Sifat Afrin Shams

In the early hours of May 27, the day before Eid-ul-Azha, six newborns died at the same hospital where they had been born hours before. Yet to see the world, know their parents, or celebrate their first Eid, the infants died because of an acute failure in the post-operative ward of Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka. According to the investigation carried out by the hospital authorities, the blame was conveniently put on the shoulders of two employees from the lowest levels of the hierarchy.

I belong to a generation that did not witness the Liberation War. The war, regardless, has meant a great deal to me for as long as I can remember. I inherited stories of the war and the fear, pain and anxiety from a generation for whom it remains the most destructive, yet defining experience of their lives.

Christina Chan, senior director of climate hub at BRAC and former managing director and senior advisor for adaptation and resilience at the US Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change, talks to Sifat Afrin Shams of The Daily Star about climate finance, adaptation projects and resilience at the grassroots.