Mental health -- from taboo to tool

BHP volunteers in training session with mental health nurses and nurse educators

Since 2023, we have been working with Sajida Foundation, one of the leading NGOs in Bangladesh, to develop their psychiatric services. During 2025 BHP volunteers based in Canada provided weekly training and mentoring sessions via video link.

Zahida Kabir, Executive Director, Sajida Foundation

In this interview, Sajida Foundation Executive Director, Zahida Kabir describes the philosophy behind their innovative mental health programs. "Mental health is not a luxury," she says. "Rather, it's a necessity. We're trying to shift how people think about mental health -- from taboo to tool." After many years operating community-based programs, in mid-2025, Sajida Foundation opened “The Neuroscience & Psychiatry Hub”, Bangladesh's first private long-term psychiatric facility for severe conditions such as bipolar disorder and psychosis. Before The Hub, "There was no place in Dhaka where you could admit a loved one without fear of stigma or substandard care," Kabir said to the Daily Star reporter. "So we built one. We had to navigate a vacuum: There were no licensing frameworks, no unified oversight. We engaged with ministries, councils, and local authorities -- no one had a blueprint. We took seven years to get this model right. Every centre, every therapist, every session must reflect that standard. This isn't just a care facility; it's a culture shift."

Bluebell School graduates

Most of the students attending Bluebell School live in nearby social housing provided by government for very poor families. In most of these families, the parents are only partially literate and may not be able to assist their children’s learning. However, as we have heard in community dialogues sponsored by Oasis for Posterity, Bluebell parents are strongly supportive of better education for their children.

Rabiul Islam, President of OFP reports that recently nine Grade 5 students graduated from Bluebell School and all went on to secondary school. This is an important achievement because child marriage is still widespread in Bangladesh. Some parents believe there is no benefit for their family to educate a daughter who will move to her husband’s family home after marriage.

Mr. Altaf, Headmaster of Bluebell School approached the headmasters of better-quality local schools to request financial assistance for Bluebell graduates. Due to his intervention, one school offered significantly reduced rates for several students and anther will provide totally free education for one student. The higher expectations of these private schools will give the students a better chance for future academic success.

After secondary school, Bluebell graduates interested in computer science or civil engineering will be eligible for free tuition for their complete program of study at OIST - Oasis Institute of Science and Technology. Bluebell School is funded by BHP supporters. OIST is also funded by BHP, although over time we expect that tuition fees will cover more costs. Please contact us if you would like to help support these education programs.

BHP– Update January 2026

Since BHP began in 2004, hundreds of individuals have participated as visiting faculty, home-based resource persons and donors. You deserve a BIG THANK-YOU! for your support. Having completed our initial task to start a nursing college, we now support specific requests from various Bangladesh partners. (Our website and our blog have much more information.)

1.    In Bangladesh our partner, Oasis for Posterity, delivers various programs in the village of Balagram. We support operating costs of Bluebell Primary School (Kindergarten to Grade 6) and OfP Institute of Science and Technology [OIST] a vocational college offering courses in engineering and computer technology. We are very pleased with OIST student performance on recent government exams.

2.    In the twenty years since BHP helped start the IUBAT College of Nursing [CoN] demand for nursing education has increased dramatically. Presently we are focusing on system-level supports for nursing practice, including research to update our monograph, “Advancing Nurse Education in Bangladesh”.

3.    The IUBAT Masters of Public Health Program has over fifty students enrolled; the first batch recently graduated. BHP Directors John Richards and Alex Berland teach and support program development.

4.    Other BHP activities. After US-AID abruptly de-funded public health programs earlier this year, we created “Public Health Café” as an on-line space where public health professionals could learn and network with others. We have also continued work with Sajida Foundation, supporting their innovative mental health programs through weekly training and mentoring sessions. An IUBAT CoN graduate supported by our donors completed his first degree at Oxford University and is applying for his next research position. There are more updates on various activities on our BHP website blog.

5.    Your contributions make a difference! This is how your donations were spent:

·         A major on-going expense is salaries for teachers at Bluebell and OIST. Bluebell serves very poor families and charges no fees. OIST charges fees but most students now receive grants or loans to cover some portion. Over time, OIST will be self-supporting, but we are not there yet.

·         Our next greatest expense is teaching equipment for OIST as we upgrade Computer Technology and Civil Engineering labs to match student learning needs. Teaching materials for Bluebell are also an on-going expense.

·         We support OfP to provide basic health screening services for people suffering chronic illness. Health and education bursaries are a lesser expense but extremely important for the ultra-poor recipients. For instance, cataract surgery in one eye costs about $50; a bursary to keep a female student in high school is $40 per semester .

6.    100% of your donations are spent on BHP programs; all administration and personal travel costs are paid by the Directors. Vancouver’s Mid-Main Community Health Centre continues to host BHP activities and issues CRA charitable donation receipts for health programs. You can donate here or for more information, please contact us.

Thank you again for your support to communities in need. We welcome questions and feedback.  And please subscribe to our blog for the latest updates.