World Renew’s 40-year track record of working with community partners on anti-poverty initiatives in Bangladesh contributed to its recent success in being awarded a $7,886,330 CAD grant over five years from Global Affairs Canada. “Matched by World Renew’s church and household donors with a $417,708 CAD contribution,” a total fund of $8.3 million CAD will be used for programs supporting vulnerable youth in Bangladesh’s Dinajpur and Netrokona districts, the agency announced March 12.
World Renew is the Christian Reformed Church’s global relief and development agency. Like its previous projects in the region, this new effort focused on Supportive Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights will be implemented in conjunction with established People’s Institutions. Described in a March 2024 case study from World Renew as “government-registered, sustainable entities that design, implement, and manage development programs,” these groups include women working from their local contexts.
“The People's Institution model is the magic sauce in this whole thing,” said Gertrude Omoro, project manager for this new Bangladesh-based program. “In the communities where World Renew operates, the People's Institutions have brought about remarkable changes. Women are engaging more actively outside their homes, which is often not the norm. They are forming groups to explore economic opportunities, such as Village Savings and Loan Associations, and are encouraged to start small businesses. This long-standing work of World Renew significantly contributed to the success of our grant application.”
Maggie Zeng, World Renew’s grants program manager, said Global Affairs Canada selected the submitted proposal in September after World Renew had responded to a call for concepts in June of 2023. The objectives, which include a “focus on prevention and empowerment of adolescents and youth,” protecting girls from the prospect of child early and forced marriage, were aligned with the proposal call, Zeng said. “Our project is really about prevention and supporting adolescent girls with access to knowledge. Girls are at high risk, because they’re the most vulnerable group. They don't belong with children's groups. They don't belong with adult’s groups. So where can they talk openly about reproductive health? It’s a critical stage to have the education, to know about the body, and to understand why they are at risk.”
Omoro said, “What this project is aiming to do is to offer information and training about all of the implications that come with young marriage for the health of the children, the health of the babies, and the economic health of the family. We emphasize that, out of love for their children, parents should ensure that young mothers are physically and emotionally ready for the responsibilities of parenthood. This preparation enables them to finish their education and make positive contributions as adults. It also ensures safe childbirth experiences, fosters a healthy home environment, and ultimately promotes better health outcomes for families.”
Tangibly the program includes a “training component and a strengthening of health systems” Omoro said. “From the health system perspective, it will involve training health care staff on critical gaps needed to offer services. Although we focus on adolescents, who receive the least support from the health care system, strengthening this area will enhance many services offered at the primary health care level. For instance, they will need warming stations for babies and training for health care workers on nutrition counseling for mothers. They will also provide oral medication for diarrhea, which is common in Bangladesh due to floods, and medication for malaria.”
The project is expected to benefit an estimated 210,937 participants with a positive impact stretching to about 450,000 additional community members “through the sharing of knowledge by participants,” World Renew’s announcement said.
For more on World Renew’s past and current projects in Bangladesh, see worldrenew.ca/bangladesh.
About the Author
Alissa Vernon is the news editor for The Banner.