News story

In her words: A heavy monsoon, a flooded hospital and twins on the way. A midwife’s story in Bangladesh

calendar_today07 April 2022

Shakila Parvin, a midwife in the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, helped a woman pregnant with twins deliver during heavy flooding that submerged the health facility's maternity ward, knocked out power and destroyed or damaged equipment and supplies. © UNFPA Bangladesh
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Slideshow

Floods, landslides ravage Rohingya camps in Bangladesh

calendar_today08 August 2021

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<p>Torrential monsoon rains on July 26 and 27 flooded Rohingya camps in Cox&#39;s Bazar, Bangladesh, killing six, displacing more than 13,000 and destroying nearly 4,000 shelters. UNFPA is on the ground, supporting a field hospital for new mothers and their babies, providing sexual and reproductive health and rights services and distributing basic hygiene supplies.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Nelson Halder</p>

<p>HOPE Field Hospital in Camp 4, the only comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care and sexual and reproductive health and rights facility in the Rohingya camps, was hit hard. Flooding&nbsp;damaged medicine supplies, patient records,&nbsp;and medical equipment in the neonatal ward (above) so newborns needing care were evacuated&nbsp;to a partner facility. Beds were waterlogged, and the water filtration and drainage system was compromised when the fuel drum for the generator was destroyed. UNFPA is supporting the facility with health personnel, supplies and resources to help keep it operational. &copy;UNFPA Bangladesh/Fahima Tajrin</p>

<p>Midwives are still delivering babies at HOPE Field Hospital even as cleanup efforts are underway in affected parts of the hospital. With roads washed away, some patients and providers cannot reach a health facility. &copy;UNFPA Bangladesh/Fahima Tajrin</p>

<p>A temporary tent installed in Camp 9 provides sexual and reproductive health and rights services, including family planning and gender-based violence protection,&nbsp;to vulnerable women and girls. There are 27 other women-friendly spaces providing a range of support, from counselling&nbsp;to dignity kits to midwifery services. &copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Fahima Tajrin</p>

<p>Standing water is a boon for breeding mosquitoes, exacerbating&nbsp;mosquito-borne illnesses. HOPE Field Hospital staff working in dirty water are experiencing skin irritations. &copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Fahima Tajrin&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Referral hub teams, supported by UNFPA, relocated&nbsp;patients to nearby facilities with emergency transport and referral services.&nbsp;&copy; International Rescue Committee</p>

<p>Learning centres run by UNFPA partners housed displaced households, including this one in Camp 1E that sheltered 14 people. The Gender-Based Violence Sub-Sector Coordination&nbsp;conducts field visits to observe safety concerns, including&nbsp;gender-based violence risks.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA/Sofia Canovas</p>

News

Increasing access to sexual and reproductive health and HIV programmes for gender-diverse communities in Bangladesh

calendar_today08 June 2021

Shohan Hijra, a transgender woman in Dhaka, Bangladesh with her boyfriend, Arif, has participated in sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes for gender-diverse populations. Photo credit: Md. Masbah Uddin Ahmed/Bandhu Social Welfare Society
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News

Budding photographers in post-cyclone Bangladesh capture wreckage – and resilience

calendar_today12 May 2021

A woman in Patuakhali Sadar walked miles to reach an outhouse damaged during Cyclone Amphan. It was built by her family, who cannot afford repairs. © UNFPA Bangladesh/Tajbit Ahammad Barat
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Slideshow

Budding photographers capture post-cyclone Bangladesh

calendar_today12 May 2021

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<p>Four young volunteers &ndash;&nbsp; Md. Tajbit Ahammad Barat, Sumaia Akter, Md. Naimur Rahman Zihad and Rujina Begum &ndash; spent four months learning how to shoot pictures and documenting the lives of women and girls affected by last May&#39;s Cyclone Amphan in Bangladesh, with camera equipment and virtual training supplied by UNFPA and partner Concerned Women for Family Development (CWFD). A selection of photographs were used to raise awareness of community needs among the public. Here is what they saw through their lenses.</p><p>Hafeja Begum&nbsp;helps her mother with domestic duties. Cyclone Amphan destroyed their house&nbsp;in Pukurjana. &copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Sumaia Akter&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amena Begum&nbsp;and her child, in Lohalia.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Naimur Rahman Zihad</p>

<p>Setara Begum, 69, at her home in Mahipur.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Tajbit Ahammad Barat</p>

<p>Sharmin, a 10-year-old in Nutanpara.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Rujina Begum</p>

<p>Last spring, Morsheda Begum&#39;s house on the bank of a river in Chandkhali village collapsed while she was working in the sun.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Sumaia Akter</p>

<p>As an only child, Honufa Akter, 13, is tasked with many chores to help her mother in Lohalia.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Naimur Rahman Zihad</p>

<p>Two sisters in front of their house in the village of Babul Bazar.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Tajbit Ahammad Barat</p>

<p>A woman is nearly camouflaged in a garden of bean sprouts.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Rujina Begum</p>

<p>Layju Begum, 27, cradles her infant in Patuakhali Sadar.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Naimur Rahman Zihad</p>

<p>You can just detect 10-year-old Mosa Ankhi&#39;s smile beneath that bale of dried grasses.&nbsp;&copy; UNFPA Bangladesh/Tajbit Ahammad Barat</p>

News

We must empower women and girls to claim their bodily autonomy, leaders affirm

calendar_today19 March 2021

Catarina Furtado visits a new mother in a maternity ward. The right to make essential choices, such as when and whether to become a parent, and to see a doctor, must be realized for all, she said. Image courtesy of Catarina Furtado.
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News

The Rohingya influx, three years on

calendar_today10 September 2020

Midwife Rotna speaks with Minara about her newborn baby. Maternal health services are continuing despite the pandemic. © UNFPA
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Publication date

Jun 2020

Author

UNFPA, UNWOMEN

Resources

Bangladesh: Funding for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in humanitarian programming

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Publisher

UNFPA

Publication date

23 July 2020

Resources

Bangladesh: Gender-biased sex selections Explained

News

Bangladesh midwives continue saving lives as country responds to pandemic

calendar_today08 April 2020

In pandemic-affected Madaripur, midwife Selina Akter delivered a baby girl. Image courtesy of Selina Akter
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