Rural Health Programs in Northern BangladeshThe northern part of Bangladesh is one of the poorest parts of a poor country. Most of the people in this area are landless agricultural laborers, small landowners doing subsistence farming, small businesses owners, or casual daily workers who earn a living through rickshaw pulling, road making, and construction.
The Leprosy Mission Canada is working to eradicate leprosy through the Rural Health Program, whose aim is to help people in the region manage their own health needs and problems. Special emphasis is placed on providing quality services to people with leprosy.
One aspect of the Rural Health Program is the Leprosy Control Project, which seeks to reduce the suffering among people affected by leprosy by raising public awareness about leprosy. As well, the project works to help people seek appropriate medical advice and treatment early in order to receive the best care possible to become fully cured of leprosy. This project also advocates for the human rights of people with disabilities in the region.
Another aspect of the Rural Health Program is the Extreme Poverty Initiative Project (EPIP). This project's primary goal is to help people who have been affected by leprosy to live above the extreme poverty line in their home community. Examples of people assisted by the project include those marginalized in the community due to stigmatization and/or those who have a leprosy-related disability. Extreme poverty is defined as the inability to secure the food equivalent of 2,000 calories a day for themselves. By providing the resources to get the necessary food and nutrients for a healthy living, the EPIP program allows them to start thinking and planning beyond the next meal. Programs by the Bangladesh government have no special provision for socio-economic assistance to people affected by leprosy, so EPIP is a crucial component in helping people with leprosy to overcome extreme poverty.
Project Activities Include:
- Health education and awareness through song, theatre, discussion, posters and community meetings
- Detection of new leprosy cases and the treatment of existing ones
- Arranging community-based vocational training for individuals who are not in self-help groups
Fast Facts:
- Fewer than 1 in 4 residents of this region can read
- Over 30% of agricultural workers live below the poverty line
- Over 70% of the workers in this Muslim area are farmers
- In 2005 there were over 40,000 old cases of leprosy, 5,000 of whom still needed care
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Examples of how TLM Changes Lives
Clean WaterMotiur Rahman is a young man who completed leprosy treatment in November 2003. Due to leprosy, both of his feet were damaged by ulcers. Through the Extreme Poverty Initiative Program operated by TLM in Bangladesh, Motiur and his family (his mother and brother) were able to receive a tube well, giving them access to clean, fresh water. Motiur would like to take tailoring classes through TLM’s Vocational Training Centre program after his ulcers heal.
EmploymentMr. Molin Chandra Das is 44 years old. He completed leprosy treatment in April 1994, but he has badly deformed hands and feet due to leprosy. Through the community program in Northern Bangladesh, Mr. Molin, his wife and their son and daughter received a cow to help them generate income for their family.
EducationArif is 13 years old. He completed leprosy treatment in May 2007, but he has foot drop on his right foot. He has plans to get reconstructive surgery from TLM Bangladesh’s DBLM Hospital. He is now able to attend school because of a scholarship provided through TLM’s community program – an opportunity his widowed mother would not be able to afford for him or his 3 older brothers.
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