AFAP in Bangladesh
Graphics courtesy of http://worldatlas.com
Country Overview
Bangladesh is a very poor and densely populated nation that is prone to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. In recent years primary schools enrolments and gender equality in education have increased, but school dropout rates remain high due to poor quality teaching and the pressures of living in poverty.
Health services in Bangladesh are in need of reform, with over half of Bangladesh’s children malnourished and a high maternal mortality rate of over 13,000 deaths each year during pregnancy or childbirth.
Bangladesh is not self sufficient in terms of food production and thus faces a major problem of food insecurity, with the World Food Programme hoping to provide food for over 10 million people in 2009. |
Bangladesh
Land Area 0.15 m sq km
Population: about 162 million
Poverty Report
Human Development Index for 2008: ranked 147 out of 177 countries
Percentage of population living on less than $2/day: 84% |
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OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER:
Operation Cleft
In Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, it is estimated that more than 300,000 people have an untreated cleft lip and/or palate. These facial deformities can lead to severe infection, deafness, inability to speak clearly, acute malnutrition through difficulty in eating and, above all, social exclusion. For most, a simple operation could change their life. However, hundreds of thousands of people still go through life with this affliction simply because they cannot afford surgery.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation Cleft has been committed to improving the life prospects of the children of Bangladesh by providing free reconstructive surgery to repair cleft lips and palates. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of staff and donors, Operation Cleft has changed the lives of more than 4,500 children, and over the next 12 months, another 1,000 children born with a cleft palate are expected to be able to smile, eat, and learn to
speak properly for the very first time.
AFAP and Operation Cleft have over the years strongly supported the promotion of in-country sustainability of the project. Medical training, educational and rehabilitation services, and community outreach programs are thus regarded as cornerstones of Operation Cleft’s programs. In order to establish an in- country infrastructure for surgery and health treatments, and assist with the development of speech and language therapy services in Bangladesh, Operation Cleft has developed a three-year partnership with a local NGO CDD (Centre for Disability in
Development), the Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI) and the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP). Through the assistance of AFAP, Operation Cleft and its in-country partners, children with disabilities and their families have not only had access to health care services, but also to post-surgical treatments and assistance.
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