Even though it is a peaceful country, Bangladesh has many, many people who miss out on the provisions taken as natural in much of the world - education for children, medical care, a secure home ….
LAMB has now started working with one of the most disadvantaged groups in Bangladesh – those people living on the islands in the middle of the big rivers of Bangladesh. We are working to help provide health and medical services to people on the river islands in the Jamuna River, (in India, known as Brahmaputra), where about a million people live.
The river islands of Bangladesh are special. They appear and they disappear. Really they are just sandbanks, and can last months or years, depending on how the river makes up its mind at the time.
That the river can foil mans’ best intent was clear on one of the chars (river islands) visited last week, where in an attempt to improve life for those in the surrounding group of chars, the Government had built a 3 storey school/ flood safety centre. In the middle of the island, more than half a mile from the river when it was built a few years ago, the building is now a few feet from the edge of the river and will certainly collapse into the river – this year, very soon is probable.The same happens regularly with people’s houses. They are always looking for a new bit of sandbank to appear on which they can – at least for a while - grow rice, or jute. But it is a precarious existence. For months of the year their individual houses are surrounded by (or are flooded by) the river.
The trained medical care being provided mainly consists of a visit every 2 weeks by a paramedic, although on each reasonable size island (say 1,000 population), there is also a ‘slightly trained’ helper. A visit once per two weeks by someone whose drug list is only of 28 basic non-doctor-prescription items, may not sound much, but compared to what was available before it is a real step up. Typically about 30 patients attend the clinic, including antenatal and postnatal care, but there are also group training sessions on health and maternity care. The paramedic also refers serious cases to the mainland – with for a trial period the boat costs being paid (for some) by an overseas Government.
Parents are the same as everywhere else in the world – worried about their children’s health. How can a bad squint be overcome – medically easy, but how? A small boy needing surgery stands patiently while the inspection visit LAMB doctors examine him on their look around the facilities, How to get surgery?
LAMB’s role is to provide the technical expertise in community health to help local organizations set up and provide the service. For LAMB as an organization this is a new experience -where we are the overall experts rather than the local provider of services. It helps us to pass on our learning.
But we too are learning - and not only to be thankful for all the blessings that we as individuals have.
As Christians, this really is one of those times where we are trying to make a difference to those in need through using the talents that we have been given.
