Gram Bikash Kendra (GBK) is a local-level, non-profit development organization working in the Northwest Region of Bangladesh. Since 1992, GBK has worked as an enabling force for vulnerable section of the community. In particular, GBK's work focuses on women, children and indigenous people. We have strong links with National and international organizations, including HEKS - Switzerland, ICCO - Netherlands, PKSF - Bangladesh, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Nayantara Communications-Bangladesh and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).
SASTHA Project
Strengthening Attitudinal changes on health Service Through Householder’s Awareness (SASTHA) project.
Background:
Promotion of Health and environmental development is one of the important organizational strategic focus areas of GBK. GBK has a wide range of working experience in the field of socio-economic empowerment, education, rights of the marginal communities, women development and enterprise development, of the community people. Health service is an important issue of people’s lives. However, due to lack of information and awareness, people suffer from want of health services from the government and non government health service providers. The rural poor community’s mother, children, adolescents are far behind in regards to health awareness and services. Lack of health awareness causing of mother and child death and other diseases. Considering the situation, GBK has been started a very small project with the assistance from Lutheran Aid Medicine to Bangladesh (LAMB) project. LAMB is a reputed project working in the northern part of Bangladesh in the field of health service from last more than three decades. With the partnership and assistance fro LAMB, GBK has been started the SASTHA project from April, 2008.
Project Goal:
To improve the health status of all population especially of the poor and hard core poor of the working area.
Objectives:
a) To increase community peoples access in the existing health service facilities through awareness rising
b) To develop effective collaboration within GOB, NGO and project participants
c) To develop community people’s role as social activist in relation to health service information dissemination
Working Area:
The SASTHA Project is being implemented in Polashbari Union of Parbatipur Upazila under Dinajpur District.
Target Population and their statistics:
The rural poor community people who are deprived from the health services are the main target population of this small project. There are total 1325 families in the project area among which 625 are ultra poor. 498 are poor, 144 are middle class and 58 are rich families. Among the entire families, there are infants up to 1 year is 218, children within 1-5 year age-631, 5-12 years age-722, adolescent -884. Among eligible couples, 636 use different Family Planning (FP) methods including tablet, condom, injection, IUD, Norplant, vasectomy and ligation.
Activity Accomplishment so far:
Baseline information collection:
At the starting of the project, a baseline data has been prepared through questionnaire survey. The baseline data says that, there are
Community Meeting on Health Education:
Total 08 community meetings on health awareness education have been conducted in different villages of the working area. The meeting mainly discussed about detailed of the SASTHA project, it service and facilities, people’s participation and their roles, different information about the clinic going to be started in the project etc.
Selection and Training of Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA):
Total 12 Traditional Birth Attendants have been selected from different communities of the working area. They have been provided training with the assistance from government hospital and LAMB project. After completion of training, they have been deployed for one or two particular communities. The role they play are mainly-assist pregnant mothers during their delivery, family meeting with pregnant mothers and their family members, information collection about pregnant mothers, assist in couple meeting, assist in adolescent meeting, assist in check up the patients during satellite and static clinic.
Health education session:
The project staffs conducted number of health education sessions in different villages of the working area. The clinic supervisor and the community health visitor of the project facilitated the sessions with specific health education subject like- personal hygiene, pregnant mothers care, puberty for adolescent girls and boys, food and nutrition, diarrhea, iodine deficiency, 6 major diseases of child, HIV, immunization etc.Total 25 health educations have been held during 2 months of the project in different villages where 245 attendees have been participated including adolescent girls, boys, women and men.
Family Counseling/Meeting:
With the objective of building awareness among the family members of pregnant mothers about their roles and assistance to the pregnant mother, family counseling meetings are organized in the project area. In the meetings, mostly the pregnant mothers, their sister-in-law, mother-in-law, ant-in- law, husband are participated. They are motivated to take extra care for the pregnant mother, what will have to do in which situation, information about hospital and health center, financial preparation etc. Accordingly total 101 family counseling meeting has been organized where 397 have been participated.
Observation of NID:
National Immunization day is an important day for saving our children. In order to ensure immunization of the children, GBK-SASTHA project staffs motivated and took the children to NID center. Total 530 children have been given polio doze and 250 have been given vitamin “A” capsule.
Adolescent group meeting:
Up to June 2008, total seven adolescent groups (girls and boys) have been formed in the working area. Total 15 meetings with the adolescent have been conducted. The issues discussed in the meetings- their physical and mental changes, personal health, hygiene and cleanliness, health awareness, bad impact of early marriage, morality and ethics are mainly discussed.
Conclusion:
The SASTHA is a very small project working in one union. However, to extend the project service to mass people, it has to be extended in other areas as well. As GBK has been initiated the project only two months before the year ending, however on the basis of its success, the project would be extended further areas.