By Amreen Binte Azad, from Dhaka
BARCIK organized a community meeting titled ‘The Role of Women’s Leadership in Tackling Urban Crises’ recently (October 20) at Companyghat, Hazaribag. A total of 17 women from the community participated in the meeting and shared their views.
One of the discussants in the meeting Zahangir Alam, Coordinator of BARCIK, spoke about the ongoing climate crises faced in urban settings such as heatwaves, uncertain rainfall, sudden surge in various diseases and ways to address these challenges.
Shaheda Azbela Purna, Associate Coordinator (Research) of BARCIK, discussed ways in which women’s leadership plays a crucial role in confronting the crises. She highlighted how women’s contributions, both inside and outside the home, often remain unrecognized despite their significant impact.
However, participants in the meeting reflected on their own roles and agreed that the work women perform whether in households or communities holds value and deserves acknowledgment. They also shared that women should be the one to value their own work because very often they themselves undermine their contribution.
The participating women also urged BARCIK to provide training on enhancing practical skills on tailoring, food processing, handmade crafts that could pave way for them to earn cash and strengthen their livelihoods and leadership capacity.
