Assignment Name: Development of Training Modules and Facilitation of Training on Climate Change and Adaptation

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: BRAC

This assignment is part of the SDC BRAC Social Cohesion Fund for Cox’s Bazar District project and is being implemented by BRAC in collaboration with local partner NGOs in the region. This project was created in response to the ongoing refugee crisis, as the extended presence of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar has led to tensions and grievances among the host community, escalating towards potential conflict. The project focuses on promoting social cohesion, reducing marginalization, and fostering a shared sense of belonging among both refugee and host communities. It aims to create an inclusive environment where all members can work together for their well-being, increase trust, and provide opportunities for upward social mobility.

This multi-sectoral project is adaptive and flexible, ensuring the sustainable well-being of disadvantaged youth from the host communities in Cox’s Bazar through market development, skills training, and the provision of decent employment opportunities. The project also focuses on addressing justice and social rights in the community, and aims to mitigate the negative consequences of the Rohingya refugee crisis on vulnerable host communities. In the initial phase, the project successfully provided apprenticeship-based skills training to 1,200 adolescents (823 women, 376 men, and 1 transgender person) and 203 potential entrepreneurs for business incubation training.

In Tranche 2 (current phase), which began in September 2021, the project has continued its efforts with the Skills Development Programme (SDP) and Climate Change Programme (CCP). This phase aimed to enhance the skills of youth learners, partner NGOs, and Cottage, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (CMSMEs) by integrating environmental education and climate change adaptation strategies. Participants were trained to understand the environmental challenges, climate risks, and extreme events affecting their communities and enterprises, with a focus on developing adaptation measures to improve their resilience.

As part of Tranche 2, BRAC commissioned the development of training modules on climate change and adaptation to equip youth learners, partner NGOs, and CMSMEs with essential knowledge and practical skills. The training modules were designed to build capacity for understanding climate change impacts, identifying climate risks, and implementing adaptation strategies that can contribute to both sustainable development and climate resilience in Cox’s Bazar. The modules, delivered in both Bangla and English, served as an essential tool for scaling up climate awareness and enabling local communities to better adapt to the changing climate.

DM WATCH team provided the following services for the development of training modules on climate change and adaptation:

Module Development:

• Prepared seven training modules in both English and Bangla, ensuring they were accessible and relevant for the diverse target audience, including NGO partners, business entrepreneurs, mastercraft persons, and CMSMEs.
• The modules were developed on key topics: 1) Capacity building for partner NGOs to address climate change in local contexts; 2) Awareness on climate change and adaptation measures for learners; 3) Sensitization of Master Craft Persons (MCPs) on environmental and climate change impacts; 4) Climate-smart business skills for entrepreneurs; 5) Climate risks on business and management strategies; 6) Environmental good practices for CMSMEs; and 7) Climate change impacts on CMSMEs and adaptation strategies.

Meticulous Graphic Design:

• Focused on high-quality graphic design for all modules, employing infographics, illustrations, and photographs to make the content visually appealing and easily understandable.
• Integrated contextualized images and drawings based on field visits, ensuring the training material was relevant and tailored to the local context of Cox’s Bazar.
• The graphic design followed a ‘Design Thinking Process’, focusing on user-centered content that would engage trainees and ensure effective knowledge transfer.

Ground Testing of Modules:

• Ground-tested the training modules by organizing workshops with participants to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the content.
• Collected feedback from trainees on the clarity of content, practical application, and their ability to use the knowledge gained in real-world scenarios.
• Updated the modules based on feedback to ensure they met the needs of the trainees, ensuring high-quality training delivery.

Dissemination and Engagement:

• Organized a final dissemination workshop, where 200 participants were engaged to share the results of the training and promote sustainable climate change adaptation practices.
• The dissemination workshop featured interactive discussions, Q&A sessions, and participant reflections on how to implement the learning from the training in their respective sectors.

Finalization and Submission of Deliverables:

• Finalized the seven modules in both English and Bangla, ensuring high-quality content, including relevant illustrations and photographs, was included in the final product.
• Delivered the final training modules in both PDF and Word formats, along with printed versions for use in training sessions.
• Produced a training toolkit containing the modules, supplementary materials, and detailed instructions for facilitators to conduct training independently.

Training Delivery:

• Conducted comprehensive training sessions for 200 participants, including NGO workers, business entrepreneurs, mastercraft persons, and CMSMEs.
• The training was designed to build capacity on climate change impacts, mitigation strategies, and adaptation measures, specifically tailored for each target group.
• Participants included entrepreneurs who were taught how to adopt climate-smart business practices and CMSMEs who learned about environmentally sustainable operations.

Example Training Overview:

• NGO Partners received training on integrating climate change adaptation into community-level programs and disaster risk management strategies.
• Business Entrepreneurs were taught how to mitigate climate risks through climate-smart business skills, learning how climatic risks could affect their operations and how to adapt.
• Master Craft Persons (MCPs) gained insights on how their crafts could be influenced by environmental changes and were trained on sustainable crafting techniques.
• CMSMEs were taught environmental good practices and learned how they could reduce their carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency in their businesses.

Through these services, our team successfully developed and delivered comprehensive training on climate change adaptation to 200 participants, enhancing their knowledge and empowering them to integrate climate resilience into their work and business practices.