Though Bangladesh has made strides in reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality rate, certain birth practices, malnutrition, and poor use of healthcare services make women more vulnerable to adverse pregnancy outcome. Adolescent pregnancy and inter-generational malnutrition add burden on those
vulnerabilities. A community-led support to the pregnant women in ensuring pregnancy care, antenatal, postnatal and neonatal checkups, safe delivery by trained health professional and constant physical and mental support can reduce the burden on pregnant women and the newborns.
Spreeha’s Mom’s Club offers health education to groups of pregnant women within the community about risk factors and measures of pregnancy, safe delivery, and neonatal care. The club also includes primary caregivers of the pregnant women to ensure both physical and mental support to the pregnant women, and to ensure antenatal and postnatal checkups of the mother. Community health worker at the club also conducts regular health screening of the pregnant women and refers to the nearby healthcare centers, if necessary.
The project is being implemented at the urban slum of Rayerbazar, funded by Spreeha Foundation (USA).