The programme was targeted to school children in different areas of Sri Lanka. Many schools have participated in the event and involved hundreds of students in the activities organized during the event days. The event venue was open for the public for three days.

Some of the main competition open for the schools were speech and drawing. Other Main activities are tree plantation, beach cleaning and coastal parade by school children.

Visit https://plus.google.com/photos/112665508455566556945/albums/5888842149370421281 to view complete photo album.

Ground Floor,
Green Building,
Handhuvaree Hingun,
Malé – 20094,
Republic of Maldives.

Contact Details:

Phone No: +960 331 5976, +960 331 5977
Fax No: +960 331 6088
Email Address: admin@sczmc.org
Website: www.sczmc.org

a) Management and mitigation of threats in coastal zone
b) A data bank on flora, fauna and hydrological character of Sundarbans.
c) Climate change, Sea Level Rise, Carbon sequestration.
d) Embankment development & shrimp culture and related biodiversity.
e) India-Bangladesh joint management on trans-boundary issues.
f) Livelihood security of the local people/Impact zone management etc.

Click here to download Workshop Report (133KB)

Click here to view the complete photo album of the workshop

This workshop is second in the series of Workshops on Sundarbans. The first workshop on capacity building was organized in Sundarbans, India in March, 2011.

The main objective of the workshop was to share experiences, knowledge and develop an understanding about conservation and management of Sundarbans and its coastal ecosystems with special emphasis on community interface. The Workshop provided an opportunity to the participants to have an insight to the basic problems and core conservation and management issues of the Sundarbans protected areas. In addition, the workshop has contributed in enhancing regional capacity and knowledge base to increase the ecosystem resilience and adaptation towards changes and vulnerabilities of the climate change.

During the training workshop, presentation from the local experts, resource persons from Bangladesh Forest Department,   and experts from SAARC nations has provided a common platform for experience and knowledge sharing on coastal / marine protected areas with reference to their conservation and management including impact of climate change. The initiatives undertaken by the Bangladesh Forest Department for Management of Sundarbans has provided an insight to the participants about their approach in conservation, development and management of Sundarbans.

A total of about 25 participants which includes representative from five SAARC Member States like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, besides local experts from the Bangladesh Forest Department, University, Civil Society organization etc., participated in the workshop.

The SCZMC also organised one day Children’s festival in Kaaf Atoll Guraidhoo on 10th December 2012 to mark the SAARC Charter Day. The main activities in the festival were quiz competition, drawing competition, painting competition, relay race, face painting, treasure hunting, bowling competition and fishing competition.

The main objectives of these events were to raise awareness and understanding about SAARC and its role in socioeconomic and cultural development in the SAARC Region. An estimated amount of 350 children including their parents have attended the event.

Moreover, SAARC Charter Day Supplement was published on “Haveeru” daily newspaper to create public awareness and understanding about SAARC, which is the most popular newspaper in the country,

SAARC Charter Day is observed annually on 8th December. This day marks the signing of the SAARC Charter in 1985 by the Leaders of SAARC Countries at the First SAARC Summit held in Dhaka.

Click here to download the report (2.72 MB)

The main activities in the event were quiz competition, drawing competition, painting competition, relay race, face painting, treasure hunting, bowling competition and fishing competition.

The main objectives of these events were to raise awareness and understanding about SAARC and its role in socioeconomic and cultural development in the SAARC Region. An estimated amount of 350 children including their parents have attended the event.

Apart from that, SAARC Charter Day Supplement was published on “Haveeru” daily newspaper, which is the most popular news paper in the country, to create public awareness and understanding about SAARC.

SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC) is a focal institution of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which promotes regional cooperation in planning, management and sustainable development of the coastal zones, including research, training and promotion of awareness in the region. Out of eight SAARC countries five SAARC nations, India, Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka represent the coastal zone as an essential part of the life support system in the region and are very sensitive to adverse effects on the coastal environment. As part of awareness programme for the school children in Bangladesh about the coastal issues the SCZMC has requested LEADS to conduct the event in Bangladesh on behalf of the center. LEADS (Livelihood Education and Development Services), is an NGO and a social organization of TRK Consultancy Services providing quality and sustainable education and healthcare facilities through different awareness and education support programme, for the children especially underprivileged children enrolled in different government primary schools.

It was a three day event during 16th , 17th and 18th November held in Public Library, Shahbagh Dhaka.

The main focus of the programme was to involve the school children through encouraging them to participate in different activities on environmental issues.

Initially 28th and 29th September was selected thinking of the exam times and availability of the school children. Due to delayed approval the month was shifted to November as the venue was not available before that and there was also long school holidays for eid and puza in October. Even the month November was not very favourable due to the terminal exam of most of the schools so it became very uncertain to bring children during the event days. The two major public exams one for grade 5 (Primary School Certificate) and the other for grade 8 (Junior School Certificate) were scheduled in November. Therefore, LEADS has to communicate with many schools and take only those schools where the school authority agreed to cooperate and from where the guardian allowed their children to participate. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Shishu Academy, Dhaka, Department of Environment, Dhaka University extended their full support as and when necessary. Despite of all these challenges we got full support from the schools all throughout the programme. Not only during the event we got this support from the beginning. All the schools, the volunteers, the children, guardians, different organizations participated fully to make the event a success.

The main objectives of the program were:

• to make the school children including the public aware about the reasons of environmental pollution and its impact on climate change and coastal area
• to aware the children and youth and establish a network with other civil society members to carry on the work and not make the programme an end in itself.
• To involve the children with this awareness programme different competitions were arranged.

Click here to download SAARC Haveeru Report (12.6MB)