In the Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh, a team of nurses and doctors will be visiting two public schools located in two impoverished villages in remote parts of the region. The purpose of this visit is to offer children and their families a free medical consultation, as well as training to promote preventive health care and associated prophylactic measures.
A Project of Hope
In some villages of Bangladesh, there are many children and adults who have gone all their life without ever seeing a doctor. However, childhood diseases there are very common. In the Cox’s Bazar District there is only one public hospital; as it is so far away it is difficult to provide adequate health services to the local population.
For this reason Humanium, in partnership with the local NGO Hope Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh, has decided to set up a new project aimed at improving the health of children and adults in two villages. Our partner foundation will be sending a team of doctors and nurses to two villages where they will be visiting two state schools. There, one hundred children aged between 5 and 10 whose health is vulnerable from both a sanitary and social perspective, will be given a medical examination. This check-up aims to detect any medical problems the children might have, particularly in relation to their vision, hearing, weight or teeth. Tests will also be run on their blood pressure and nutritional state. In order to encourage families to monitor the health of their children and to make them attend regular check-ups, they will receive a health-care card which will authorise a free consultation at the Hope hospital or at its affiliated clinics.
In addition to setting up medical screening, this project also helps to promote preventive health care and associated prophylactic measures. In fact, several childhood diseases can be easily avoided; the challenge is to raise awareness of this in the community. The team of doctors and nurses will therefore go into the schools and talk to the pupils about the importance of hygiene, basic, preventive care and the need for regular medical check-ups to ensure adequate health monitoring. Meetings on child health issues will also be organised in these two villages through the establishment of Mothers’ Clubs.
Mothers’ Clubs and villager involvement
Our partner foundation has established Mothers Clubs in various rural parts of Cox’s Bazar District. These clubs are made up of village women who work closely with the Hope teams to promote and improve the villagers’ health, and to ensure the success of the projects that have been set up. This approach perfectly reflects the participatory angle that Humanium promotes in all its projects, thus aiming to give the local people agency in their own development.
A necessary project to neutralise a difficult medical situation
This project is crucial to the health of children in Bangladesh. Children who live in a precarious environment such as this are confronted by many real problems. Due to the food shortages and exorbitant food prices, child malnutrition is frequent, which has serious consequences for the health and development of the children. In addition, water-borne diseases are also common due to a system of inadequate sanitation, which means that clean water is very scarce.
In addition, it should be stressed that most childhood diseases can be treated if they are detected early. Otherwise, they are likely to worsen and eventually become impossible to treat, resulting in life-long disability for the children.
This new project therefore meets a real need. In fact, screening, treating detected and promoting preventive health care are unquestionably essential medical activities for the health of these children. A healthy child is a child who will be able to contribute to the economic and social development of his country.
To find out more about this project, click here.
Written by: Lisa Olofsson Translated by: Sharon Rees Proofread by : Allegra FitzHerbert |
