Rokia Afzal Rahman, a former adviser to caretaker government, gives an environment-friendly oven to a woman of Dhangmari, a village in the Sundarbans. Farid Hossain, bureau chief of the Associated Press; Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI; Abdullah Al Jubayer, manager for corporate sustainability at HSBC Bangladesh, were also present.

International banking organisation HSBC has extended support for the MRDI's programme for developing Dhangmari, a remote village in the Sundarbans, as a climate model village.

The CSR initiative of the MRDI (Management and Resources Development Initiative) is aimed at improving the health and socio-economic conditions of the village people in a sustainable approach.

The intervention is a part of MRDI's CSR advocacy project implemented in partnership with Manusher Jonno Foundation that aims to mainstream CSR as an alternative source of funding for social development and poverty alleviation.

Under this intervention, eco-friendly ovens were distributed among all 360 families of the village, according to a statement of the MRDI yesterday.

The programme will contribute to addressing the threat of destruction of the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest of the world.

Three ponds will be re-excavated and filtering system will be installed in each pond to ensure pure drinking water for the dwellers there, who are at severe health risk due to acute crisis of safe water source.

Moreover, skills training on sewing and stitching will be organised for the interested women of the village that will open up better livelihood options for them.

The initiative will reduce health risk, improve living standard of people of the village and prevent environmental pollution which will ultimately save the Sundarbans, said Rokia Afzal Rahman, former adviser to a caretaker government, while addressing the oven distribution function.

Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, hoped that people and environment will be directly benefited through success of the programme and other corporate houses will feel encouraged to come up with similar initiative.

Abdullah Al Jubayer, manager for corporate sustainability at HSBC Bangladesh, took the occasion as a pride for them to be able to serve the people of a remote village.

Use of the fuel efficient oven will contribute to easing global warming, said Sudes Kumar Roy, chairman of Bani Shanta union parishad.

Use of less firewood will save trees of the Sundarbans, he said. "It is a simple technology and what is needed is to get used to it."

Green World Communication Ltd will implement the initiative on behalf of HSBC and MRDI.

Dhangmari is the third village in the area where MRDI has come up with such intervention. Two neighbouring villages are already under similar programme of MRDI in which Bank Alfalah and Midas Financing provided support from their CSR funds.

News: The Daily Star/Bangladesh/02-Dec-12