Field Projects & Programs
Active and completed development initiatives in partnership with SEDAB and BACHAO
Social Health & Nutrition Improvement of Rural Distress People through Integrated Activities
A five-year integrated rural development project targeting distress people in Dohar & Nawabgonj upazilas, Dhaka district — delivering healthcare, rehabilitation, tree plantation, women's health, aquaculture training and family planning services to the poorest rural communities of Bangladesh.
9 Project Interventions
Core program areas delivering change on the ground
In Bangladesh, social, health, nutrition, and economic opportunities are severely limited for many women and children. Household food insecurity, insufficient care and feeding practices, unhealthy family environments, and lack of adequate health services are key factors affecting child and maternal health.
To address this, branch offices in each upazila will serve as primary health care centers where children and distress women receive health services and medicine. Pathological test fees will also be covered for patients as directed by a physician.
Approximately 80% of Bangladesh's population lives in rural areas, and nearly 50% are female — who remain far behind men in access to healthcare. This intervention directly targets that gap.
- Ensure health for the poor people in the village
- Provide necessary medicine support
- Also ensure health support for disables who cannot move
- Provide ambulance support for the needed patients
- Also provide pathological test support where needed
- The organization is running its program
Due to improved quality of life, the number of people over 60 in Bangladesh is increasing rapidly — creating growing demand for specialized care. The nutrition and health of elderly people depends on adequate food, safe water, sanitation, and hygienic standards.
25 poor, old and distress people will be selected from Dohar and Nawabgonj upazilas in Dhaka district. They will be placed in rented rehabilitation centers and provided with living wages, food, health services and essential supplies.
4 dedicated service staff per center will be recruited to provide continuous care, and all logistic support will be ensured for the full 5-year project period.
Global climate change is profoundly and negatively affecting Bangladesh. Tree plantation plays a vital role in keeping the environment stable. SEDAB will supply inputs and regular technical help to poor families interested in planting fruit tree gardens on their small land holdings.
5 km of roadside per upazila has been targeted for tree planting — along roads and within school premises and boundaries. Dead plants will be replaced in subsequent years, and maintenance will be carried out throughout the project period.
Free plants will also be distributed to school-going girls to plant in the vacant land around their homes — building environmental ownership from a young age and creating long-term assets for families and the country.
- Organize tree plantation to protect environment
- Effective steps to prevent climate change
- Keeping environmental temperature in tolerable condition
- Improving livelihood quality of beneficiary rural community
- Promoting biodiversity through varied tree species
- To protect environment from pollution
- To drain out water after rain through the openings of road side
- To free bad odor from the deposited garbage
- Ensure dust free environment in the society
Family planning is a voluntary way of thinking and living, based on knowledge, attitude and responsible decisions by individuals and couples. It covers birth spacing, reproductive health, avoiding undesired pregnancies, preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and improving quality of life.
At the national level, 55.8% of women use modern contraceptives, with the pill ranked first (66% of married women). Male methods remain comparatively low. To overcome these gaps, the project will implement:
- Awareness and motivational programs on family planning in project areas
- Orientation meetings with religious leaders and professional groups
- Motivational meetings on special days and service weeks
- Promoting birth spacing and limiting family size through BCC activities
- Ensuring FP services at Community Clinic level
- Registering eligible couples with emphasis on communication and counseling
60 awareness meetings per upazila over 5 years (180 meetings total) will target married women of reproductive age.
Bangladesh's rural poor suffer severely during winter, more so than in many other countries due to extreme poverty. Providing blankets is a critical seasonal intervention to help the most vulnerable survive the cold.
2,000 blankets will be distributed per upazila every year throughout the project period — reaching the poorest families in the project area at the time of need.
Society must include topics related to gender differences and reproductive health in schools, and build awareness among parents about sexual and reproductive health. This intervention works to eliminate religious bigotry and promote gender equality at school and family levels.
The project will provide: Training of Teachers, Training of Religious Representatives, and Focus Group Discussions with parents. Teacher educators and parents will gain accurate information on healthy menstrual health management.
A key outcome is ensuring healthy toilets for girls in schools, which directly increases girls' attendance and makes schools and families more gender-friendly.
Students and women need awareness on sexual reproductive health, physical and mental health care, and healthy menstrual management. This intervention delivers:
- Monthly student health sessions (100 students/month)
- Distribution of sanitary napkins to 4,500 students per month
- Mobile counseling for students (2 sessions/month)
- Free medical care especially for women (30 women/month)
Expected outcomes: The standard of living of women will increase, average life expectancy will rise, maternal mortality rates will decrease drastically, and women will be more aware of sexually transmitted diseases including uterine cancer.
Adolescents will learn about physical and mental changes during puberty with support from school teachers and parents — growing up to be informed and supportive members of society.
Fish and fishery products meet nearly 60% of national protein consumption in Bangladesh. The fisheries and aquaculture sector is a major source of rural employment and income. However, fish farmers in Dohar and Nawabgonj upazilas of Dhaka district lag behind other areas — they have very little knowledge about fish culture and dike cropping.
25 lead and enthusiastic farmers will be selected from each upazila and provided initial training on safe fish production and dike cropping. Every year thereafter, refresher training will be conducted to keep them updated.
Pond dikes offer scope for growing vegetables, papaya, guava, lemon and other crops alongside fish — providing additional income for farming families and improving nutritional diversity in the community.
This intervention will play a direct role in increasing productivity, reducing poverty, and strengthening the rural economy of the project area.