Bangladesh Mitigating the impact of climate change on the health of the most vulnerable people in the south of the country
2024
1,800
pregnant women, young mothers and teenagers made aware of the consequences of water salinity on their health
22
health-care workers informed about women’s health risks
In Bangladesh, climate change is a daily reality: increased incidence of cyclones, floods, extreme heat waves, rising sea levels… One of the most affected areas is the sub-district of Assasuni (268,000 inhabitants) in the district of Shatkhira in the south-west of the country.
The local population, which is mainly dependent on fishing, is facing the devastating effects of water salinity and heat on their health and livelihoods.
In response to these challenges, Enfants du Monde and its partner, the local Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) have been implementing a health project in Assasuni since 2023.
The Shortage of Drinking Water and the Devastating Effects of Salinity on People’s Health
Due to poverty, the population of Assasuni cannot afford to desalinate water or buy drinking water. Access to fresh water (rainwater collection, rivers and lakes, etc.) is often unhygienic. Residents are forced to drink water that is mostly contaminated and have only salt water to prepare meals, clean their homes and wash their clothes.
Women, who often sacrifice themselves to leave what little fresh water there is for men and children, suffer even more from salt-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, diarrhoea, kidney problems, skin diseases and hair loss. Furthermore, as they only have salt water to wash their menstrual cloths, women and teenage girls are prone to frequent infections.
Mitigating the Impacts of Salinity on Health and Improving Resilience to Heat Waves
In order to bring about lasting improvement, we conducted an in-depth analysis of community needs in collaboration with the population, our local partner ESDO and the Bangladesh Research Institute for Development (BRID). Together, we decided to focus on health education for women and teenage girls to teach them how to protect themselves from the risks associated with salinity, training qualified midwives and other health workers in community clinics to identify climate change-related diseases and inform the population, the renovation of certain health infrastructure and the provision of a mobile ambulance, and the renovation of a water source to provide access to more drinking water.
Our Impact
- Renovation of the Anulia community clinic to improve patient care;
- Renovation of the Assasuni rainwater collection basin to provide purifiable water for drinking and cooking;
- Training of qualified midwives and community clinic health workers on the impact of climate change on maternal, child and adolescent health;
- Organisation of health education sessions for pregnant women, young mothers and adolescent girls with specially developed educational materials on heat waves, freshwater use, water salinity and menstrual hygiene;
Head of Health and Family Planning, Pratapnagar
The mobile ambulance has already saved the life of a mother and her newborn baby, demonstrating that small steps can lead to great achievements.
Contact our Team
Enfants du Monde
House n°18, Flat n°402, Level n°3, Road 24, Block K, Banani
Dhaka-1213
Bangladesh
Ms Shameema Akhter Shimul
Tel. +8802 222 288 558
Email: shameema.shimul@edm.ch
Financial Partners
Local Partners
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