Project profile — Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

• Bangladesh (100.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (50.00%)
Family planning (13030) (50.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (significant objective)
• Nutrition (significant objective)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)

This project aims to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes and the realization of rights among different population groups with distinct SRH needs in Bangladesh. This project identifies gaps in current SRH service provision and assesses the SRH target groups' unmet needs through research. These groups include adolescent boys and girls, pregnant women and newly married couples and people with distinct SRH needs, women in the ready-made garments sector, sex workers, people with diverse sexual orientations and drug users. The project designs, develops and implements several inventions and innovations that include: (a) increasing knowledge and evidence regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) burden, needs, risk factors, service gaps and challenges; (b) identifying interventions/innovations to promote prevention and protection and improve treatment (accessibility, availability, readiness and quality); and (c) increasing capacity for the use of the evidence generated through SRHR research in national policy and practice. Project activities include: (1) establishing cohorts with population groups with distinct SRHR needs in selected rural and urban areas; (2) estimating SRH-related disease burden, risk factors and outcomes in different populations with distinct SRH needs; (3) understanding COVID-19-related susceptibility, role in transmission dynamics and clinical outcomes in different populations with distinct SRH needs and vulnerability; (4) assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behaviour, practice and health of different populations with SRH distinct needs; (5) setting up invention and innovation hubs through selective inventions and innovations designed, developed and tested for promoting prevention and protection and for improving treatment; (6) conducting research prioritisation exercise for promoting prevention and protection and for improving treatment; (7) establishing a health facility network of selective public and private facilities providing SRHR services; (8) assessing the service availability, accessibility, readiness and quality of essential SRHR services in selective public and private facilities; (9) tracking the trend and pattern of SRHR service utilisation and case-mix in selective public and private facilities; and (10) creating SRH interest group, developing short course on SRHR programs and research.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved accessibility, readiness and quality of SRHR services among different population groups with distinct needs in Bangladesh; and (2) improved use of evidence generated through SRHR research in national policy and programs.

Results achieved as of March 2023 include: (1) completed enrolment and the first round of data collection for 3 cohort studies. These cohorts include the adolescent, newlywed couple, and women readymade garments worker cohorts; (2) initiated analysis of data for the women garments workers cohort and shared the initial results in a thematic group meeting; (3) completed data collection and analysis on the infertility study. It mapped out 8 studies and activities in line with the National Health Facility Assessment on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); (4) engaged local authorities, developed behaviour change communication materials, and provided Water, Sanitation and Hygiene interventions in 1,700 households as part of the intervention packages; (5) established a SRHR counselling centre at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh’s (ICDDR, B) Dhaka Hospital. This allowed them to provide SRHR services to 10,555 mothers and caregivers on maternal, adolescent, and child nutrition, and pregnancy and post-pregnancy nutrition and care, including breastfeeding practices; (6) conducted educational sessions for 8,954 mothers and caregivers on menstrual health, hygiene and practice, family planning, safe motherhood, and immunization; (7) tested 7,247 suspected COVID-19 cases from different platforms of Government of Bangladesh sample collection and tested and sequenced 252 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples; (8) organized 2 dissemination sessions regarding existing sexual reproductive health (SRH) burden, social norms, needs, risk factors, health outcomes, and innovations or interventions addressing the existing gaps; (9) published 3 research papers regarding existing social norms, harmful practices, SRH burden, need, risk factor, health outcomes, and innovations or interventions addressing the existing gaps; (10) generated 4 technical reports regarding existing social norms and values, gender roles, harmful social practices, gender-specific innovations or interventions, gender-specific SRHR burden, needs, risk factors, societal context, SRHR care-seeking practice, accessibility, and health outcomes; (11) 19,829 beneficiaries (men, women, adolescent boys and girls, and transgender individuals) received gender-specific and gender-friendly SRHR related services through public facilities in selected project areas; and (12) 54,596 beneficiaries (men, women, adolescent boys and girl, and transgender individuals) received gender specific and gender friendly COVID-19-related testing and treatment from the ICDDR, B hospital.

• Proactive disclosure