COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Bangladesh is a densely populated country on the Bay of Bengal that is mostly encircled by a border with India. Located in the low-lying delta region at the mouth of the Ganges River, and in a part of the world prone to cyclones and seasonal monsoons, Bangladesh is frequently buffeted by catastrophic flooding. Environmental conditions exacerbate the prevalence of malnutrition and the leading causes of death, which include diarrheal diseases, pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Access to qualified medical care is limited, especially among children under 5. A mere eight percent of children are able to receive proper treatment.
AmeriCares has been responding to emergency needs in Bangladesh since 2002.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM
Supporting Health Programs and Rehabilitation when Natural Disasters Strike
In times of crisis, AmeriCares reaches out to our in-country partner, the Parbatya Bouddha Mission (PBM). PBM provides health and social services for poor people in the primarily indigenous Chittagong Hill Tract region, which is located in the southeast area of the country bordering India and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. AmeriCares donations help PBM to continue operating its outpatient primary health care clinic, an orphanage and medical outreach missions to outlying areas of the hill tracts when flooding and landslides increase demand for their programs. These programs help 14,660 people.
Most recently, floodwaters triggered by Cyclone Sidr in late 2007 damaged many of PBM’s facilities at their headquarters in the Khagrachari Hill District and disrupted their project sites in rural areas. The damage caused to their orphanage, a school, vocational training center and clinic went beyond what PBM’s resources would enable it to repair. To help PBM restore services for their indigent beneficiaries, AmeriCares made a cash grant for the recovery and replacement of critical program infrastructure, including their ambulance, medical equipment, stored food grains and electric generator.
Medical Aid to Care for Thousands Stranded by Cyclone Sidr’s Floodwaters
In November 2007 AmeriCares delivered $1.6 million of emergency medicines and medical supplies to partners Save the Children and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). Accompanied by an AmeriCares emergency response manager, the aid was delivered to medical teams in the coastal towns and villages in Barisal District the same day it arrived The medicines included antibiotics, analgesics and other first aid items to treat injuries, fever, respiratory illnesses and gastrointestinal problems. Located in southern Bangladesh, the Barisal District suffered the greatest damage from Cyclone Sidr and subsequent flooding.
Water Filtration for 3,774 Households
In 2004 AmeriCares partnered with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) on a water purification initiative in Dhaka. An AmeriCares grant of $37,000, along with $40,000 worth of PŪR™ sachets, supported training for members of BRAC’s women’s microfinance collective in water filtration techniques and basic health education on the importance of water purification. This initiative, co-implemented with UNICEF, reached 3,774 households.
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