Health Program

Community Led Sustainable Health Project (Second Phase):
VERC has been implementing Community Led Sustainable Health Project since 2006 with the financial and technical support from, SIMAVI, the Netherlands. In July 2009, during the closing of the first phase of the project, it was assessed and recommended that it is to be continued with revised design, emphasizing community empowerment. Accordingly, the second phase was designed to cover the entire Upazila with the goal of institutionalizing an effective community managed sustainable health service accessible to all, especially the poor women and children.

Activities undertaken and accomplished to date
CBO Formation and Meeting:
The community based organizations formed under the project are described below.
Community Support Group (CSG): A CSG is by nature a formal community based organization consisting mainly of mothers and members of the community. The committee consists of 11 members of which 8 members are women and 3 members are men. As a formalized CBO, CSG members will prepare yearly plans of actions for providing need based support to the communities with special focus on mothers and children. Besides they have also monthly and quarterly action plan. The CSGs are organizing monthly meetings on a regular basis and keeping the meeting minutes.
Health Watch Committee (HWC): As a Civil Society Organization as well as formal CBO, the HWC has formal bye-laws for guiding these organizations effectively through facilitating the Union Parishad (UP) Health Standing Committee and Upazila Management Committee. The HWC is also adopting a rights based approach through revitalization of the Union Parishad Health Standing Committee and the Upazila Management Committee.

Mobilization for Group Formation:
Adult male and female, adolescent boys and girls and children’s groups: In each union 18 men and women groups, 18 adolescent’s groups and 18 children’s groups were formed which were led by Community Volunteers and with technical support of Health Motivators. The mobilization group consists of adult male and female, adolescent boys and girls and children’s groups. These groups treated as informal groups which are formed for community mobilization and dissemination of health related messages among the community members. They are not to be considered as CBOs; rather they are acting as issue based functional groups. These groups do not have any formal structure and bye-laws, but they are directed by the team leaders. In addition, the informal groups motivate the backward communities to come forward to access the services available at the union and upazila level health facilities. Under the project, altogether 900 mobilization groups were formed that are engaged in organizing different events such as, the monthly meeting, rallies and marking occasions. In every month each organize one meeting facilitated by Community Volunteer and during the reporting period 5290 meetings were organized by them

Capacity Building:
During the reporting period, following activities done for capacity building of staff and other stakeholders: In each union 18 men and women groups, 18 adolescent’s groups and 18 children’s groups were formed which were led by Community Volunteers and with technical support of Health Motivators. The mobilization group consists of adult male and female, adolescent boys and girls and children’s groups. These groups treated as informal groups which are formed for community mobilization and dissemination of health related messages among the community members. They are not to be considered as CBOs; rather they are acting as issue based functional groups. These groups do not have any formal structure and bye-laws, but they are directed by the team leaders. In addition, the informal groups motivate the backward communities to come forward to access the services available at the union and upazila level health facilities. Under the project, altogether 900 mobilization groups were formed that are engaged in organizing different events such as, the monthly meeting, rallies and marking occasions. In every month each organize one meeting facilitated by Community Volunteer and during the reporting period 5290 meetings were organized by them