Manta Connect launched in Barishal to advance floating fishing community

A new multi-sector initiative titled "Manta Connect" was officially launched on Wednesday at a city hotel in Barishal, aimed at integrating the floating fishing community of Bangladesh's southern coastal region into mainstream financial, educational, and healthcare services.

The programme is being implemented by the youth-led organisation YouthNet Global in partnership with The Asia Foundation, with support from JAAGO Foundation Trust and DocTime under The Asia Foundation's Impact and Innovation Fund.

The initiative targets the Manta community, a traditionally mobile and boat-dwelling fishing population living on rivers in Bangladesh's southern belt. Displaced over generations by river erosion, many Manta families continue to depend on fishing for their livelihoods while remaining outside formal systems of land ownership, civil registration, banking, and public services. Due to their mobile lifestyle, a significant number of households lack birth registration and formal identity documents, creating barriers to school enrolment and healthcare access.

Speaking at the launch, Barishal City Corporation Administrator Advocate Bilkis Akhter Jahan Shireen said inclusive development must ensure that no community is left behind. She emphasized that development becomes meaningful only when it reaches the most excluded populations and called for coordinated efforts among local government, civil society, and development organisations.

The event was chaired by Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global.

Special guests at the programme included Dr. S.M. Monzur-e-Elahi, Civil Surgeon of Barishal; Mocha: Farida Sultana, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Barishal Sadar; Md. Anisuzzaman, Senior Assistant Director of the Department of Fisheries; Md. Shahabuddin Sardar, Deputy Director of the Department of Youth Development; A.K.M. Akhtaruzzaman Talukder, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services; and Md. Mostafa Kamal, District Primary Education Officer of Barishal. A.M. Sajjad Khan, Senior Project Manager of The Asia Foundation, also attended as a special guest.

The programme was welcomed by Arifur Rahman (Shuvo), General Secretary of YouthNet Global, and Jasim Sardar, President of the Manta Development Committee, who both delivered introductory remarks. A panel discussion titled "Inclusive Development of the Manta Community: Livelihoods, Education, Health, Climate Challenges and Solutions" brought together speakers including Sajjad Parvez, Assistant Director of the Department of Social Services; Nadhira Jahan, Chairperson of Tungibaria Union Parishad; Shah Alam, Chairperson of Charbariya Union Parishad; and Manta women leader Rabea Begum. Panelists highlighted the need for coordinated action to improve access to education and healthcare for river-based communities.

Project organisers stated that Manta Connect will combine digital financial inclusion tools, education support services, and community-based healthcare access. YouthNet Global Executive Coordinator Sohanur Rahman noted that the programme is designed to bridge long-standing service gaps and connect the community with essential services from which they have been systematically excluded. The initiative will be implemented in phases, with the long-term objective of improving living standards for one of Bangladesh's most climate-vulnerable and underserved populations.