Better safe than sorry

Health Care Prevention in rural Barisal, Bangladesh

One of the largest deltas in the world can be found in the South of Bangladesh. For a large part of the year, the immensely wide rivers of the delta overflow their banks, isolating the area from the rest of the country. There are no government health facilities in this area. In times of sickness and pregnancy, villagers used to rely on traditional healers and midwives. Only in case of emergency would people call on the services of the nearest district hospital in the city of Barisal, about 80 kilometres away. There is a great need for low-threshold and easily accessible health facilities, where people can turn to with their health questions, ailments, and symptoms of illness. A place where their condition is monitored, and they can rely on sound medical advice and receive simple but qualified treatment. Where they are referred to a well-equipped medical clinic when necessary, and safe transport is available and affordable. The SAKO Foundation supports the outreach and health clinics of partner organizations Aloshikha and BVDO. The project consists of several district nurses who visit the villages within the delta. They offer health education, health monitoring, and simple treatment of frequent ailments and illnesses. The nurses are backed by a general practitioner (GP) who holds consultation hours at regular intervals. The GP provides medical assistance and treatment when necessary.  Read more ...

Shared responsibility: contributing is empowering

The preventive health programme of Aloshikha has been supported by the SAKO Foundation since Aloshikha opened its rural clinic in 1997. This clinic was built with financial support from the Japanese Embassy in Bangladesh. The clinic runs almost entirely by Aloshikha’s own financial means. The financial support of SAKO is reserved for the outreach activities of the health workers. In total, SAKO contributes € 6,000 per year, donated by a large Charity Foundation, supplemented by various private donors. Aloshikha carries 15% of the total project costs. These funds are generated by the organization’s agricultural activities and its micro-credit program.

 

This project is implemented by two partner organizations from SAKO: