“People meet each other without prior knowledge. It is a person’s character which displays their true attributes to the eyes.”
-Proverb of Bangladesh
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WHAT WE DO
Meeting health and education needs is especially challenging in Bangladesh. Volunteers from Mid-Main Community Health Centre in Vancouver created BHP - the Bangladesh Health Project at the invitation of a Bangladeshi educationalist. Bangladeshis are resourceful people and we have always followed their guidance about how to offer our support. We have teamed up with education institutes and non-government organizations tackling the social determinants of health through health care worker training, nutrition and education.
Our initial goal was to develop human resources in Bangladesh to improve quality of nurse education. Since 2003, BHP volunteers have been working with Dhaka’s IUBAT- International University of Business Agriculture and Technology to launch a nursing school (BScN degree). IUBAT alumni are now working in Bangladesh and Nepal as front-line nurses, instructors and leaders. Others have emigrated for jobs or graduate study.
Our next priority was to “train the trainers” and to develop Open Educational Resources for novice nurse educators in partnership with Nurses International. Now we are creating career pathways by supporting nurses and others studying at the Masters level in Public Health.
More recently, BHP volunteers have assisted development of nursing care in hospitals through infection control and quality improvement. As well, BHP volunteers are helping to improve home care for elderly and disabled people. Currently we are partnering with a rural development NGO that runs a primary school and a vocational college that will train engineers, computer technologists, community health workers and other technical trades.
Our Activities for 2023
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Our biggest effort is the continued partnership with Oasis for Posterity. This NGO operates a primary school, two early learning centres and a vocational college in north-west Bangladesh. In the future the college will offer a training program for community health workers and a primary care clinic that can also be used for training BScN and MPH students. This is our biggest financial commitment so please let us know if you would like to contribute.
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Working with Nurses International, we have converted the IUBAT BScN curriculum to an Open Educational Resource that has now been used in over 140 countries. We are now creating an ethical approach to nurse emigration based on reciprocal support for nurse education in Bangladesh and Canada. A related long-term project has been development of teaching materials for home support staff working with a Dhaka-based NGO.
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We have revised our efforts to create a new Masters in Public Health Program to focus on coaching students enrolled in an existing MPH program. This will create a career pathway for nurses and other health care professionals. We meet regularly with the students in a "Public Health Cafe"via video-conference to discuss their learning and introduce guest experts.
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We continue to support other health-related initiatives through Sajida Foundation and service-based research on reproductive health with Dr. Nazmul Huda.
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We continue to work through Mid-Main Community Health Centre in Vancouver.
As always, we welcome volunteer contributions and involvement in these activities, whether working from home or in Bangladesh. Donations are always welcome.
OFP Vocational College – future site for training health care workers
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME
The BHP offers stimulating and meaningful volunteer work for nurses and other health care professionals to contribute to sustainable change in the health care system. We recruit RNs, LPNs, Physicians, Allied Health and Public Health Professionals to teach lectures and supervise clinical placements for BScN and MPH students at in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in volunteering, please contact us with any questions.
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PARTNER WITH US
Our organization always appreciates the generosity and involvement of people like you.
Every contribution makes BHP an even better Non-Profit Organization than it already is.
We want to provide you with the correct and appropriate information pertaining to your mode of support, so don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.
Partners
