So as a few of you have noticed, I kind of "fell off the blogosphere." Things got pretty crazy busy here. Working in Bangladesh is definitely challenging, and it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. There's something hard every day, whether it's logistical, bureaucratic, a communication/language issue, or occasionally something related to the actual implementation of our project.
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| National level review |
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote, so I'll try to recap. First the work stuff. As I may have mentioned, we are working on putting together a "toolkit" of communication resources for "frontline workers." Basically what that means is that we collected and reviewed high quality communication resources, such as pamphlets, posters, TV spots, etc. that can facilitate communication and counseling between health providers and families. These resources all focus on family planning, maternal and child health, and nutrition.
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| This lovely lady helps me with everything at DGFP |
An example would be a poster or pamphlet which shows pictures representing the danger signs of pregnancy (e.g. hemorrhage, high fever, etc.) which would indicate a possible emergency complication, and the pregnant woman should be rushed to a health facility.
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| Community Health Workers in the field reviewing a TV spot for contraceptive pills |
We are packaging the best resources together in an electronic toolkit on small laptops that will be given to a few community health workers in two districts in Bangladesh. After collecting over a hundred communication resources, we needed to review them to determine which ones are "best," so we conducted a two-phase review. First, some of my colleagues at the national level government unit where I work reviewed the materials for accuracy and alignment with the national health strategies.
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| The whole team who helped in Dhamrai |
Then we went to the field, and health workers who work directly with families both in the community and in facilities reviewed the rest of the materials for usefulness in their work. Both phases were very challenging but rewarding when finished!
Now that we have all the best materials identified, we just have to get all the electronic versions and organize them into a toolkit.
We're also building eLearning courses and making a lot of progress and working with a local production company to make them into professional videos. Although, it's been a lot of work, we have definitely come a long way in the last couple months. Besides work, we've also had a lot of fun and travels, including trips to Thailand, the Sundarbans, and I even went home to the states for two weeks. I'll write updates about the fun stuff soon.
I miss everyone at home so much, but I'm looking forward to being back soon.
Love,
Cassie
