Project

Tobacco: Smoking remains popular in Bangladesh, despite it being a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease. We have run public education campaigns to discourage young people from starting to smoke, to encourage smokers to quit, and to counteract tobacco industry marketing.

Civil Rights: We have acted as advocates for people in Khulna and have run training and conferences to disseminate civil rights to local people, particularly dealing with government corruption.

Consumer Rights: We have run programmes to make consumers, buyers, sellers and producers aware of the need for honesty and integrity. We formed and nurtured a Consumers’ Forum to enhance consumers’ rights; established stakeholders’ and market committees to improve understanding of the importance of quality, price, and guidelines; enhanced grassroots advocacy with policy makers on consumers’ rights; and linked the Consumers’ Forum with the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute, the Consumers’ Association in Bangladesh and other agencies.

Public Health: Almost 90% of Bangladesh children under five suffer from malnutrition to some degree. Combined with poverty and poor healthcare, infant mortality in rural Bangladesh is among the highest in the world. We have run a motivational campaign and seminar on the importance of public health, pure drinking water and nutrition.

Sunderbans Forest: The Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO world heritage site, provides natural protection for millions of Bangladeshi people against cyclones and other natural hazards.

Through seminars, rallies and motivational campaigns, we have helped make people aware of its value and the risks it is facing. We have urged the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the BangladeshiPrime Minister and concerned groups to take action to secure the forest from man-made damage, including commercial and industrial activities, illegal forest resource collection as well as natural events linked with the climate change.

HIV/AIDS: The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh is low, but numbers are increasing – particularly among sex workers and young people. We have run seminars, training and rallies on the effect of HIV/AIDS and means of prevention.

Swine Flu and Dengue Fever: We have trained our staff and volunteers and arranged various awareness seminars, meetings and groups on protective measures, including with government and charitable bodies