This year, as part of its Climate Change and Displacement Initiative, Displacement Solutions (DS) has launched the Coastal Kids Project to connect schools and students living in coastal areas in Bangladesh with schools and students in Australia who are also coastal dwellers. Today, 4 September 2012, the much anticipated, first ever Skype conversation between an Australian school (Sorrento Primary School, Victoria) and a Bangladeshi school (William Carey Academy, Chittagong) was facilitated by DS. Designed to increase understanding among all participants about the lives of coastal kids around the world and how climate change is affecting them, this classroom-to-classroom conversation was an exciting and insightful event for students and teachers alike, and was enthusiastically engaged in by all involved.This conversation marks the first of a number of Skype conversations which will be held between these two schools and, in time, similar conversations will be facilitated with schools from other climate-affected countries to further build awareness and engagement with the issue of climate change, and encourage transnational cooperation and learning among coastal kids everywhere. Make sure to keep checking for more news as the Coastal Kids Project continues to progress and expand! For further information, please email info@displacementsolutions.org. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300"] Students from…...

DS is happy to announce that the second phase of our One House, One Family at a time project (OHOF) in Bangladesh, implemented with our partners YPSA, is nearly complete. Once Phase 2 is completed, OHOF will have constructed nine new homes for some of Bangladesh's most vulnerable coastal dwellers. These homes are provided on a permanent basis at no cost to the new residents. DS and YPSA will commence Phase 3 of OHOF in mid-2020 and will aim to raise funds for and construct a further eleven homes, thus bringing the total number of homes to 20, providing free homes to more than 100 residents.  Please JOIN us in supporting OHOF by making a financial contribution of any size towards the USD 56,000- budget of Phase 3 by being in contact with us (info@displacementsolutions.org).  As always, we re happy to report that 100% of your funds will go straight to Bangladesh. All efforts by DS are voluntary and carried out on a pro bono basis.  We hope you can assist in making Phase 3 a success!!...

DS and our partners Tech Solutions Human Rights (www.tshr.io) continue our collaborative work on developing a Mobile phone App which will, for the first time, enable any refugee or IDP with outstanding or unresolved housing, land or property restitution issues to formulate a claim through use of the My Home App ©. The My Home App © will link to a secure database which will enable your organisation to run custom data analytics that could be used for both qualitative and quantitative advocacy. The design of the data system enables users to gain meaningful insight without having to have a background in IT. We are continuing this work that has been underway since 2018 and we are currently seeking partners to work with us to bring the My Home App © into use. If your UN agency, government or other organisation would be interested in working with us to make the My Home App © functional, please be in touch - info@displacementsolutions.org.     ...

On 22 January 2014, YPSA and William Carey Academy, Chittagong, Bangladesh jointly organised a Climate Change Art Competition with the support of the Coastal Kids Project. Students from classes 5 and 6 of William Carey Academy enthusiastically participated in this competition which focused on the topic of “Climate Change and Climate Displaced Peoples”. This was designed to build awareness about climate change and encourage students to engage further with this issue, which is already posing a serious threat to thousands, if not millions, of people throughout Bangladesh. Of the 50 students that participated in the competition, 10 students were awarded for outstanding performance. First, second and third place were awarded to Adeeb Chowdury, Raima Mallick and Agatha Talapatra respectively. DS would like to congratulate all of the 50 students who participated in this competition for their remarkable efforts. Keep up the great work! [caption id="attachment_2447" align="alignleft" width="1296"] Winners of the Coastal Kids Art Competition 2014[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2446" align="alignleft" width="1296"] Students busy working on their artwork for the competition[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2444" align="alignleft" width="2592"] The awards given to the winners of the competition[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2441" align="alignleft" width="960"] The young artists creating their masterpieces[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2440" align="alignleft" width="800"] The kids' exquisite artwork[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2443" align="alignleft"…...