Stories by title [A-Z]
'A silent emergency' as Bangladesh's poor suffer from economic downturn
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
A day in the lives of two homeless brothers in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 12 March 2009 – The sun had not yet risen when the two boys woke up. By 4 a.m., the port on the River Buriganga here in the capital of Bangladesh was alive and bustling.
After the storm, Bangladesh cyclone survivors struggle through trying times
BAGERHAT, Bangladesh, 6 December 2007 – It was close to noon in Khuriakhali Bazaar, a market in the Sharankhola sub-district of Bagerhat, when the UNICEF team arrived after a long walk.
A life lived in ‘exit mode’ – floods continue to bring destruction
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 21 September 2007 – Even as they are beginning to piece their lives back together, residents of Bangladesh are bracing themselves for a second round of flooding in as many months
A young Bangladeshi mother and her child survive a trafficking nightmare
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 January 2009 – Maleka’s intention was to provide a better life in India for her two-year-old daughter, Rasheda. At the time, she was just 16, and her job in a garment factory in Chittagong was difficult and paid very little.
Bangladesh and Bermuda cricketers stamp out HIV/AIDS stigma
ARANGUEZ, Trinidad, 23 March 2007 – ICC World Cup 2007 cricketers from Bangladesh and Bermuda teamed up with children and young people in Trinidad on Thursday to help break the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS.
Bangladesh launches mass immunization campaign after polio re-emerges
CHANDPUR, Bangladesh, 13 April 2006 – After a five-year absence, polio has re-emerged in Bangladesh, sending a fresh alert and boosting eradication efforts across the country.
Bangladesh prepares to conduct the world’s largest-ever measles immunization campaign
The government – with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners – is preparing supplies, health workers, volunteers and the public for the start of this unprecedented three-week campaign, which begins on 25 February.
Bangladesh puts the spotlight on children during Child Rights Week
Bangladesh's Child Rights week programme was jam-packed with activities for children, media and policy makers.
Bangladesh television stations tune into kids
What do Bangladeshi children think about their country? What are they worried about? What are their hopes for the future? Bangladesh tuned into kids to find out on 1 March 2009.
Ban Soon-taek visits a UNICEF-supported school for working children in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 17 November 2008 – Ban Soon-taek, wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, recently visited a UNICEF-supported learning centre for working children in Bangladesh.
Bird flu: Quick reporting and mass awareness needed
Lockman lost all his 1,165 chickens to Bird Flu. Many farmers still do not report abnormal bird deaths. Lack of awareness on Avian Influenza leads to unsafe practices. UNICEF is supporting Bangladesh Government to implement risk communication activities.
Birth Registration Day helps ensure basic human rights in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 9 July 2007 – Last week the Government of Bangladesh officially observed national Birth Registration Day in order to highlight the importance of birth certificates for adults and children alike.
Bringing good hygiene to rural Bangladesh through ‘Para Centres’
BARAICHARI, Bangladesh, 22 January 2008 – In a classroom made of tin in the Baraichari Village preschool, five-year-old Umenu Marma and her friend clap each other’s hands and sing along to the beat.
Changing children’s lives, one story at a time
The Meena Media Awards were recently celebrated in Dhaka, to recognise journalists and producers who promote children's issues in the media.
Child-friendly classes and parent meetings boost attendance at a new early learning centre
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Child-friendly spaces provide a safe place to recover after Cyclone Sidr
PATUAKHALI, Bangladesh, 30 November 2007 – It is 7 a.m., and approximately 200 children have gathered on the roof of a government office in cyclone-ravaged Subidkhali village.
‘Child-to-child’ programme fosters early learning for pre-schoolers in Bangladesh
LALMONIRHAT, Bangladesh, 14 July 2009 – In the sticky heat of early afternoon, the children of the Haribhanga Dargarpar Government Primary School – set amidst the lush green rice paddies of Sadar sub-district – are bent over their school desks, drawing.
Children interview Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on TV
Bangladesh Prime Minister was interviewed by twenty children on the occasion of the National Children’s Day. Among them are children living on the streets, child workers and orphans. The programme supported by UNICEF was broadcast by BTV.
Children learn good hygiene habits from each other
In Gaibandha, children get together for interactive sessions on personal hygiene. There is no teacher. A child is leading the group.
Community helps continue education in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Colourful defiance of disability
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Communities in Bangladesh unite to stop injuries, a top killer of children
RAIGANJ, Bangladesh, 7 August 2006 – As the day drew to a close, the entire village of Roha gathered to answer a difficult question. A week earlier, a four-year-old girl, Ashamoni, drowned in a pond. Her father was at work in a garment factory.
Community outreach on hygiene for cyclone-affected families in Bangladesh
GABTALI, Bangladesh, 19 March 2008 – Pushi is very clean, washing her hands with water and soap whenever she uses the latrine and rinsing out the latrine pan when she is finished.
Cricket stars visit centre for drug users to raise AIDS awareness in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 15 January 2009 - Bilash regularly visits the UNICEF-supported Naya Bazaar drop-in centre in Dhaka city to receive help for his drug addiction. But even in his wildest dreams, the 11-year-old never expected to meet the captain
Changing the world with a camera
Fifteen films by Bangladeshi children were short listed for the 2nd International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh. Screams, tears of joy and the claps followed as filmmakers Masud Al Kaosar (16) and Shubhajit Bhowmik (18) ran to the stage.
Children’s news agency changing the face of Bangladeshi media
It looked like any other press conference in the capital, but there was one big difference: on this particular day it was Bangladesh’s top newspaper editors on the receiving end of pointed questions – from children.
Child sexual exploitation: Breaking taboo
Anwara was only 17 years old when she was tricked into accompanying her cousin's husband to Kolkata. At one point, I realised that I was in Mumbai." Anwara is scared and ashamed to admit that she was forced to work in a brothel.
Children raise education issues with Minister
After meeting the Prime Minister, children interviewed the Minister of Education for ‘Our Voice’, a monthly 40-minute TV programme broadcast by Bangladesh Television (BTV). They raised issues of education quality, access to school for working children.
Cyclone in Bangladesh: UNICEF and partners join emergency relief effort
NEW YORK, USA, 18 November 2007 – UNICEF and its humanitarian partners in Bangladesh are rushing emergency supplies to hundreds of thousands of families in areas devastated by Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest storm to hit the impoverished nation in a decade.
Dhaka’s Education Fair kicks off a nation-wide festival of learning
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
‘Empowerment of Adolescents’ programme helps people cope after Cyclone Aila
BARGUNA, Bangladesh, 29 June 2009 – Cyclone Aila swept through south-west Bangladesh on 25 May, reducing homes to rubble, destroying crops and leaving villagers without safe water or sanitation.
Empowering girls by challenging the tradition of child marriage
CHAPAI NAWABGANJ, Bangladesh, 31 August 2006 – Less than a year ago, Mosamad Mounjera Khatun watched as her future was decided without her consent. Her parents had arranged for her to be married, though she was only 14-years old.
Ensuring arsenic-free water for villagers in Bangladesh
NABINAGAR, Bangladesh, 23 June 2009 – No matter how hard Abeda Khatum – a young villager in the community of Zinodpur – pumps the tubewell, no water comes out. The rainy season is about to start, but for now, the canal boats are stranded in the mud.
Eyewitness account reveals devastating impact of cyclone in southern Bangladesh
BARISAL, Bangladesh, 19 November 2007 – The winds howled all night and the rain came down in sheets. The following morning, A. H. Towfique Ahmed set out to visit the local area.
Fighting AIDS and drug use in Bangladesh, one needle at a time
RAJSHAHI, Bangladesh, 25 August 2006 – Carrying a large umbrella to shield herself from the hot sun, Mosammat Sabera Yasmin walks along a narrow alley in a poor neighbourhood in this western Bangladeshi city.
German First Lady Eva Luise Koehler visits UNICEF-supported projects in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 24 October 2008 – “I have to choose between being hungry or going to school.” These sentiments, as expressed by a 12-year old girl who works in a rice husking mill in Bangladesh will never be forgotten by Germany's First Lady
George Harrison honoured on 35th anniversary of ‘Concert for Bangladesh’
NEW YORK, USA, 1 August 2006 – Thirty-five years after George Harrison’s ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ raised over $15 million for UNICEF, the late Beatle has been inducted into the Madison Square Garden ‘Walk of Fame’.
Girls transform slum area in Bangladesh by educating their neighbours on hygienic living
Dolly Akter has a simple theory: “Life is for help.” The 16-year-old will have a chance to help and influence many people this week when she takes part in the Children’s World Water Forum in Mexico City.
Goodwill Ambassador Shakira reaches out to cyclone survivors in rural Bangladesh
PATUAKHALI, Bangladesh, 21 December 2007 – Internationally acclaimed singer, musician and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira travelled to Bangladesh recently and met with women and children whose lives have been affected by Cyclone Sidr.
Hill Tracts communities working to ensure the survival of mothers and newborns
Minu Prue was a 26 year-old widow when she died of post-delivery complications in February this year. Her village, Monji, in Bandarban district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, south east Bangladesh is six hours by foot from the Bandarban District Hospital.
Hygiene promoters teach safe sanitation practices in Bangladesh
HATITILA, Bangladesh, 31 July 2008 – At the community development centre in Hatitila, a remote village in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, Athoi Marma, 19, teaches songs about safe hygiene practices to 20 pre-school children.
Infants, mothers of cyclone Sidr-hit areas find solace in power-packed food
BARISAL, Bangladesh, 15 September 2008: The women attending the information session on Supplementary Feeding Programme (SFP) in a room at the Shariktala Union Parishad office of Pirojpur district in southern Bangladesh
Infants, mothers of cyclone Sidr-hit areas find solace in power-packed food
This part of Bangladesh was worst affected by cyclone Sidr of mid-November 2007, which greatly eroded the capacity of the households to access adequate food and nutrition.
Injury prevention initiatives raise awareness
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Khaleda puts a stop to early marriage in her community
Khaleda Begum, 17, is not like most other teenagers in Bangladesh. Khaleda is a peer leader, a force for change in her community. A few months ago she stopped the marriage of a 13 year old girl.
Learning to smile: Protecting children at risk
When Jamal was just 11 his father died. Jamal was forced to work and severely beaten by his older brother if he didn’t. To escape the abuse he was facing at home, 13 year old Jamal jumped on a bus to Dhaka. Then what happened?
Meena is for all
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Millions affected by floods in Bangladesh face ‘a desperate situation’
NEW YORK, USA, 7 August 2007 – This year’s monsoon rains have caused unprecedented human suffering in Bangladesh. More than half of the country’s 64 districts are severely affected.
Millions of Bangladeshi children lather up for global handwashing day
It is almost midday on a hot and humid Thursday as hundreds of school children sit alongside long, makeshift troughs with soap in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
Muhammad Yunus, microcredit pioneer and UNICEF partner, awarded Nobel Peace Prize
NEW YORK, USA, 13 October 2006 – This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, a pioneer in microcredit lending whose Grameen Bank has partnered with UNICEF on development projects benefiting vulnerable women and children
Meena, a positive role model for Bangladeshi children
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
New vaccine to prevent child pneumonia and meningitis in Bangladesh
KHULNA, Bangladesh, 12 February 2009 – One recent morning, the general paediatric ward of Khulna Shishu children’s hospital, southwest of Dhaka, was crammed with patients and their attendants.
Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus honoured at UN for fighting poverty
NEW YORK, New York, 22 November 2006 – Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and the ‘microcredit’ principle, was honoured at the UN this week for his work to eliminate poverty and empower women worldwide.
Opening school doors for girls and disadvantaged children in Bangladesh
Down a warren of shanties built with corrugated steel and thatched wood, Morzina Begum and her parents live in a one-room shack, sharing a common kitchen and toilet with several other families.
Over 14 million Bangladeshi children join the global hand washing bandwagon
A teenage boy takes some friends to his home for lunch but his sister-in-law would not serve them food because they had not washed their hands with soap. This is from a play by the students of a school in Bangladesh on the Global Hand Washing Day.
Parvez makes a splash
A champion child swimmer has been identified through the SwimSafe programme, which teaches survival swimming to reduce child drowning. It is funded by UNICEF and run by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh.
Preventing bone disorders through better nutrition in Bangladesh
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 19 October 2009 – Five-year-old Jasmeen suffers from rickets – a preventable disorder caused by malnutrition which manifests as a softening of the bones. Her legs are severely deformed and bowed.
Proving children can do great things
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Reducing arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh
MUNSHIGANJ, Bangladesh, 11 September 2006 – Salma Begum would lie awake at night, unable to sleep for worrying about who would take care of her children if she died of cancer.
Relief supplies provided to flood-affected communities in Bangladesh
SIRAJGANJ DISTRICT, Bangladesh, 14 August 2007 – The devastation caused by the monsoon flooding of last month is visible throughout Bangladesh, but nowhere more than on the faces of the survivors themselves in Sirajganj
Returned camel jockeys spark community education on child rights
Kawsar, 10, has returned to Bangladesh from the UAE where he was trafficked to work as a camel jockey. He is now being reintegrated in his community like 168 children involved in camel racing. Community Committees have been set up to promote child rights.
Rock-and-roll benefit concerts: Music to UNICEF’s ears
NEW YORK, USA, 7 December 2006 – UNICEF has started many trends over the years. One of the most influential – the rock-and-roll benefit concert – began in 1971, when George Harrison and Ravi Shankar teamed up with UNICEF to raise money for children.
Saving mother’s lives: the dedication of a doctor
23 years ago, Dr Emdad lost a patient: a young mother died because of severe bleeding after childbirth. Plagued by grief and guilt, Dr Haque dedicated his career to ensuring safe childbirth and motherhood.
Shamima’s story: Bringing clean water and hygiene to a Bangladesh slum area
The painting has two sides depicting two versions of the world – one where water is dirty and sanitation practices are unhealthy, the other where water is clean and community sanitation is very good.
Shetra’s story – the life of a sexually exploited child in Bangladesh
BARISAL, Bangladesh, 19 November 2008 – A recent survey by UNICEF Bangladesh found the average age at which children became involved in commercial sexual exploitation was 13.
Sidr-hit people keep close vigil on community water facility
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Slum dwellers lack sanitation infrastructure and hygiene knowledge
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Surveying the needs of children and women in Bangladesh through ‘MICS’
BAGERHAT, Bangladesh, 4 August 2009 – It is hot and humid when Madhuri Samaddar, 28, reaches Boalkhali Bazar in Swarankhola, south-west Bangladesh. In the crowded neighbourhood, she walks to Sheresta Bari, a tiny slum with a few makeshift houses...
Swimming instruction prevents child deaths
Bangladesh has done well on preventing major child killers such as diarrhoea and measles but preventing deaths from drowning was not on the priority list.Now it is time to address previously hidden issues.
Symposium on poverty recommends child-sensitive social protection in South Asia
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 21 April 2008 – Policy makers and experts from eight countries met in Dhaka last week for a symposium to address poverty. The symposium focused on how expanded social protection could serve as a strategy to transform social policy .
Taking the lead: Adolescents of Bangladesh promote HIV/AIDS
The voices of more than 10,000 adolescent boys and girls were heard loud and clear chanting “We are the leaders; we will stop AIDS”. Their messages resonated across the country. Police had to close a major road to give them room.
Tatulia: A Bangladesh village in dire need of safe water
TATULIA, Bangladesh, 29 January 2008 – Tatulia, a small village at the bank of the Modhumoti river, is home to around 116 families. Last year, erosion from the river washed away one fourth of the village.
Teaching sanitation to the urban poor in Bangladesh
GAIBANDHA, Bangladesh, 25 March 2009—Mahmuda Akhter is an educated young woman in her 20s. This morning, she is rounding up housewives for an informal meeting. Her mission is to share lessons on personal hygiene, neighbourhood cleanliness, sanitation.
The hard road home for young camel jockeys from Bangladesh
MOHESHPUR, Bangladesh, 18 September 2006 – On a dry rice field that has been transformed into a football pitch, 13-year-old Rubel and his 11-year-old brother Shumon struggle to control the ball against their older and taller adversaries.
UNICEF distributes biscuits to malnourished children during ‘rat flood’ food crisis
BELAICHARI, Bangladesh, 26 August 2008 – UNICEF and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) are distributing food relief in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of south-eastern Bangladesh, where a plague of rats is devastating crops and triggering a food crisis.
UNICEF doctor steps in to perform emergency caesarean at a rural hospital
CHAUGHACHHA, Bangladesh, 3 July 2007 – In rural areas of Bangladesh, surgery is never straightforward. When 20-year-old Lipy arrived at the Chaugachha Upazila health complex, the doctors told her that she would require a caesarean section in order to save
UNICEF helping families affected by Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 4 June 2009 – In the days since Cyclone Aila hit the fifteen coastal districts of Bangladesh on 25 May, the magnitude of the damage has begun to unfold.
UN Joint Mission visits cyclone survivors in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 23 November 2007 – A week after Cyclone Sidr pummelled Bangladesh, the survivors are struggling to pick up the pieces. A roof overhead, food, water and sanitation are the most critical needs.
Using theatre to raise awareness of bird flu prevention in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 22 May, 2008 – With its feel of suburban comfort, Dhour village in the Harirampur Union does not look like a typical Bangladeshi town. But, like many towns in Bangladesh, Dhour is home to many small poultry farms.
Voice of Meena
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 8 April 2009 – There's a sense of urgency as health workers wind their way along tiny rickety alleys, past the washing, cooking and cleaning in Kachukhet Bazaar, one of Dhaka's sprawling slums.
Women and children still suffering the effects of monsoon floods
SIRAJGANJ DISTRICT, Bangladesh, 4 September 2007 – Last month, 45-year-old Amena awoke to discover that monsoon-related flooding was filling her home with rushing water.
Women pay high Price for ignorance
UNICEF's women friendly hospital initiative aims to reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates by promoting safe motherhood and addressing social taboos such as the common belief that visiting a doctor during pregnancy is "shameful".
World Refugee Day : addressing the needs of Rohingya refugees
Abdul Munaf, 20, is many things. A son. A brother. A pre-primary school teacher. A refugee. Munaf and other Rohingya at refugee camps in Cox's Bazar mark World Refugee Day on June 20.
