‘The water level is increasing day by day’
Lamuchi is a fisherman. He lives with his wife and two sons in a village in one of Bangladesh’s coastal areas. During the monsoon season, cyclones and floods are common.
Yet because of climate change, disasters such as these have become more frequent and severe. This means heavy loss of life, homes and businesses. Vulnerable people like Lamuchi’s family are pushed further into poverty.
‘The water level is increasing day by day,’ Lamuchi says. ‘Floods are happening very often. When I was a boy, I can remember that floods did not even occur once within five years. But now, floods take place here three to four times every year.’
Desperation
The increasingly extreme weather means that Lamuchi is no longer able to earn enough from fishing. He often risks his life – braving the monsoons in his boat – just to catch enough so that his family can live.
‘I am struggling hard,’ Lamuchi tells us. ‘I do that day or night, even in rainfall or flood or anything else… We can't live without eating.’
‘Moreover, my two sons are studying. I need to meet their expenses. Considering all these things, we are in great suffering.’
Bangladesh facts:
- Dhaka, the capital, is the most densely populated city in the world.
- Nearly 20 per cent of the country is flooded every year.
- During severe floods, this rises to 75 per cent.
- Around 33 million people in Bangladesh live in poverty.
Saving lives
Although the need is great, the hope we have is greater. Together, by raising money through The Great Fashion Fast, we can make a real, lasting difference in the lives of people like Lamuchi around the world.
The money you raise can help support life-saving projects such as building flood-resistant homes; training communities in how to respond and recover when disaster hits; and planting trees to provide a barrier that will help prevent homes and crops from being washed away.
So join us in The Great Fashion Fast and help push back against poverty and the climate crisis.
