BRAC, a leading development organization dedicated to helping Bangladesh reach the Millennium Development Goals, has recently started Manoshi, a community health care initiative aimed at reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality in the urban slums of Bangladesh through the development of effective models of health care delivery, including an integrated package of essential health services. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded BRAC a grant of over US$ 25.2 million to fund the project.

While Bangladesh has experienced remarkable progress in health over the last few decades, the status of maternal and child health remains unacceptably poor, with conditions being especially worse in urban slums. BRAC’s Manoshi initiative will help address this problem by empowering communities and engaging health systems to scale up proven and cost-effective interventions that improve maternal and child health. Manoshi will also help ensure obstetric services are available and accessible to urban disadvantaged women through existing facilities.

The Manoshi initiative aims to reach 8 million people over a 5-year period and is being implemented in urban slums in the Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal and Khulna city corporations and 15 statistical metropolitan areas. Components of the project include capacity development of community health workers and birth attendants; health service provision for pregnant and lactating women, neonates and under-five children; timely referral to quality health facilities; community empowerment through development of women’s groups; and strengthening of linkages among local and national government and non-government organizations as well as the community.

ICDDR,B, an internationally renowned research organization based in Bangladesh, will partner with BRAC Research and Evaluation Division to conduct evaluations and other studies to supplement understanding of maternal, neonatal and child health in urban slums, and which will provide input into program development and improvement.

© 2005 BRAC Bangladesh
75 Mohakhali
Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh