Knowledge about Reproductive Health and safe Motherhood has increased

Rural women have very little knowledge about reproductive health. So, they often develop some wrong perceptions which are sometimes harmful as they experience different physical and psychological changes during this period. Moreover, deaths of women due to pregnancy related complications can be prevented through taking simple and cost effective measures. Ignorance and prejudice attached to pregnancy often prevent families from seeking proper medical care in due time. Simply education on safe motherhood can, to some extent, reduce maternal and infant mortality due to pregnancy related complications. Barnaly conducted several awareness meetings for prei-urban and rural women to provide them information regarding sexuality and reproductive health. Before attending the sessions about 80% of the participants had very little knowledge about reproductive health and safe motherhood but after the sessions they had acquired adequate knowledge helpful for their remaining life.

People are made aware of Communicable Diseases and Hygiene

People can get rid of some communicable diseases if they have adequate knowledge of the preventive measures. Without such knowledge people may fall sick frequently which will ultimately affect their livelihood. It is also very difficult to combat poverty with ill health as it can reduce efficiency, erode savings, etc. Barnaly arranged different awareness programs to inform local poor people about communicable disease and hygiene. So they become aware, aware of their family and neighbors.

Awareness on Family Planning

Bangladesh is a highly populated country, so keeping the population size at an optimum level is a great challenge. Annually the population has been increasing by 1.4%, resulting in an enormous pressure on land and other resources. Though a significant achievement has been made in containing the population growth over the last two decades, promotion of family planning measures is still required. Realizing the need, Barnaly conducts family planning camps in some peri-urban and rural areas to educate mass people about it.

Improvement of nutritional status

Nutrition deficiency among the rural children is strongly associated with decreased learning capacity, lower productivity in adulthood and increased risk of communicable diseases. In view of this situation, Barnaly arranged mass awareness of the guardians about the nutritional food and feeding behavior.

Health and Nutrition

Health care services are one of the fundamental rights and represent an important aspect of the socio economic condition of a country. But this right has largely remained unmet in Bangladesh because of the resource constraints, lack of commitment of the duty bearers etc. Moreover, due to various inhibiting factors such as, illiteracy, superstitions, lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, the morbidity and mortality rate among the rural poor and disadvantaged groups in the country are increasing day by day. Being a resource poor country, poverty is widespread affecting the vast majority of our population. It contributes to high incidence of communicable diseases leading to poor health including malnutrition. Furthermore, access of the poor people to safe drinking water and sanitation is also negligible. To change this scenario BARNALY is committed to provide health and sanitation services to all of its beneficiaries and the community people in its program areas.

The vision of the Program is to have a positive tangible impact in the reduction of poverty and inequity in Bangladesh on a large scale by improving the health of the poor.

The mission of the Program is to understand the interrelationship of poor health and poverty in their multidimensionality to improve the health of the poor (economically, gender or otherwise) and to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. 

Objectives

1. To reinforce ‘health improvement of the poor and poverty reduction’ activities.
2. To identify solutions for major health problems facing the poor.
3. To discover ways to ensure access to modern health services by the poor.
4. To pursue others to incorporate poverty dimensions in all relevant data-collection systems, and in reporting health and other development outcomes by socioeconomic groups and
5. To emphasize monitoring of the access and utilization of health and other services of the development program by the poor and the impact of the services on health and development   outcomes of the poor, and reduction of disparities.

BARNALY has been providing primary health support to their beneficiaries with the assistance of UPHCP since 2003. A registered Doctor sits at the head office of BARNALY on a weekly basis to treat the patients at a nominal fee, 20 taka per patient. BARNALY provides all medicinal support at free of cost. Currently, BARNALY and Nishkriti (Surjer Hashi Clinic, Chittagong) entered into an agreement, where Nishkriti would provide free ESP services, necessary medicines & diagnostic service to BARNALY’s handicap /disable patients and their family members at free of cost at Nishkriti’s Clinic.

BARNALY always tried to ensure a sanitation system for their beneficiaries and the local poor people. To achieve 100% sanitation system in Bangladesh within its target time last year BARNALY supplied healthy sanitation materials in the areas of Kolargaon Union, Potia Upazila under Chattagrom District.