Bangladesh’s ‘golden girls’ at Beijing+20 meet

Irani Akhter is an eleventh grader at a remote college in Bangladesh’s south-western bordering district of Satkhira.

Nurul Islam Hasibfrom Bangkokbdnews24.com
Published : 18 Nov 2014, 06:40 PM
Updated : 19 Nov 2014, 05:05 AM

But she is unlike other girls of her age in Sushilgati village.

She is a volunteer and, apart from her studies, makes every effort to bring women to health centres during pregnancy and childbirth.

Giving birth at home at the hand of unskilled attendants is a major cause of maternal deaths in Bangladesh.

She also speaks against dowry and child marriage, which is highest in the region in Bangladesh.

Her work drew the attention of Bangladesh’s UNAIDS office that came to know her and nominated her along with another volunteer of her village, Tamanna Khatun, a tenth grader, in the Bangkok regional gathering of gender equality.

They suddenly came to the notice of the ‘Asia-Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+20 review’ participants at the UN regional headquarters after they spoke at a sideline event.

“I never thought about this,” a cheerful Akhter told bdnews24.com expressing her delight being able to join the meeting at this age.

“They are our golden girls,” Labin Rahman, consultant to the NGO, Community Health Foundation, who is accompanying them, said.

The NGO trained them with the basic knowledge of what to tell the families on what situation during pregnancy, and child births.

Then they became “absolute volunteers”, she said, “We don’t pay them anything”.
Akhter said she received the training two years back.
“I have seen difficulties of women during giving birth in my village. I am a girl and I felt I need to do something.”
She also had a shocking personal story.
Her elder sister died very young while giving birth. “My parents told me the story. It weighs on my mind.”
Bangladesh is on the track of achieving MDG 5, yet at least 194 women per 100,000 die during childbirth.
Most of those deaths occur while giving births as only about 30 percent women deliver at the hand of skilled providers.
“Village women feel comfortable at home (during deliveries). I try to convince them. If can’t, try to ensure that they get a skilled birth attendant at home,” she said.
Her persuasion is as strong as she stands ready to stay in hospital if any woman wants her to.
“Our parents help us,” both of them said.
The government has trained up community-based skilled birth attendants but there contribution to the total childbirths has been found only to be around 2 percent in the last maternal mortality survey.
Ensuring medical check-up known as ante-natal care during the pregnancy is the key to identifying the mothers at risk and prepare them for a successful childbirth.