Community
In Bangladesh, we support climate adaptation and mitigation, provide Future Skills - employability and financial literacy, health and disaster support for the community as part of our sustainability efforts. Here, we share some of the highlights of our sustainability efforts from recent times.
Climate - awareness, adaptation and action
Together for Climate
As a part of HSBC’s initiatives for sustainability and to act on our responsibilities as individuals and corporates, HSBC Bangladesh has been organising a series of climate events titled- “Together for Climate” with support from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), BRAC University and Asian University for Women (AUW) since 2022. This programme brought together champions of sustainability including start-ups, students, corporates, regulators and policymakers amongst others to drive city-centric climate action by sharing their innovative climate solutions on circular economy, sustainable fashion and success stories.
An effort for landscape transformation
HSBC in partnership with Shakti foundation and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has initiated a two-year programme on tree plantation in Bosila, Mohammadpur and to date more than 9,000 trees have been planted. The programme supports maintenance and plantation growth in the area with an aim to protect environment, support climate and the ecosystem.
Mangrove Plantation - an award-winning programme
HSBC in partnership with BRAC and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has been implementing a project titled “Mangrove Plantation for Climate Mitigation (MPCM) and Alternative Livelihood”. With an aim to create over 50 acres of mangrove forest in the allocated land of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN), Mirsharai, Chattogram, more than 40,000 mangrove saplings have already been planted. The plantations are expected to offset 492 tons of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions yearly to enhance carbon sequestration providing ecosystem services and livelihood co-benefits to climate-vulnerable people.
HSBC has been awarded “A Better Tomorrow CSR Awards 2022” for this mangrove plantation initiative.
Support for flood in emergency and rehabilitation
HSBC in partnership with BRAC made an emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project for the support of flood-affected people living in urban informal settlements of Sylhet City, in collaboration with the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). The major activities of the project included, repairing and disinfection of 10 tube wells, installation of two community tube wells including water quality testing, renovation and construction of flood-affected WASH facilities in three schools (4,217 students and teachers from these educational institutions are benefited by this initiative) and distribution of hygiene and dignity kits to 910 affected families.
Climate Smart Agriculture Projects
The key impact for climate change in the Agricultural sector are: constant increase of temperature, decrease of rainfall, increase of salinity etc. Such change in weather patterns hinders crop production. HSBC has been supporting projects in major climate hotspots for Bangladesh with its climate adaptation models.
6 projects have been incorporated under climate smart agriculture:
- Adaptation Clinic: This one-stop service center is providing climate-smart agri-advisory information following the horizontal and vertical expansion approach to minimise the gap in agricultural production in Jamalpur district through partnership with BRAC.
- Soybean Farming: In partnership with Solidaridad, the sustainable Soybean farming program in Noakhali is increasing the adoption of ‘smart cropping system’ which has been scaled in the coastal areas of Bangladesh to create more opportunity for more sustainable oil market.
- Mangrove Based Aquaculture: Through this project, a landscape model has been developed for expansion of mangrove based extensive shrimp farming in the Khulna and Shathkhira districts in partnership with Solidaridad.
- Climate resilient advancement agriculture in Barind: This water efficient rice and mango technology transfer initiative to the drought prone communities of Barind region, Rajshahi has been undertaken in partnership with Sygenta Foundation.
- Sunflower value chain development in the coastal Bangladesh: This project is developing a sunflower value chain for sustainable farm household income at the Southwest coastal region of Bangladesh in partnership with Care Bangladesh.
- Climate smart rice value chain in Haor region: This project is increasing the adoption of climate resilient rice varieties in the Haor region and improving the value chain for creating youth entrepreneurship in partnership with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Future Skills - Delivering 21st Century Skills
HSBC-AUW School of Apparel
HSBC, in collaboration with Asian University for Women (AUW), has launched the HSBC-AUW School of Apparel and Retail Management, a one-year Master of Science in Apparel and Retail Management programme. The initiative aims to create a pool of trained women graduates to lead businesses in the apparel sector.
Academic excellence, industry relevance and social significance are the defining features of the programme that aims to build executive talent and enable enduring skill formation within the country while contributing towards the social goals of sustainability and women empowerment.
Business Case Competition 2024
HSBC, in partnership with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka organised “Business Case Competition 2024”. This initiative is part of HSBC’s flagship Future Skills initiative in Asia Pacific that aims to enhance university students’ business skills and broaden their global perspectives by taking their education out of the classroom and into a live competition format. A total of 160 students from 15 universities participated in a series of competitions this year.
Nakshi
HSBC, in partnership with BRAC, has been supporting Nakshi programme to empower women from marginalised and vulnerable communities in Jamalpur (Sadar and Dewangonj) to have improved access to decent employment and increased income. Through this two-year project, 640 disadvantaged girls and young women are now involved in local demand-based handicraft and tailoring business for securing better livelihood opportunities. They will also be empowered with entrepreneurship opportunities supported by digital and financial skills training.
Build Back Better: Financial inclusion for cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSME)
HSBC, in partnership with BRAC provided financial literacy training to 530 cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSME) entrepreneurs in Gazipur in a two-year programme. The overall objective of this project is to support the recovery of CMSMEs adversely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic through financial literacy and better money management training. As part of the project, a financial literacy training module has been developed for the training of the project beneficiaries. It contains four modules: “Decent Work”, “Money Management”, “Financial Planning”, and “Debt Management”. The project beneficiaries went on a two-day residential training course which included content on labour law, occupational health and safety, fire safety, hygiene, and employee management.
English and Digital for Girls’ Education (EDGE)
In partnership with the British Council, HSBC has established community-based peer-led clubs to empower marginalised adolescent girls for English and Digital Learning. The EDGE programme takes place across four districts of Bangladesh- Dhaka, Chattogram, Manikganj and Lalmonirhat. Each of the implementation partners operates in 50 EDGE clubs, with a total of 100 clubs in the project. A total of 2,400 girls (1,200 girls are covered in year one) are participating in the project; amongst them there are 200 peer group leaders who undertake the functional aspect of these clubs. The beneficiaries of this club belong to the demographic group of socio-economically marginalised girls aged 13 to 19 years old. These young girls have received their graduation from this programme after the completion of all required training sessions.
Health support
Safe motherhood with SAJIDA Foundation
The project is designed to address challenges faced by the community in Manikganj district where over 80 percent of child births were done at home and only 10 percent of pregnant women visited a doctor for antenatal care. Through the project interventions, 3,200 households have access to normal delivery centres and pregnant women have access to dedicated transport facilities for movement within the char area and outside of the char area to reach medical support. A network of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) are trained to assist and counsel pregnant mothers in receiving professional medical support through community clinics and referrals to facilities outside the char area.