Students Lead Climate Fight: Youth Entrepreneurs Transform Bangladesh's Vulnerable Communities

DHAKA – In Bangladesh's most climate-vulnerable regions, a generation of student entrepreneurs is turning environmental challenges into sustainable business opportunities, offering new hope for communities facing rising seas, devastating floods, and unpredictable weather patterns. The Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) Youth Platform, supported by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UNDP, has engaged nearly 30,000 students across 291 wards in nine districts, creating a network of young climate leaders who combine environmental action with economic empowerment.

Island Enterprise: Fighting Sea Level Rise with Fish Processing

On Char Montaz, an isolated island in Patuakhali district battered annually by sea waves and cyclones, second-year honors student Ontu Rani has transformed fear into action. The island faces an existential threat from climate change, with residents fearing it may eventually sink beneath the sea. "We who live on the coast face new problems every day," Ontu explains. "On one hand, there's river erosion; on the other, there's salinity in the water. Our agriculture, health and even our education are at risk. Before I used to feel only fear, but now I feel something must be done." Working through the LoGIC project, Ontu discovered that collective youth action could drive meaningful change. In 2023, she partnered with local young people and women to establish Sagar Konya Pure Dry Fish, a women-led enterprise focused on processing and marketing dried fish. Ontu manages accounting, financial operations, product promotion, and maintains communication with local government offices. Her work culminated in 2025 when she traveled to Dhaka for the first time to present at the Youth Entrepreneurship Expo during the Bangladesh Investment Summit, showcasing her enterprise's success and future expansion plans to local and international investors.

You Might Also Like

2025-09-14 23:08

From Kitchen Garden to Village Leader: One Woman's Organic Revolution

2025-09-02 19:42

Bangladesh architects revolutionize climate-resilient design

Mountain Solutions: Solar-Powered Water Systems

In Rangamati district's Safari union, college student Sabin Chakma has developed technological solutions for his hill community's water scarcity challenges. The area faces constant threats from landslides, floods, and drought cycles that disrupt traditional water access. "During the monsoon, landslides occur in our area, and many lives are lost. In the dry season, water scarcity becomes a serious problem," Sabin notes. "Earlier, I would just see the problems, but now I feel we must step forward to find solutions." Through LoGIC training in risk identification and local solution development, Sabin constructed a solar-powered clean water supply system using natural water sources and renewable energy. The environmentally sustainable system now provides safe drinking water to hundreds of daily users in the remote hilly region.