“People meet each other without prior knowledge. It is a person’s character which displays their true attributes to the eyes.”
-Proverb of Bangladesh
WHAT WE DO
Meeting health and education needs is especially challenging in Bangladesh. Volunteers from Mid-Main Community Health Centre in Vancouver created BHP - the Bangladesh Health Project at the invitation of a Bangladeshi educationalist. Bangladeshis are resourceful people and we have always followed their guidance about how to offer our support. We have teamed up with education institutes and non-government organizations tackling the social drivers of health through health care worker training, nutrition and education.
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Our initial goal was to develop human resources in Bangladesh to improve quality of nurse education. Since 2003, BHP volunteers have been working with Dhaka’s IUBAT- International University of Business Agriculture and Technology to launch a nursing school (BScN degree). IUBAT alumni are now working in Bangladesh and Nepal as front-line nurses, instructors and leaders. Others have emigrated for jobs or graduate study.
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Our next priority was to “train the trainers” and to develop Open Educational Resources for novice nurse educators in partnership with Nurses International. Now we are creating career pathways by supporting nurses and others studying at the Masters level in Public Health.
More recently, BHP volunteers have assisted development of nursing care in hospitals through infection control and quality improvement. As well, BHP volunteers have supported programs to improve home care for elderly and disabled people. Currently we are partnering with a rural development NGO that runs a primary school and a vocational college that will train engineers, computer technologists, community health workers and other technical trades.
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Our Activities for 2024
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Our biggest initiative in Bangladesh is through our continued partnership with Oasis for Posterity. This NGO operates a primary school, two early learning centres and OIST, a vocational college in north-west Bangladesh. Currently OIST trains Computer Science and Civil Engineer students; in the future the college will offer a training program for community health workers. Support for these educational programs is our biggest financial commitment so please let us know if you would like to contribute.
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Also through OFP we are supporting a primary care clinic that provides screening and referral services for people with chronic illness. The site can also be used for training BScN and MPH students. During 2024 we will continue our fund-raising for this small program.
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Working with Nurses International, we have converted the IUBAT BScN curriculum to an Open Educational Resource that has now been used in over 140 countries. Our latest initiative in global human resources for health is creating an ethical approach to nurse emigration based on reciprocal support for nurse education in Bangladesh and Canada.
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Our university partner in Bangladesh, IUBAT, has enrolled the first batch of students in a new Masters in Public Health Program. This will create a career pathway for nurses and other health care professionals. We are directly teaching courses and also assisting with program development.
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We will continue to support other health-related initiatives through Sajida Foundation and service-based research on reproductive health with Dr. Nazmul Huda.
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We continue to work through Mid-Main Community Health Centre in Vancouver. We rely on our BHP Advisory Committee of international experts to help us develop, plan and monitor programs.
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As always, we welcome volunteer contributions and involvement in these activities, whether working from home or in Bangladesh. Donations are always welcome. We spend 100% of your contributions on projects in Bangladesh; BHP Directors pay directly for our overhead costs.
Oasis Institute of Science and Technology, currently training Computer Science and Civil Engineering students, in future, training health care workers
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME
The BHP offers stimulating and meaningful volunteer work for nurses and other health care professionals to contribute to sustainable change in the health care system. We recruit RNs, LPNs, Physicians, Allied Health and Public Health Professionals to teach lectures and supervise clinical placements for BScN and MPH students at in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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If you, or someone you know, is interested in volunteering, please contact us with any questions.
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MAKE A DONATION
Want to join our efforts but not sure where to start?
Make a Donation. We spend 100% of your contribution on projects. All overhead costs are paid by the directors.
It’s a great way to contribute to our cause, and every little bit counts towards paving the path for a better tomorrow.
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PARTNER WITH US
Our organization always appreciates the generous involvement of people like you.
Our activities are guided by our Bangladesh partners so that every contribution directly benefits the lives of needy people.
There are many ways to participate. We want to provide you with appropriate information related to your resources and interests, so please contact us with your questions.
Partners
