A Skill Development Training for Climate Migrants Coordination Committees (CMCCs) was held on 14–15 May 2026 at the Rural Reconstruction Foundation (RRF) in Jashore, engaging committee members from Wards 5, 6, and 7 of Jashore Municipality. It was facilitated under the Shompritee – Towards Locally Led Cooperation for Climate Migrants project of Swisscontact Bangladesh, jointly funded by the Government of Switzerland and Lokales Wasser/Max Ditting AG. The initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity of community representatives to engage more effectively with climate migrant households and contribute to inclusive, community-responsive coordination processes at the local level.
Under the Shompritee project, Swisscontact Bangladesh has been working with Jashore Municipality and a range of public and private stakeholders to support locally led responses to climate migration and strengthen the social and economic inclusion of climate migrant communities within urban systems. As part of this broader approach, the project previously facilitated the formation of a Multi-Stakeholder Working Group (MSWG) to strengthen coordination among municipal actors and service providers. To complement this structure at community level, CMCCs were established within selected wards to help surface local challenges, vulnerabilities, service needs, and emerging community concerns. training formed part of an ongoing capacity development process for these committees, recognising the importance of strengthening not only institutional coordination mechanisms, but also the preparedness and responsiveness of community-based representatives who remain closely connected to the everyday realities of climate migrants.
The sessions were conducted by Mushfika Jahan, a development practitioner and mental health specialist, and facilitated by the Shompritee team. The two-day programme focused on climate migration, livelihood vulnerability, social exclusion, psychosocial wellbeing, ethical communication, and community resilience. Through participatory group work, role play, case-based discussions, poster presentations, and guided reflection exercises, participants explored the multidimensional challenges experienced by climate migrant households adapting to urban environments.
A central focus of the training was mental health and psychosocial wellbeing - dimensions of climate vulnerability that often remain overlooked within low-income and displaced communities. Discussions highlighted how economic insecurity, uncertainty around livelihoods, social exclusion, and difficulties in adapting to new urban settings can contribute to persistent emotional stress and psychological pressure among climate migrant households.
Reflecting on these realities, one participant shared:
Throughout the sessions, participants actively contributed their own experiences and observations from the community level. Interactive exercises and social drama performances by committee members demonstrated the social and emotional pressures often faced by climate migrants in their daily lives, including livelihood insecurity, difficulties in social integration, family stress, and uncertainty surrounding access to opportunities and services.
The programme also placed strong emphasis on practical communication and engagement approaches, including active listening, trust-building, respectful interaction, and non-stigmatising engagement with vulnerable populations. Participants reflected on how empathetic and community-sensitive approaches can strengthen local coordination and improve responsiveness toward climate-affected households. The discussions further reinforced the importance of community-based structures within broader municipal coordination systems. By strengthening the capacity of ward-level committees, the initiative seeks to improve the flow of local insights, community concerns, and lived experiences into wider municipal and multi- stakeholder discussions related to climate migration management and municipal adaptation planning.
The initiative integrates psychosocial awareness, community engagement skills, and locally grounded coordination approaches to strengthen more inclusive, humane, and resilient urban responses to climate migration in Jashore Municipality.