Program Teaches Moms to Diagnose Illnesses

In a male-dominated village in Bangladesh Rochima was married off before she reached puberty. She and her infant son survived by growing vegetables on a small plot and begging for food from neighbors.

“Though Rochima never finished primary school she can now diagnose and treat simple illnesses,” said Hilary of Care2.com. “Today Rochima monitors the health of 300 households, visiting 15 homes a day, and dispensing advice about nutrition, sanitation, and family planning.”

Through the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC) people living in extreme poverty, illiteracy, disease, and other handicaps benefit. The organization offers financial services according to the needs of people and the level of poverty. As of Dec. 2004 almost a hundred million lives were touched by the agency.

Hilary said Rochima’s story is only one exciting example of groundbreaking progress on the frontlines of global health explored in the PBS documentary “Rx For Survival – The Heroes” which aired in April.

From young polio warriors in India to armies of grandmas in Nepal, the show takes viewers inside the stirring campaigns that have brought renewed faith to poor communities from Africa to South America, according to Hilary.

The status of women in Bangladesh has improved dramatically since they began training as community healthcare providers.

“It’s not just community health that benefits from training women to be health workers,” said Hilary.

To address the impending health crisis in public health leadership BRAC established the James P. Grant School of Public Health under BRAC University two years ago. BRAC held its first convocation on Jan. 28th with 115 graduates. BRAC, in conjunction with Pratichi Trust has launched a program to facilitate the foray of women into non-traditional occupations like journalism through the Salma Sobhan Fellowship in Journalism For Women in 2004. Following the first module of training of the Fellowship participants from 32 districts attended the second module of training at the BRAC Training and Resource Center, Savar in June.

For the first six months following the first training module the trainee fellows in affiliation with BRAC and Prothom Alo have been engaged in writing features on various issues the country and society.

For more information, go to brac.net.