Bangladesh

Sokhina is eight years old and she lives on a river island in Bangladesh.

This island is small and crumbly, because the islands in the river are made of sandy silt, not hard rock.

When the river floods, the islands can be washed away.

Floods happen a lot in Bangladesh because there are so many rivers (about 700) flowing through the country.

The rivers carry melting snow from the Himalayan mountains to the sea, so when more snow melts in the mountains, the rivers get higher. Heavy rain can make the rivers higher too. 

Climate change is changing weather patterns around the world and flooding is becoming more of a problem for people in Bangladesh.

Sokhina’s family had to move when the island they lived on was washed away in a flood.

Sokhina was just a baby when that happened, so her mum put her in a cooking pot (like the one in this picture), and used it like a little boat to carry Sokhina to a safe place on another island.

She also made a raft to carry the rest of the family to safety.

But her family still worry about flooding. When the river rises, the water sometimes comes right up into their house.

One night, Sokhina’s baby brother fell out of his bed and into the floodwater. Luckily, his mum woke up and pulled him out quickly.

Sokhina’s family would like to raise their house up onto higher ground, where they would feel safer from flooding.

Christian Aid has already helped Sokhina’s friends, Farhad and Juti, to raise their house and it is much better.

Christian Aid has also given Farhad and Juti’s families a worm farm so that they can make compost.

It used to be very difficult for them to grow vegetables in the sandy soil of their river island, but the compost has helped them to grow lots of lovely food.

Sokhina’s family would like to get some worms so that they can grow more vegetables too.

If they had more food and a higher house, like Farhad and Juti, then they would feel much safer and happier on their island home.