Boosting resilience during a deadly monsoon in Cox’s Bazar

Sharmin Sultana is no stranger to adversity.

When her daughter Rauzi was six months old, Sharmin’s husband left her, having to raise Rauzi on her own.

Rauzi, now 4 years old, was born with a disability that makes it difficult for her to walk. As Rauzi grew from a newborn into a toddler, the true implications of her disability began dawning on her mother. Sharmin could tell this was an issue she needed to address as early as possible for the sake of her daughter’s wellbeing, but she could not afford to pay for even one doctor’s visit.

At the time, her only source of income as a single mother was from working as a cleaning maid while Rauzi stayed with her aging grandparents. It was a grueling time in their lives which Sharmin was working hard to leave behind.

“It was not nice working that way, cleaning other people’s houses,” shares Sharmin. “I was always wishing for a better way to make money for my family.”

A time of transformation

In 2021, when Sharmin was selected for a training course in tailoring skills and nutritional education supported by UNICEF and the European Union, she saw a chance for a better life. Sharmin was compelled to discover how much this opportunity could do for herself and, more importantly, her daughter Rauzi.

“My dream is my daughter,” shares Sharmin. “All I want is for her to grow up healthy and get a good education. I want her to be an independent woman someday, so she never has to rely on anyone but herself. I will do anything to make it so.”

Within two years, Sharmin had established herself as a skilled and reliable tailor for women’s clothing in her community. She was receiving enough orders to make BDT 3,000–5,000 (US$ 30–50) every month[GU1] . Sharmin was now able to visit the doctor regularly with Rauzi, getting her the help she needs, while Sharmin’s enhanced knowledge on nutritious diets for children is resulting in Rauzi’s healthy growth. In 2022, Rauzi weighed 10.5kg at 28 months of age, indicating undernutrition. Today, Rauzi weighs a healthy 15.5kg at 55 months old.

A deadly monsoon

In August 2023, flash floods ripped through Cox’s Bazar, taking a heavy toll on more than 480,000 people living across the district. Sharmin and Rauzi were one such family affected by the sudden flooding. When water flooded into their home, drowning everything below the hip, Sharmin’s family had no choice but to leave everything behind and save themselves. Sharmin took Rauzi into her arms and carried her to a nearby cyclone shelter.

After spending a day there, waiting for the floodwater to dissipate, Sharmin and Rauzi returned home to find her sewing machine nearly ruined by floodwaters. All the food they had stored was gone, as were the raw materials for Sharmin’s tailoring orders.

With support from the European Union, UNICEF reached out to Sharmin, alongside more than 1,000 other women-led households (widowed, divorced, separated and/or single mothers) and pregnant and lactating women affected by the floods, and facilitated cash assistance to help their families recover. Sharmin used the cash to repair her sewing machine and restock on the lost raw materials for her orders.

“After the floods destroyed my home and my machine, I was afraid I would have to work as a cleaner again to feed my family,” shares Sharmin. “But using this money I was able to start working again as a tailor.”

Through her own hard work, Sharmin’s family was soon on their way to recovering all they had lost in the floods. But their struggle was far from over.

Disaster strikes again

On 24 October 2023, Cyclone Hamoon made landfall along the Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram coastline, bringing with it torrential rainfall and devastating winds. Nearly 590,000 people were affected. Families who were still recovering from the damage of the flash floods just two months previously were once again left with nothing.

“I knew there was a storm coming,” shares Sharmin. “But nothing could have prepared me for what came.”

The roof of Sharmin’s home was blown away soon after the winds picked up and one of the walls completely collapsed. As Sharmin and her family were escaping, trees were falling all around them, and debris was flying above them. Sharmin’s father nearly lost his life when a rogue tin panel flew towards his head.

Arriving at the cyclone shelter, Sharmin found it hard to believe they were back seeking shelter so soon. When the dust settled and Sharmin went back home, her shock intensified. The sewing machine she had just repaired was under the wall that had collapsed, and her raw materials were unusable once again.

After Cyclone Hamoon, UNICEF mobilized more cash assistance for over 1,800 households, including Sharmin’s. She used the money to rebuild her home, repair her sewing machine and invest in more raw materials to make clothes from.

“I planned to start making clothes and taking new orders as soon as possible,” shares Sharmin. “But after so many storms and so much struggle, people in my community are not willing to spend as much as before. It was a painful time for everyone.”

Resilience leads to a hopeful future

Nearly six months later, through sheer tenacity and resilience, Sharmin made it through her struggle with the monsoons. Still a pillar of her community, both as a tailor and as a mother, Sharmin now looks forward to admitting Rauzi to school.

“Inshallah, Rauzi will start school this year, and I have many orders for clothes right now to finish,” shares Sharmin. “After all our troubles together, my customers and my neighbours have grown to respect me in a way I could not have imagined even a few years ago. I know when monsoon comes to us this year, we will be ready for the storms. I am not afraid.”