BASA Foundation is working to promote hand washing knowledge, water safety plan knowledge, Menstrual Hygiene Management knowledge in slums, schools, health care centers and public places especially women and adolescents.
In this connection, BASA Foundation is working with schools for promoting Menstrual Hygiene Management knowledge and Hand washing knowledge for students and also focusing on sensitizing community people as well as service providers to promote WASH knowledge and behavior to make healthy life. Under this project, BASA has installed new toilets at community, school and public place and also conducting hygiene sessions at schools, communities.
Provision of Emergency Handwashing Service to Help Poor Slum Dwellers in Bangladesh Fight Against Covid-19
There is an ongoing pandemic of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Bangladesh which was first notified on 8th March 2020. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of this pandemic in Sakhipur Municipality, a COVID-19 response plan as a part of emergency response to this pandemic was developed by BASA Foundation in collaboration with Sakhipur municipality and with technical support from WaterAid Bangladesh.During this project period, main focus was given to - the maintenance of 28 hand washing devices, supplying detergent powder for hand washing at all handwashing device, arranging of one-to-one counselling, taking session & miking about the importance of maintaining hygiene to fight against Covid-19. We have also distributed 1033 hygiene kit package to the adolescent girls to improve their menstrual hygiene during this critical period.
In addition, hygiene kit package was distributed among adolescent girls which was another important intervention of this project. In this Covid-19 days, many girls from low-income community, who were using sanitary napkins in their menstrual days, went back to again for using cloth pads due to lack of money for purchasing sanitary pads. Considering the fact, a package of hygiene kit (including 6 sanitary napkin packets, soaps and others hygiene materials) is distributed among 1033 poor adolescent girls from 9 wards of municipality to ensure a healthy way of living in their menstrual days.
At the end of the project, a sharing meeting was arranged with the authority to share the performance of the project with stakeholders and identify the way forward of its operation and maintenance with local government institutions and other agencies. Recognising this Covid-19 project as one of the most successful projects currently running in Sakhipur, local government and other govt. officials like Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Assistant Commissioner (land), Upazilla Chairman & Ward Councilors of Sakhipur Municipality have highly appreciated the project activities and assured us about continuing these activities afterwards for fighting against Covid-19 and ensuring a healthy environment for all the communities of Sakhipur municipality.
With the recommendation of WHO’s emergency committee, COVID-19 was declared as a public health emergency of international concern on January 30th, 2020. By March 11th 2020, WHO declared the virus a pandemic - the first coronavirus to be declared as such. Like other countries in the world, Bangladesh recorded its first COVID-19 cases in early March 2020, and since then cases have continued to increase exponentially. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of this pandemic in Sakhipur Municipality, a COVID-19 response plan as a part of emergency response to this pandemic was developed by BASA Foundation in collaboration with Sakhipur municipality and with technical support from WaterAid Bangladesh.
