Local and national NGOs in coastal Bangladesh have come together to form the Sundarban Coalition. This coalition is the result of a new partnership between the Local Coalition Accelerator (an initiative of the Share Trust) and Start Network, united in their vision for locally led humanitarian action.
The focus of the coalition will be building disaster-resilient communities in an area of Bangladesh particularly vulnerable to climate-related crises. Four national NGOs who are already members of the Start Fund Bangladesh - Uttaran, AVAS, CNRS, and Jago Nari - will form the beginning of the coalition. They will inclusively select a further 12 local organisations based in different communities throughout the region who will collaboratively define the governance of the coalition and develop community action plans in order to scale up locally led action in the country. Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies has confirmed a grant of US $500,000 to support this initiative.
The Start Network and the Local Coalition Accelerator know that a locally led humanitarian system is best placed to minimise suffering and promote a dignified response for communities affected by crises. Therefore, the majority of the funds will be going directly to the coalition, enabling them to leverage their strength and capacity and contribute to the shift in power needed to decolonise the humanitarian sector.
Jahin Shams Sakkhar, Program Development Specialist at Uttaran, a national NGO in Bangladesh, says: “The project is very unique, giving us a chance to raise the capacity of local NGOs so that we are able to respond to the needs of the vulnerable community quicker and in an efficient way. As grassroots organisations, we will be able to understand the needs of the community better by developing local-level plans, enabling us to respond according to the local context. It will also promote localisation by enabling grassroots NGOs to directly access funding, ensuring financial efficiency and more money going towards vulnerable communities.”
To find out more about the Sundarban Coalition, please email info@thesharetrust.org and fundraising@startnetwork.org.