Every 4 minutes in Bangladesh, a child less than 1 month old dies because their mother didn't have access to proper post-natal and ante-natal care. The majority of these deaths can be prevented by providing children and their mothers with access to proper nutrition. By providing nutritional supplements to pregnant mothers, their newborn babies, and young children, we can drastically reduce child mortality.
Every 45 minutes, a woman in Bangladesh dies from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Every 4 minutes, a child less than 1 month old dies because their mother didn't have access to proper post-natal and ante-natal care.
BRAC will educate its existing frontline community health promoters and train new health promoters to provide basic health services to pregnant women and their newborns. The promoters will be able to record patient data on a mobile device, like a cell phone, and quickly refer any complications to the nearest clinic or hospital. BRAC's health promoters will also educate and encourage women to give birth in a hospital or BRAC safe birth hut. This education will also be given to husbands.
In the long term, this project will reduce child and maternal mortality in Bangladesh, helping it succeed in reaching Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Early childhood nutrition will also reduce the number of health complications the children experience later in life.