Pregnancy Care Can Save Lives in the Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Getting adequate care before, during, and after pregnancy is essential. It can help the baby to grow and evolve and keep both mother and baby healthy. It is the best way to be sure a little one gets a head start on a healthy life.

Most of the women in the rural areas of Bangladesh aren’t aware of proper pregnancy care. Due to the lack of consultancy and proper guidance, most women give birth to malnourished children. ADRA in Bangladesh is working closely with rural women and organized a wide range of health sessions aiming to raise awareness of different health issues among the rural community.

Mira Roy a 48-years-old woman lives in Batbunia village under Dacope Upazila of Khulna district. She has two sons. Her elder son got married and the younger son is attending class ten. Her husband is a farmer. She has 99 decimals of cultivable land.

She came to know about ADRA Bangladesh from her neighbor and she got in touch with ADRA Bangladesh staff. Later she enrolled in the Mohila Unnayan Dol #1 operated by Community Empowerment Project (CEP) – Dacope, Khulna. Since then she participated in all the sessions and meetings organized by CEP. She started to deposit savings regularly.

Since she wasn’t taken care of by her family during her pregnancy, she wasn’t aware of it. She didn’t know anything about pregnancy care. In the meantime, the wife of her son became pregnant. After knowing that news, she prepared mentally and physically for taking care of her.

“I participated in a health session organized by CEP. I learned how to take care of a pregnant mother, how to select foods for a pregnant mother, and many more. By following the guideline from the ADRA staff, I took care of my daughter-in-law. I prepared a meal plan for her. I always gave her nutritious food and safe drinking water according to the meal plan. I also restrained her from all the laborious work. I wish she will give birth to a healthy baby,” explained Mira.

ADRA in Bangladesh is bringing out behavioral changes among the left-behind communities and promoting health care services by organizing various types of training and workshops. ADRA is developing Traditional Birth Attendance (TBA) by providing training. TBAs are playing a vital role in the rural areas of Bangladesh. This way, ADRA is raising awareness of primary health care services for the targeted communities.