Project Duration:  November 2016 to October 2021.

Project Areas and Implementing Partners: Community Radio Lokobetar (Amtoli, Barguna), Radio Naf (Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar), Radio Meghna (Charfashion, Bhola), Radio Pollikontha (Moulovibazaar), Radio Padma (Rajshahi), Radio Mohananda (Chapai Nawabgonj), Radio Borendra (Naogaon), Radio Chilmari (Kurigram) and Radio Sarabela (Gaibandha).

Donor: UKAid and through Ipas Bangladesh.

Link with SDG: This project is being contributing of SDGs 03 i.e. ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all stages.

Goal:

• To improve and increase women access to safe Family Planning (FP), Menstruation Regulations (MR) and Post Abortion Care (PAC) services by increasing Knowledge and supporting environment.

Objectives: 

• To improve and increase community awareness of Family Planning services to increasing uptake of Quality Family planning (QFP) services of women and men including adolescents, young adults and newly wedding couples through implementation of community radio program.
• Provide accurate information to the general public, combating myths and misconceptions about modern contraceptive methods of FP and long-acting methods and promoting Post-Partum Family Planning (PPFP) and Post Abortion Family Planning (PAFP) and raising awareness about the FP services available in local facilities.
• Build the capacity of Community Radio station managers, selected producers and local level government personnel, in their ability to communicate and facilitate shame free medically accurate information and conversation on FP methods, Menstruation Regulations (MR) & Post Abortion Care (PAC) with local communities through radio program and community listeners group members.

Expected Outcomes:

• Reduce maternal mortality by contributing to improved access to family planning services
• Improve reproductive choices and reduce unsafe abortion,
• Women are able to access effective FP, safe MR services, and high-quality PAC
• Build capacity of the health system to provide safe services;
• Enabling regulatory and policy environment around sexual and reproductive health care.

Basic Information about your entity

The directorate general of family planning under the ministry of health & family welfare is the key player to inform, educate and provide family planning services among community people in Bangladesh. Women in Bangladesh, especially young women and those residing in hard-to-reach areas, are unable to fully realize their reproductive rights and receive high-quality reproductive health care because of limited access to contraceptive services. So, to increase the availability of high-quality contraceptive services; educate and empower women to access the reproductive health care to which they are entitled; and advocate at the local & national level for improved reproductive health services. The project giving emphasizes reaching un-served and underserved populations, particularly adolescents and newly married women.

About implementing agency -BNNRC

Bangladesh NGO’s Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is a national Apex body on Community Media Development working for building a democratic society based on the Principles of Free Flow of Information, Equitable & Affordable Access to Information & Communication Technology (ICT) for remote & marginalized population.  BNNRC is registered with NGO Affairs Bureau under the Office of the Prime Minister and has been working as a national NGO since 2000.

Project’s description (Activity’s description)

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio & Communication (BNNRC) is being implementing a project in a name of Family Planning in Bangladesh-Improving Quality & Access with the collaboration of nine Radio Stations where women has less access in Family Planning services especially long-acting family planning methods in rural communities.. The goal and objectives of the project are as follows:

As a networking and implementing organization, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio & Communication (BNNRC) is playing a vital role in respect to…

• Help/assist community radio stations (CRSs) for capacity building in respect to program planning, designing and broadcasting for promoting quality family planning (QFP) services.
• Increasing massive awareness among the community people especially eligible couple, adolescents & newly married couples for adopting long lasting method with a view to reducing birth rate which will be contributed to reduce mother & child mortality rate and
• Supplement/complement for achieving desire goal of the project.

 The activities drawn for achieving desire goal of the project as well as strengthening of family planning networks and services areas are as follows.

• Primer print and distribution in the beginning of the project.
• Orientation of relevant staffs of assigned nine Community Radio Stations.
• Radio magazine script development and broadcasting.
• Conduction of live talk show.
• Public Service Announcement (PSA) development and broadcasting.
• Fellowship action in collaboration with local level Journalist & printing media.
• Quiz competition.
• Formation of listener clubs and organizing meeting with them

Two days project orientation training was provided to all Station Managers, Program Producers and local Journalist on project implementation methodology and their roles & responsibilities. As a voice of voiceless and tool of social change, community radios are being preparing and broadcasting interactive programs on accurate information on different methods of Family Planning services especially long-acting methods including Post-Partum Family Planning (PPFP) and Post Abortion Family Planning (PAC) services that choose by individual using local service centers.

This will be improving and increasing women access to safe Family Planning (FP), Menstruation Regulations (MR) and Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP) & Post Abortion Care (PAC) services by increasing knowledge and supporting environment. The project also to develop the Family Planning Health Network among service providers & receivers to explore the possibilities offered by new information and communication technologies (ICT) for the development of a specialized national health information system. The technical and scientific information services according to a new model characterized by decentralized access and cooperative networking among service providers and service receivers at grassroots levels that is addressing to improving health conditions of community people and also reducing mother & child mortality rate.

Highlights of the Project’s partnership activities

The aims of the partnership not only educating and empowering of the people but also to reduce maternal mortality by contributing to improve access to FP services through make inroads on a significant, but neglected areas of maternal health in Bangladesh in respect to death and injury from unwanted pregnancy and reducing the incidence of unsafe abortion by offering modern and high-quality FP and PAC services by trained persons.

A consistent route has been maintained based on social context and stakeholder analysis with specific functions such as information dissemination, interaction and integration of information resources, training, and monitoring and evaluation. The most outstanding feature is that it covers the entire health & family planning domain and offers free-of-charge, shared services.

It also plays a leading role in the social transformation and behavioral change through providing scientific and modern FP health information system in respect to…

• Reduce maternal mortality by contributing to improved access to family planning services
• Improve reproductive choices and reduce unsafe abortion,
• Women are able to access effective FP, safe MR services, and high-quality PAC
• Build capacity of the health system to provide safe services;
• Enabling regulatory and policy environment around sexual and reproductive health care.

Challenges and project’s future perspectives

The learning’s and social impact possibly to replicate in other community radio areas with the participation of multidisciplinary stakeholders. It is also an opportunity to improve BCC materials on family planning and technological development i.e. ICT through trained of service providers, availability of materials & equipment’s at grassroots level.

It will continue to promote universal access to modern & scientific knowledge, and the creation and dissemination of scientific and technical information, taking account of open-access initiatives.

Relation with SDG 03

This project is being contributing of SDGs 03 i.e. ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all stages.

A culture will be created to prevent unintended pregnancies and reducing adolescent childbearing through universal access to sexual and reproductive health care is crucial to the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents through …

• Increased capacity of the health sector in terms of sites, providers, and quality of FP services
• Institutionalized and sustainable attention at the national level to ensure access to FP, MR, and PAC
• Improved client referrals resulting from community outreach and engagement activities.