Research Reports (2002): Social Studies, Vol – XXX

Browse

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Adaptation of Kangaroo Mother Care for community-based application
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-08) Quasem, Md. Iftekhar; Sloan, Nancy L.; Chowdhury, Anita; Ahmed, Salahuddin; Winikoff, Beverly; Chowdhury, AMR
Objective: Working with a multi-disciplinary team of Ecuadorians, Bangladeshis and Americans, we developed a simple protocol for community-based implementation of kangaroo mother care (CKMC) that does not require birth weight or clinical judgment to identify which newborns should receive CKMC. CKMC could stabilize newborns and possibly reduce neonatal mortality where there is little medical care for newborns and low birth weight (LBW) is common. Study Design: During their CKMC training, community-based workers identified 35 expectant or recently delivered women in the pilot study area and taught them about CKMC. Women were interviewed at one month postpartum to evaluate their experience with CKMC. Results: 77% of mothers initiated skin-to-skin care and 85% with LBW babies did so (37% were LBW). CKMC mothers delayed newborn bathing. Few slept upright with their newborns. Conclusions: CKMC was quickly and popularly adopted. A randomized controlled cluster trial is planned to determine whether CKMC reduces neonatal mortality.
BRAC's Daycare Center: notes from non-participant observation
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-08) Seeleman, MC; Straver, ICM
This non-participant observation study on BRAC's day care centre for the toddlers (started in 1997, located near the BRAC head office and run by GRC of BRAC) was done to see the existing condition of the center and how effectively it conforms to the early childhood development principles. Based on the daily schedule, four different points in time during four subsequent days we;e chosen for one-hour observations by two observers with the different ECD-aspects of the observation scheme in mind. To ensure objectivity, the observers tried to interact as little as possible with the children and the attendants. It was observed that the daycare center is a large place (100 m2 ) consisting off our different spaces for sleep, breast-feeding, play etc. The place appears very clean. It is cleaned twice a day by a cleaner and the attendants clean it as and when required. The place looks also safe. The children were allowed to move around freely and explore. Attendants only interfered when the exploring was harmful or seemed dangerous. Not many toys were available, except for some plastic squeeze-animals. Babies were supported to sit and stand if they could, but this was not frequent. Other physical development stimulation was noticed when an attendant showed a child how to draw a figure, or when an attendant was clapping her hands and a baby tried to imitate her and also when an attendant sang a song and meanwhile moved the legs of a baby. The possibilities for children to learn by touching, tasting, hearing, seeing and moving were quite limited. A lot of communication between children and attendants took place in spite of their age. The children were not taught concepts of colors, number or symmetry and their creativity was not intentionally challenged. Nevertheless, attendants demonstrated certain things to children, such as pointing out body parts or drawing little circles on a piece of paper. The children were taught some appropriate behavior, for instance to say goodbye to the observers or to share candy, to put things away or to show praise to another child who achieved something. They also got corrected in a friendly and verbal way while misbehaving. In the interaction between attendants and children, gender differences have not been observed. Most of the children seemed happy and quite at ease in the daycare center. Attendants were very patient with the children during feeding, especially when they had difficulties with eating. The possibilities for play were not very elaborate and playing was also not very much stimulated. No joint activities, like singing together or story telling, where most of the children can take part in, take place. Given the limitations, it is concluded that the daycare center's environment is stimulating for these children and gives them a head start compared to a child of the same age who stays at home and is looked after by a family member or servant. The implications of these findings and suggestions for improvement are discussed.
BRAC-char development and settlement project 2000 - 2004
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-09) Banu, Dilruba
Char Development and Settlement Project is designed to link the poor char people to mainstream development. Through five local NGOs the project commenced a series of interventions such as group formation and provision of credit, extension with regard to economic activities, and provision of health, legal and education services. BRAC has taken the role of monitoring and supporting institution of those local NGOs. This midterm evaluation aimed to review the progress of the project to date, and to determine the likelihood of achieving results at outcome level. The study shows a different economic strata in the char areas, 47% of the study population is identified as very poor which is quite high compared to the national average. The project covered 83% of the total eligible households of the sample areas who can join the VO. The activities of the project are likely gender sensitized. The expected outcomes, in the very small sample visited for this evaluation, appear to be generally positive in improving the socioeconomic condition of the project participants. The increased accesses to NGO credit, which the women's participation created for their husbands, have improved status of women at household level. At community level, the opposition voiced by the male section to women's participation in income earnings, was reported to be gradually declining over time, as women's contribution to household material well-being becomes evident. The likelihood of achieving expected outcomes for institutional environment of the VOs is generally considered to be quite high. Sustainability at individual level, in which VO members carry on the benefits of the project throughout their lives, is appropriate for the current phase of BRAC-CDSP.
Compensating the affected persons of Mohakhali Flyover in Dhaka
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-09) Gani, Md. Showkat; Sattar, M. Ghulam
Intimate partner violence against women: experiences from a woman-focused development programme in Matlab, Bangladesh
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002) Ahmed, Syed Masud
Objective: This paper explores the effect of a credit-based development interventions on violence against women (excluding sexual violence) perpetrated by husband. Methods: Data for this study originated from a cross-sectional survey conducted during 1999 in 60 BRAC-ICDDR,B study villages in MatIab, Bangladesh. Pre-tested structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Questions elicited information on both physical and mental violence perpetrated by husband during the preceding four months. Data were analysed to characterise group-level differences among the study women in the occurrence of violence and also, to identify its predictors. Findings: About 17.5% women reported having suffered violence from their husbands in the past four months, the proportion being greater among the BRAC households (p=O.05). In logistic regression, two models were tested. The results identified age (probability less as age increases), schooling (probability less if some schooling), household head's occupation (probability more with wage labour) and household's perceived solvency (probability more if deficit household) as important predictors in both the models. In the first model, involvement in BRAC was found to be a risk factor while in the second model, prevalence of violence lessened with improvement in the depth of membership such as receiving skill-training for various income-earning activities, in addition to involvement in savings and credit activities. This also indicated that the level of violence decreased with the duration of membership because with the ageing of membership, inputs like skill-training are added to the intervention package. Conclusion: Domestic violence decreases as women becomes empowered through capacity development interventions of microcredit organisations over time.
Risk factors of violent death in rural Bangladesh, 1990-1999
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002) Hadi, Abdullahel
The study attempts to improve our understanding about the prevalence and determinants of violent death in rural Bangladesh. Data came from the demographic and health surveillance system of BRAC covering a population of nearly 62,000 in 70 villages in J 0 districts of the country. A standard verbal autopsy procedure was used to identify the causes of death. All non-disease specific deaths due to homicide, accident, drowning and suicide were considered violent death in this study. Findings reveal that the violent death rate was 28.3 per 100,000 persons per year during the 1990-1999. Drowning and homicide were the leading causes of death followed by the traffic accident and suicide. Significant sociodemographic differentials in violent death existed. The death rate was much higher among the «10 year old) children than the young adults and the old «0.01). Men were significantly more likely to die than women from aberrant causes. The violent death was higher among the poor than the rich, illiterates than the educated and among the Muslims than non-Muslims. When all predictors were considered together, the probability to become the victim of violent death was 61.2 per 100,000 if the person was very young, male, poor, illiterate and Muslim. The paper concludes that the public health program should consider the appropriate mechanisms to prevent many avoidable events of death in rural Bangladesh.
Shalish and role of BRAC federation
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-01) Alim, Md. Abdul; Rafi, Mohammad
The study aims to investigate the relationship between the federation and village shalish. Data were collected through qualitative method from federation members and the village heads participated in shalish. Members were found successful in playing their role in shalish. Inspiration and supports from some heads, spontaneous participation of other members, and the presidents being a member of union parishad contributed to succeed in shalish. Meanwhile, members became unsuccessful in shalish because of reverence of heads, uninterested male members, impediment of family members, unwillingness of sharing the incident among the members, hush money taken by the heads. Moreover, the informal and peculiar social, economic and political bondage between heads and federation members hampered to get the real justice. Few heads considered the federation as benevolent organization for the poor, as it might bring some societal changes in informal justice system in the village whereas others believed that it could not reach its goal because of the anecdotal values and culture of the villagers. Some members were ambitious about their success while others thought that they were poor, they had to spend most of their time to earn their livelihood, so how they could partake in shalish. However, the difficulties faced by the federation would continue yet they would be successful if they had been duly supported by BRAC.
Socio-economic baseline survey of open water fisheries under Fourth Fisheries Project
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 2002-02) Banu, Dilruba; Gani, Md. Showkat; Rafi, Mohammad; Sattar, M. Ghulam
Women's productive role and marital violence in Bangladesh
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 1999) Hadi, Abdullahel
This study assesses the role of women's participation in productive activities in reducing the risk of marital violence. Data were collected from villages where numerous non-government organizations (NGOs) had micro-credit based income generating programs for the poor. Both the surveys and in-depth interviews were used to collect information from a randomly selected sample of 500 currently married women aged <50 years living in 70 villages in 10 regions of Bangladesh. Findings reveal that the prevalence of marital violence such as mental torture and physical assault had negative association with women's participation in economic activities. Situation that invoked violence against had most often been their failure of performing expected role in the household. Women's productive roles not only improved women's position in their household but also significantly reduced both mental torture and physical assault against them. The paper argues that participation in productive activities has the potential to bring a significant reduction in the risk of marital violence among women in the poor community.