Serene Planet > 🔄 Ongoing Projects > Heat Awareness Initiative

Heat Awareness Initiative

Extreme heat is no longer an occasional discomfort. For many communities across Bangladesh, it has become a dangerous, life-altering reality. From outdoor workers to school children, heat stress affects daily routines, health, and even survival.

Serene Planet’s Heat Awareness Initiative was designed as a direct response to this growing threat. Instead of waiting for the next heatwave to claim more lives, we began showing up early in schools, marketplaces, and community centers with something simple but vital: education.

We believe awareness can be as powerful as infrastructure. By launching this initiative, we’re equipping people with practical knowledge, adaptation strategies, and a shared sense of responsibility. The heat won’t go away overnight but our ignorance can.

Project Snapshot

Start Date 3 March 2025
End Date Ongoing (Initial Phase: 5 Months)
Category Climate Action, Community Health
Location Chattogram, Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar
Direct Impacted 2,40+ students and community members
Activities 10 School-Based Sessions, 5 Public Workshops
Funding Community Contributions and Volunteer-Led

IN DEPTH

Challenge

Many people still think of heat as “normal summer weather” not as a serious health risk. This mindset was our first challenge. It was hard to convince people that something they’ve lived with for decades has now become deadlier due to climate shifts.

There was also an overload of misinformation. Some believed drinking cold drinks alone could “fix” heatstroke. Others avoided fans due to superstitions. These half-truths often caused more harm.

Reaching rural schools was another challenge. Many institutions lacked basic facilities like shaded assembly areas or functioning water stations. Some community members also doubted whether awareness programs without direct aid were worth attending.

Solution

We didn’t arrive with lectures. We came with questions, visuals, and real conversations.

Our team designed heat-safety education modules tailored for students, parents, and local workers. We used relatable analogies, community language, and shared experiences to spark reflection. For schools, we created interactive, activity-based sessions where children learned to recognize symptoms of heat exhaustion and how to respond calmly.

We collaborated with local authorities and health volunteers to run workshops in marketplaces and union halls. Posters, radio segments, and mini-rallies made the issue visible. Most importantly, we showed how simple steps drinking water regularly, taking breaks, wearing light clothing, creating shaded community spaces — can reduce real risks.

Rather than pushing “expert voices,” we encouraged locals to share their own adaptations. This shifted the tone from outside advice to collective learning.

Result

Since the launch, we’ve reached more than 2,40 individuals across five districts. Here’s what’s changed:

  • 10 schools now run midday water breaks and have posters showing signs of heat exhaustion.

  • In chattogram, hathazari, a small fruit market installed a shaded rest area after attending our public session.

More than numbers, we’ve witnessed a shift in language.