main campus of AUW to create saplings for the plantation. Dr Selvakumar explained that women in that area will be trained to create small-scale nurseries in their yards and eventually become ecopreneurs or eco-friendly entrepreneurs.
The project is entirely driven by AUW students' dedication and commitment. Some are under work-study programs and some are volunteering to be a part of this climate action activity. Referred to as Green Warriors, students help to nurture and maintain the saplings at the nursery, conduct fieldwork, and so on.
The Green Bangle Movement wants to expand its work across Bangladesh and other Asian countries. They are planning to visit schools and colleges in Bangladesh to spread awareness of the importance of mangrove forests and inspire women to join this noble cause. Dr Selvakumar hopes that the movement will play a crucial role in Asia to create women-driven eco-friendly initiatives.
Progga Shila Chakma is a Campus Ambassador for The Daily Star from Asian University for Women.
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