麻豆社

When Michael Kamande, a farmer in Kenya鈥檚 Tana River County, heard a weather forecast on his local radio station warning of below-average rainfall, he made a simple but important decision. Instead of planting his usual maize variety, he chose drought-tolerant seeds and planted a variety of vegetables on his farm.

Months later, despite difficult weather conditions, his harvest was better than expected.

Stories like Michael鈥檚 remind us why our project Bridges matters.

In April 2026, colleagues from Bangladesh, Nepal and Kenya gathered to reflect on what we have achieved, learn from our challenges and help us prepare for the final year of the project.

Funded by NORAD, the Bridges project aims to make weather and climate information services (WCIS) more understandable, accessible and actionable for communities most affected by climate change. Over the past two years, we have worked closely with governments, media organisations, researchers and communities to ensure that accurate and timely weather information reaches people, and helps them make better decisions

Through Bridges we have partnered with six government agencies, worked with 26 radio stations including the Nepalese state broadcaster and engaged six community-based organisations. We have trained and mentored 196 journalists and worked with 65 climate scientists. Together, they have produced nearly 1,200 pieces of climate and weather-related content, reaching nearly 7.9 million people through different media platforms.

We have remarkable examples of progress. In Nepal, weather bulletins are now available in multiple local languages, helping communities access information in ways that feel relevant and trustworthy. In Bangladesh, journalists have moved beyond reporting weather events to telling solution-focused stories that connect climate issues with health, agriculture and livelihoods. In Kenya, community radio stations, climate experts and local organisations are working together to ensure weather information reaches farmers, fishers and pastoralists in forms that they can understand and use.

But challenges remain. We are still working to reach last-mile communities more effectively, collect meaningful audience feedback, and ensure long-term sustainability. And we need to keep ensuring that climate information is communicated in simple language, through the trusted voices and channels that people already use in their daily lives.

Our goals for our third year are to strengthen our partnerships, improve how we collect and work with partners to act on feedback, share our evidence of impact, and support local institutions to take ownership of the approaches we have developed together.

鈥淧ersonally, the workshop left me energised and hopeful. Meeting colleagues face-to-face, hearing stories from the field, and witnessing the passion across our teams reinforced the importance of WCIS. Weather information on time saves lives only when people can understand and act on it,鈥� said Khandokar Hasanul Banna, Bridges project director.

Behind each small change is a person, a family or a community making informed decisions because they received the right information at the right time. It鈥檚 the impact Bridges is striving to achieve every day.