Triple your donation with this CIDA supported project.

Children born in poverty are vulnerable to early deaths, which is particularly heartrending as the causes could be totally preventable.

For example, one of the leading causes of infant deaths in Bangladesh is Indoor Air Pollution (IAP). Poor rural households in Bangladesh rely heavily on wood, dung and other biomass fuels for cooking. This practice exposes inhabitants to smoke which when inhaled can severely damage their health. Women and children are the most exposed groups to IAP.

Maternal health and infant mortality have been longstanding issues in Bangladesh, especially in the Southeastern sub‐districts of Chittagong. Due to past and current civil conflicts, neglect and severe poverty, the region faces a vast array of problems stemming from a lack of water and sanitation, poor nutrition and inadequate health services. In addition, due to the differences in coverage and quality of services, women in Chittagong today receive on average fewer maternal health services compared to the rest of the country. An estimated 13% of women in the region are attended by skilled attendants during childbirth. Women in the region also battle poverty, malnutrition and continued sickness on a daily basis.

Building on past successes with the community-based Maternal and Child Health Project in the district, IDRF has teamed up once again with our partner VERC (Village Education Resource Center) to continue to support women in Chittagong as well as to support the Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health in Bangladesh. The Maternal and Reproductive Health Project aims to provide effective healthcare (offered by Health Centres & Health Outreach Services) and to reduce risk among women during pregnancy and childbirth. The project will use a community-led approach to address the problems associated with conventional cooking practices and their direct health risks; it will attend to the issues of lack of water and sanitation; and also will encompass improved awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues through shared and responsible decision‐making.

In addition, this project plans to put in operation two community based health centers that will attend to the heath needs of women and their children. Among other things, it will also provide medical training of traditional birth attendants, training in health promotion and education techniques in maternal child health issues, as well as leadership development among community women to ensure women have a voice in decision-making.

PLEASE DONATE TO THIS CIDA SUPPORTED PROJECT TODAY to help improve maternal/newborn health and provide holistic sustainable social development in vulnerable poor rural communities of Bangladesh. Your contribution will also benefit not only expectant/new mothers and infants but will also provide resources for adolescents, health workers, and people with or at risk of STDs.

In addition, thanks to CIDA’s 3-to-1 match, your donation will provide triple the support to our beneficiaries in this project. To make an online donation today, click here.

For more information on IDRF’s “Maternal and Reproductive Health” project, please visit our website, or click here .

For this project, IDRF acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Projet activité réalisé avec l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada accordé par l'entremise de l'Agence canadienne de développement international (ACDI