Friendship’s key working area comprises of some of the most remote and inaccessible chars and riverbank areas of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts situated in the northern part of Bangladesh, and parts of Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Barguna districts in the south of the country.  Working through an integrated development approach, our organization implements intensive programme activities with an aim to improve the overall socio-economic condition of the marginalised and vulnerable populace of those areas.

Our work in the chars of the northern region was initiated because of the areas’ remoteness, inaccessibility, and due to lack of services the people there received.  We started working in the southern part of the country after the cyclone Sidr in November 2007.  Other than our regular work in those areas, we have also operated in Bogra, Jamalpur Sirajgonj, Tangail, Pabna and Pirojpur during disasters, emergency situations, and according to specific project needs.

Char is a tract of land surrounded by the waters of an ocean, sea, lake, or stream.  It usually means any accretion in a river course or estuary. Due to the dynamics of erosion and accretion in the rivers of Bangladesh, sand bars emerge as islands within the river channel (island chars) or as attached land to the riverbanks (attached chars). These often create new opportunities to establish settlements and pursue agricultural activities on them. Island chars are surrounded by water year-round while attached chars are connected to the mainland under normal flow. Once vegetation starts growing on the tracts of lands, they are commonly called chars in Bangladesh.

Chars can be considered a 'by-product' of the hydro-morphological dynamics of its rivers.

(Source: Banglapedia http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/C_0135.HTM)