NNP Beneficiary Related VGD Women Training and Rehabilitation
VOSD has implemented the Bangladesh integrated Nutrition program (BINP) from 1999 to 2002 in 13 Upazillas of Chandpur, Faridpur and Barisal Districts with the support of World Bank and DAE fruitfully and the program was very successful and contributed to improve nutritional status in the program areas. After the completion of the BINP sussessfully, VOSD has been continuing the implementation of the National Nutrition Program (NNP) from 2003 to 2011 with the support of World Bank and NNp. The purpose of the NNP is to achieve sustainable improvements in birthweights and in nutrition status of vulnerable groups through the adoption of new behaviors and appropriate use by individuals and households of nutrition services that are increasingly managed by local communities. From July 2004, under an operational plan (2004-2006) NNP has been a part of nutrition sub-sector in a program approach under Health Nutrition and Population Sector Program (HNPSP). The program has service delivery components, which further have sub-components;
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Area based Community Nutrition intervention
- National Level Nutrition intervention
VOSD has been implementing NNP in 37 Upazilas (Barisal Sadar, Gournadi, Jhalakathi Sadar, Nalcity, Rajapur, Kathalia, Hajiganj, Faridganj, Haimchar, Chandpur Sadar, Matlab South, Matlab North, Laxmipur Sadar, Raipur, Ramgati, Komolnagar, Kachua, Tongibari, Modhukhali, Amtoli, Mehendiganj, Charfasson, Manpura, Dashmina, Dewanganj, Melandah, Madarganj, Bhuapur, Sreebardi, Sherpur Sadar, Gauripur, Haluaghat, Iswarganj, Muktagacha, Nandail, Fulbaria and Phulpur) of 14 Districts (Barisal, Jhalakathi, Barguna, Chandpur, Laxmipur, Faridpur & Munshigonj) under seven Packages (Package No. 03, 15, 11, 22, 24, 27 and 29). This program is supported by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Bank. VOSD covers about 21,70,269 households and 1,12,66,150 population of Bangladesh. This program provides nutritional services through Community Nutrition Center (CNC) which is established in the community and each CNC covers about 1200 population of the community. VOSD has been operating 9,059 CNCs in its operational areas to provide nutritional services. This program has 9,059 CNPs for 9,059 CNCs, 912 Community Nutrition Organizers (CNOs) for 9,059 CNCs/CNPs and each CNO operates 10 CNCs/CNPs, 235 Field Supervisors (FS) for 912 CNOs and 37 Upazila Managers for 37 Upazilas and other senior level staffs have been working for the program. CNC is the nutritional service providing center for ultra-poor children and pregnant women of the community. This CNC runs by Community Nutrition Promoter (CNP) and takes the responsibility to make aware the local people.
Health is wealth for the poor people and health is the only capital of the poor people. So VOSD has been emphasizing on health development of the poor people, because, they have to live on selling physical power i.e. labour. To develop health of the community people in the operation area, VOSD has been implementing primary health activities, curative health services, MCH services, satellite clinical services, clinical services, supply medicines, conduct referral cases, nutrition and family welfare motivation, education and awareness activities intensively through house steps, community steps and group wise. The staff members and group leaders of the organization educate and motivate the group members and community members through group meetings, personnel contact, and house visits. During discussion on health topics, they use flip charts, posters, documentary film shows, folk media, etc. for easy understanding of the group members. Different seminars, rallies, campaigns, discussions and workshops are arranged to create mass community awareness on health development. It has also been arranging folksongs, popular theatres, street drams, slide shows etc. on health and other issues for creating mass awareness among the community people, which can help them to practice their learning and knowledge and improve community health status.
In remote rural areas, the women and children are the main victims of poverty and other social affairs, which results in high maternal and child mortality rate and malnutrition. The staff members of VOSD time to time visit the houses and identify malnourished children and pregnant mothers and provide education and advice to them. In severe cases, they send them to the clinics of VOSD, bring in satellite clinics and also sent to the Upazila Health Complex for better and improved treatment. Even, the organization bears the expenditures for the very poor mothers and children. The organization has a MBBS Medical Officer and 3 Paramedic Doctors, who have been providing treatments to the patients through its clinics and in serious cases provides free medicines to the poor patients. Last year a total of 102,560 mothers and 45,980 children have been given treatments and other medical services. A total of 112,630 children have been monitored growth till today. Generally the growth monitoring is a continuous activity of the organization. The staff members identify the malnourished children under two and monitor growth continuously through providing supplementary feedings. They also counsel with their mothers on balance diet preparation, ORS preparation etc. and advice to feed balance diets to their children regularly. It has also been providing pre-natal, safe delivery and postnatal services to the pregnant mothers through its clinics and satellite clinics and also through house visits.
The operational areas of the organization are too much populous and about 1,050 people live in per square mile. The birth rate is also high in the areas than other areas due to climatic favorable conditions and unawareness about planned families. So, the problems of the poor people are increasing day by day in the rural areas due to high population growth. The government has been trying best to develop planned families in the rural areas through controlling population growth. But due to shortage of manpower, it becomes difficult. Side by side many NGOs are working to educate the people to develop planned families to reduce problems. VOSD has been emphasizing family welfare education among the group members and also among the community people to reduce population growth rate and to make planned families considering their family economic conditions. All the staffs are specially trained on family welfare education and services, because, it is the most important problem of the society. The staff members motivate, educate and encourage the group members to practice planned families and the group-leaders are also motivated and educate the community people for planned families to solve their problems. They encourage them to adopt different methods for planned families like vasectomy, IUD, legation, Copper-T, different contraceptives, condom use etc. The staff refers the acceptors to the Upazila Health Complex for legation, Vasectomy, Copper-T etc. The organization collects contraceptives from the Upazila Health Complex and ensures supplies to the acceptors at their door steps. So far, 35,260 group members and community members have been covered, who are practicing family planning methods. Apart from this, VOSD staffs are also specially trained on natural family planning. They regularly motivate, educate and encourage following natural family planning and scientific family planning for their planned and happy families through group meetings, personal contacts, house to house visits and also through arranging gatherings.
