French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet visited a slum in Dhaka's Mirpur on Tuesday to see how a French-funded project is helping improve safety, living conditions and climate resilience in urban communities.
The project, titled Nirapad Nagar, is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and Secours Catholique–Caritas France and implemented by Caritas Bangladesh.
The Ambassador was pleased to see first-hand how French support has helped urban slum communities in Dhaka become safer, healthier and more resilient, and to hear directly from the people benefiting from the project.
Mirpur is growing rapidly, with informal settlements expanding as a result of rapid urbanisation and internal migration, prompting Caritas to work in the area.
A 79.32-metre-long and 1.6-metre-wide pathway was constructed, and solar-powered streetlights were installed to make daily movement easier and safer in Rajanigandha slum in Ward 7.
The Ambassador also saw a pilot, low-cost, heat-resilient multipurpose shelter, a community bathhouse, and a grocery store run by a woman as part of the project's livelihood initiatives.
During the visit, he interacted with community representatives and learned how the new initiatives have improved their lives.