“One of the most dangerous things a woman can do in much of the world is become pregnant”

This opening sentence by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times introduces the topic of obstetric fistula, which affects over one million women worldwide: “Typically impoverished women in poor countries where home births are the norm, who couldn’t get to a doctor in time … [suffer from] childbirth injuries that can be as damaging psychologically as physically. Prevention will come about by improving emergency obstetric services, a path that will also reduce deaths in childbirth.” Kristof recommends supporting the Fistula Foundation, which has financed over 100,000 fistula repairs in more than 30 countries, at an average cost per surgery of just $619 USD.

2019 INR Bangladesh caesarean.pdf

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Dr. Nazmul Huda is a frequent collaborator with Bangladesh Health Project. He has taught in the IUBAT Nursing program and he spear-headed development of the IUBAT MPH program. In 2019, while he was country director for a program to reduce fistula, Nazmul along with BHP director Prof. John Richards and other experts wrote about high rates of C-section in Bangladesh and Pakistan (see below). In the right circumstances, C-section is vital; as a profitable short-cut it can be another source of childbirth injury.  Huda et al conclude, “Reducing caesarean rates requires government to strengthen health human resource development…. [However, due to] generally inadequate support for vaginal delivery either in facilities or in homes, families will increasingly choose a facility delivery, usually a caesarean, usually in a private clinic.” Unfortunately, as Huda et al predicted five years ago, c-section rates in Bangladesh have continued to rise.

Human resource development, especially in health professions, is the mission of BHP, enacted through most of our projects. Presently, the role of male family-members in childbirth planning is the research topic of IUBAT nursing faculty member, Mohammed Ali. Ali is now enrolled in studies at University of Oxford with support from our donors. BHP directors have mentored several IUBAT College of Nursing graduates. If you are interested in providing mentoring or financial support please contact us.

Your contributions make a difference

Bluebell Primary School students 2024

In the last five years (2020-2024) Bangladesh Health Project received donations totaling many thousands of dollars. This is how the money was spent:

• The bulk of this funding was spent to build OfP Institute for Science and Technology (OIST), which opened in 2022. The initial batch of students, now studying Civil Engineering and Computer Technology, will graduate in 2026. OIST also hosts a health clinic where people suffering chronic illness can receive screening and referral.

• Donors also paid for small upgrades to Bluebell primary school, mostly for classroom furniture and teaching equipment as well as landscaping - and fencing to protect the landscaping from roaming cows and goats!

• A major on-going expense is salaries for teachers at Bluebell and OIST. Bluebell will always provide free tuition so this support will continue. OIST, however, charges tuition fees like all private colleges in Bangladesh. Currently, most OIST students receive grants or loans because they can afford only a portion of their fees. Over time, we expect OIST will be largely self-supporting.

• Bursaries for health care like cataract surgery and scholarships for poor students are a lesser expense but extremely important for the recipients.

BHP funds are raised from board members and generous donors around the world. You can donate here or for more information, please contact us.

Caring about the “care economy”

Sajida HCW training - "What does it feel like to be fed by someone else?"

“Care is what makes all other jobs possible, as it encompasses relationships, services and both paid and unpaid work that make lives possible,” according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum. “Individual employees can work because children, older adults and their loved ones in need of care are being cared for. If this care work did not take place, it would be virtually impossible to be employed outside the home. Not only is care indispensable for the rest of the economy to work, care work in and of itself is an untapped source of employment which is growing. Investing in care creates jobs.”

A major focus of BHP activities is education of health care workers [HCW] in Bangladesh. HCW shortage is a problem locally and globally, but an even greater problem is the shortage of educators. From our initial work to help develop the College of Nursing at IUBAT, we now focus on training of trainers. This includes developing open education resources in collaboration with Nurses International, training trainers of care aides for the elder care program at Sajida Foundation, supporting IUBAT alumni for higher education, developing a Master of Public Health program at IUBAT as a career pathway for HCW, and most recently, recruiting volunteer trainers for Sajida Foundation mental health programs.