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Programme Activities of Friendship
PROJECTS/PROGRAMMES / MAIN ACTIVITIES- Health
-Floating Hospital (Total Beneficiaries: 982,804 up to August 2009)
a) / Lifebuoy FriendshipHospital
/ The Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital was initiated by Friendship in 2001 with an aim to provide essential, primary healthcare services to the Char and riverbank based populations of northern Bangladesh. The project was designed to reach Char based population clusters that are isolated from mainstream habitation and have minimal or no access to healthcare services due to lack of transport and communication facilities.
Lifebuoy FriendshipHospital Services:
- General Treatment:
Paediatric Care including immunization, ARI, diarrhea and limited curative care
Reproductive Health Care
Orthopedic Health Care
Eye, ENT and Dental Health Care
- Pathology:
- Referral Services:
Till October2009more than360,123registered beneficiaries have received primary and secondary health care services.
b) / EmiratesFriendship Hospital
/ Following the success of the Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital, Friendship launched second floating hospital on November 22, 2008, the Emirates Friendship Floating Hospital (EFH). The new floating hospital will provide medical services similar to that of the Lifebuoy Friendship hospital and thus further strengthen Friendship’s health initiatives in hard to reach Char areas of Kurigram district.EFH, since its inauguration, has been providing health services near Dhaka but was recently moved to Tongipara, Gopalganj.
In addition to doctor chambers, medicine dispensary and the presence of two full time doctors, EFH is equipped with the following:
Two operating theatres,
Two eight-bed wards,
Paediatric and gynaecology units,
A dental room,
Apathological laboratory, an X-ray room and an ophthalmic room
In the near future, the EmiratesFriendshipHospital will provide health services to 200+NomadIslands / Chars and remote areas in Kurigram and Northern Gaibandha district having a population of approximately 5,000,000 people.
-Specialized Health Care
c) / Secondary Health Services
/ There is an acute need of secondary healthcare services in these areas, but no facilities for providing such services. To address this need Friendship provides secondary healthcare services though the LifebuoyFriendshipHospital and also through specialized health camps. These health camps are arranged regularly with specialist European doctors and provide different types secondary healthcare services including eye, dental and ENT clinic and surgery, pediatric, orthopedic, plastic-reconstructive surgery, post operative care, specialist consultation, referral service etc with the support of Humanitera, BNHS & various private donors.
Friendship Secondary Healthcare Services:
Eye care and surgery through Eye Clinic and Eye Surgery Camp
Dental care and surgery through Dental Clinic and Dental Surgery Camp
Plastic-Reconstructive Surgery Camp
Cleft-lip Surgery Camp
Pediatric Surgery Camp
Orthopedic Surgery Camp
Physiotherapy Camp
ENT Health Camp
General Health and Surgery Camp
Specialist Consultation
Referral Service
Till October 2009 a total of 118,189patients have received advanced secondary health care services from on board secondary care and various health camps.
-Satellite Clinic
d) /
Satellite Clinics (in different remote chars)
/ Friendship operates 232 Satellite Clinics every month in 94 different Nomad Islands/chars of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts which reach the remotest and most inaccessible islands and provide basic services to the women, children and men. The Satellite Clinics’ services are as follows:Another 60 Satellite clinics are operating in Patuakhali, Barguna, Bagerhat and Pirojpur district.
Friendship Satellite Clinic Services:
- General Treatment:
Paediatric Care including immunization, ARI, diarrhea and limited curative care
Reproductive Health Care including ANC, PNC, family planning and STI/RTI
- Health Education/BCC:
- Referral Services:
At present, each month 292 Satellite Clinics are providing healthcare support in most remote and inaccessible Chars and cyclone affected coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Till October 2009,675,010 beneficiaries have received satellite clinics health services.
e) /
Nutrition
/ Majority of the Char children are malnourished. This is not only due to their poverty, lack of awareness also plays a major role. The children takes far less calorie than what is required by their body for healthy growth. This creates long term effect in the health scenario of the Char population. In order to provide balanced, nutrient food to the Char children as well as to increase Char people’s (especially women’s) awareness on nutrient food and food value Friendship is implementing a Nutrition program in the Char areas. The program is aimed at children under 6 years as well as ANC/PNC mothers.The Nutrition Program of Friendship covers:
Health education/counselling
Demonstration of nutrient food cooking
Feeding children under 6 years of age
Growth monitoring
Motivation to personal hygiene.
Every month a total of 292 Satellite Clinics are arranged in Friendship working area and under each Satellite Clinic approximately 100-120 children received the benefits of nutrition programme per year.
f) / Child Immunization (EPI) / In order to reduce women’s and young children’s mortality rates among Char and riverbank based populations, Friendship organizations child immunization sessions at regular intervals. Friendship’s Child Immunization (EPI) program aims at reaching the children as well as women living in remote and inaccessible Chars under immunization program. Friendship organizes EPI sessions both through organizations own funding and also in collaboration with the GOB. Under the immunization program children aged between 0 to 1 years and women aged between 15 to 49 years are given vaccine for prevention of life threatening diseases. This programme has been supported by Government of Bangladesh.
g) /
Family planning
/ Due to a number of reasons including lack of family planning services and non-availability of family planning methods as well lack of awareness and illiteracy, birth rate is very high in the Chars and riverbank areas. Considering the importance of the issue Friendship is working on family planning among eligible couples in the Char areas. With an aim to increase adoption of family planning methods, with special focus on long term methods.Friendship’s Family Planning program includes:
Motivationand counselling of eligible couples
Contraseptive distribution (oral pills and condoms)
NSV, Tubectomy, Injectables
Inserting Norplant & IUD.
Till October 2009, a total of 22,662 beneficiaries have received family planning services from Friendship with the support of GOB.
-Friendship Community Medics
h) / Friendship Community Medics
/ In 2008, Friendship introduced yet another innovative way of delivering primary care to the char dwellers. The program selects women of the community and trains them with the purpose of creating a ‘self-sustaining, primary health service providing’ mechanism on the chars. FCMs undergo intensive training to address disease prevention, maternal and child health, nutrition and family planning issues. FCMs have proved to be an effective and efficient means of improving community health by serving as a vital link between communities and health care systems. Each FCM monitors the health status of 250 households. The program also empowers women with an income source and self confidence.
Friendship Community Medic Services:
- Family Planning and Care of Pregnant Women:
Identifying, registering and educating pregnant women on safe pregnancy, safe delivery, nutrition, ANC and PNC
Referring couples seeking long term family planning method and pregnant women to satellite clinics
- Health Education/BCC:
- Child Health and Immunization:
Educate parents on new born and child care
- Referral Services:
Currently, Friendship has trained and deployed 222 FCMs in the north and south of Bangladesh.
-River Ambulance
i) / River Ambulance / Friendship has launched the FirstcatamaranRiver Ambulance in Bangladesh for the service of the LifebuoyFriendshipHospital and the upcoming EmiratesFloatingHospital serving the population of the chars and riverbanks of the Jamuna. It is the way to answer the medical emergencies and disasters faced by the communities living in the area. The ambulancesare linked by mobile phones to the Friendship Community Teams in health, education and income generation, in over 100 islands of the Jumna.
The Ambulance has been conceived in order to be able to ferry at a time, two patients accompanied by two paramedics and members of their family. It is also able to ferry 15 medical staff at a time to a site in case of major accident or epidemic. The boat has specially been designedand visualized, by the world famous naval architect Mr. Marc Van Peteghem, to match the specific needs to Bangladesh.
- EDUCATION
-Primary Education
a) / Friendship Education Programme
/ In July 2005 Friendship commenced an education programme with an aim to provide essential education services to the poor children living in the chars. The key objective of the programme is to increase literacy among the children of the char dwellers as well as to increase literacy awareness among the char people. Ultimately, the project aims to develop an appropriate model of primary and vocational education for the poorest of the poor in hard to reach areas which is sustainable and replicable.
Friendship Education Program Achievements:
A. Student Enrolment and Retention
Satisfactory student enrollment in all the schools
100% student retention with no cases of drop out
B. Attendance
Throughout the year student attendance has been very satisfactory. In the first year the total average attendance was found to be as high as 98%
C. Learning Outcome
At the end of the first year 89% students (267 out of 300 students) received grade A in all subjects in the final examination
Only 3 students received grade F
D. Additional Support
Providing educational materials free of cost
Warm clothes distribution during the winter session
School plinth raising for flood protection
Emergency school dismantling training to the School Management Committee
Presently the 16 schools are providing formal primary education to 1361 students, (815 are girls and 546 are boys).
b) / Satellite School Project / Friendship has 16 satellite schools in remote chars.The organization has designed and developed the “FriendshipSatelliteSchool Project” which aims to bring the children of new Chars under its education program through an innovative model of cooperative managed satellite schools funded by both the community and the organization. The curriculum is simpler and easier. Target is to equip them for basic reading, writing, mathematical, environmental skills with strong emphasis on moral and ethical developments.
As of August 2009, 480 children are learning in these satellite schools
c) / Non-formal PrimarySchool / Friendship has 25 schools in remoteChars. But these schools cannot provide education to children of other totally school less islands. There is a strong demand for schools in such islands. Every year this demand is increasing. There are more and more children and parents with such demands. With an aim to address the needs to the best of the organization’s responsibility and capacity, Friendship started running its community based schools through cooperatives in the char areas without any external funds.
As of August 2009, 745 students are getting primary education in non-formal primary schools.
d) / Teach a Friend Project / The “Teach a Friend” project involves the drop out and unaddressed children living in remote Chars of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts under the coverage of Friendship’s existing education programme through Friend’s Peer education.
The model is an Innovation of Friendship. This is a Child to Child Education Programme with a strong framework of teacher intervention and motivation.
The key aim of the project is to develop a system of non-formal education through which every student will share their daily learning from the school with a friend (who is to be registered at the school a “friend” at the beginning of the year). Every day, they will teach their friends what they have learned at the school. This way, through peer education in the Char, the school going children will disseminate their learning to their special friends who are deprived and have no access to education.
This program already providedprimary education to 200 children so far.
-Adult and Adolescent Functional Literacy
e) / Adult Education Project / Majority of the char dwellers are illiterate and cannot read and write at a functional level. As a result these people cannot improve their incomes. They have little awareness of the importance of education and often find it difficult to understand many of the messages delivered to them.
Friendship initiated the Adult Education Project in 20 schools in 20 islands. The aim of the project is to increase literacy among the adult char dwellers. The classes are held in the evenings so that the regular income generating activities of the beneficiaries are not hampered. After completion of their studies these students will be enrolled in the Vocational Training programme,
The Adult Education Project will increase char people’s literacy awareness which will encourage them to send more children to schools. Moreover with vocational training they will be able to improve their income and reduce their poverty. This programme is running by Friendship’s own fund.
At present a total of 620 adults and adolescents are getting functional literacy and social education, where 516 are female and 78 are male. 320 adults and adolescents already completed the functional literacy programme.
f) / Vocational Training School (age group: 12-18years children) / The Vocational Training Project focuses on increasing livelihood skills of the adolescents (aged between 12 to 18 years) through vocational training. In selected chars, adolescent boys and girls will be given training on different areas according to their capability and needs assessment. The project was scheduled to start from August 2007 as a pilot project but delayed due to the devastating floods. It has been re-scheduled to be launched during the post-flood rehabilitation of the char dwellers.
As part of the project Friendship will provide vocational training in the following areas:
Light Engineering and Mechanical
Sewing/Tailoring
Plumbing
Electrical
Livestock
Fisheries
Carpentry
Painting
This program provided social education to 400 adolescents
g) / Accessing a Better Life / This is the second phase of a previously introduced project, “Rural Social Education”, undertaken by Friendship to provide civil rights based awareness and uplifting their capacities by addressing certain key issues to improve their livelihood status.
Issues addressed byRural Social Educationwere:
Awareness Building Program on different issues to get the services from existing facilities of Government and NGOs
Health and Family Planning
Education
Water and Sanitation
Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock
Govt. Legal Support Program
Women and Children Affairs, and Social Welfare
In this new phase, the char communities will form long term strategies through the char development committee (CDC), members of which are selected exclusively from their respective chars, to influence the basic services provided to them. Strategies will be developed based on knowledge and awareness of their human and civil rights. Training will be provided to the CDC to better equip them to demand and evaluate the fulfilment of their basic needs from government and non government sources. Finally, this program aims to promote greater economic viability of the marginalized community through skill development activities.
- RELIEF, RECONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION
-Flood and Cyclone Relief, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
a) /
Flooding
/ During the devastating flood in 2004 and 2007, Friendship initiated a massive flood relief programme.In the first phase of this programme Friendship has delivered emergency relief by providing 1,100,000 rations of food and essentials over 125 Chars in 7 districts in northern Bangladesh.In the second phase of the relief programme Friendship is in the process of deliveringanother1,800,000 man days of food relief
Agriculture support is also being given. This consistsof distributing 8 - 10 kg of seeds/farmer for Boro and other cash and food crops. Fertilisers are beingbased on need and availability. Direct agricultural assistance is being made to the lives of 120,000 people (i.e.20, 000 farmers and their 6 member families).
In total Friendship has already distributed/in the process of distributing a total of 3,020,000 rations of food relief and cultivation support for the flood victims in 2007.
Moreover, Friendship has also started providing houses, water and sanitation to 1300 families over 7 districts on the River Jamuna and Brahmaputra. 35-40 community shelters are also in the process of being constructed.
Previously, during the flood 0f 2004 Friendship, delivered emergency relief by providing 600,000 rations of food and essentials over 125 Chars in the remote and inaccessible chars of northern Bangladesh. During that time Friendship provided 600 houses for the poorest of the poor char dwellers.
b) /
Cyclone SIDR
/ On Nov 16, 2007,a category four cyclone ‘SIDR’ hitthe coastal regions of southernBangladesh. The cyclone caused massive destruction in these areas – thousands of lives were lost and unaccountable damages to the property, infrastructure and communication have been reported.
Immediately after the catastrophe Friendship initiated a relief and rehabilitation programme for the SIDR victims. 5 assessment teams were sent to survey the damages and the needs of the cyclone victims. This programme consists of the following components:
Phase 1: Delivering emergency food relief and medical support:
Food relief distribution started almost immediately. Up to now a total of 900,000 man days of food (25,000 food relief packets containing 6 days of food for a family of 6) has been distributed in 5 most affected districts. In many areas Friendship’s food packages have been acknowledged as being the first to reach the people.
On the 3rd day of the cyclone, Friendship sent 5 medical teams from LifebuoyFriendshipHospital to the affected areas. A team of 6 foreign doctors and nurses were also flown in as volunteers from France. They have provided emergency medical support to the victims for one month.
Phase 2: Reconstruction of houses/shelters, water & sanitation:
Reconstruction of houses for the most affected poorest of the poor cyclone victims has been initiated. Construction of a total of 2,000 houses has been targeted in 3 upazillas.A household survey has been already completed for identification and selection of the beneficiaries. Not only that Friendship also reconstructed one rd orphanage and 40 shops which were demolished at the time of cyclone Sidr. One boat Jetty (Ghat) also reconstructed by Friendship.
Phase 3: Rehabilitation through income generation:
Friendship has started post cyclone rehabilitation to help the victims to get back to their normal life. FriendshipLivelihood project, which includes boats, solar panels, beef fattening, agriculture (seeds and fertilizer), fisheries and poultry, etc., has been introduced to the victims. The present status of this project is Friendship has already distributed seed (winter crops), Fertilizer. power tillers, fuel, deep tube-wells, solar panels, boats, nets for fishing, fish fauna, Duck & Chicken, Milking cow, irrigation pumps through cooperatives among selected beneficiaries of 3 severely affected districts named Bagerhat, Barguna and Patuakhali.
For strengthening this programme Friendship also conducted different training programme for the beneficiaries at the sidr affected areas. Friendship already completed agricultural training for the farmers. Training for the school teacher, FCM training also been conducted by Friendship.
Friendship implemented the whole relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation programme in close coordination with local government bodies such as UNO, DC, Bangladesh Army, Navy and other local NGOs in the affected areas.
c) /
Cyclone Aila
/ On Nov 25, 2009,another cyclone ‘AILA’ hitthe coastal regions of southern Bangladesh resulting in widespread destruction in these areas and killing many. Although, not as devastating as Sidr, Aila’s huge tidal waves salinated fresh water causing a severe shortage of drinking water.Friendship responded on the response of cyclone Aila affected victims’ assistance by providing some emergency like –
Emergency Food Relief
Pond Clearing
Health and Medicine Support
School Repair
Friendship’s Emergency Food Relief packets have distributed among families from the three southern costal districts of Bagerhat, Borguna and Potuakhali, ensuring total 7 days food security for each 6 member family.
-Rehabilitation for Victims of Garments Tragedy
d) / Rehabilitation Programme for Garments Workers (Victims of the Spectrum Tragedy) / The “Garments Rehabilitation Project” was initiated by Friendship to provide support for sustainable rehabilitation of the victims of Spectrum garments tragedy at Savar. The project consisted of the following steps:
Identification of the actual victims and their families
Assessing the current situations and the needs of the victims and their families
Exploring the opportunities of establishing income generation project for the victims and their families
Disbursement of cheques to the victims and their families for establishing the income generation project
Providing medical support to injured, ailing victims and their families
Monitoring and follow up the rehabilitation project
Support was given for the following type of income generating activities:
Land mortgage
Land purchase
Milk Cow
Small business/trade (grocery shop, tailoring)
Farming (poultry, fisheries)
Training was provided on the following topics:
Sewing/dress making
Poultry
Fisheries
Dairy
Agriculture
Computer applications
As part of the programme 116 victims (including dead victims’ families and injured victims) have been successfully rehabilitated through integration into mainstream income generation activities.
-Climate and Environment
e) /
Disaster management