Speeches Shim
Last updated: October 14, 2022
Nestled in Bangladesh’s hill tract region, the Bandarban district is one of the country’s hidden gems boasting pristine and picturesque natural beauty. Communities in this area, however, face myriad challenges due to being relatively secluded and people can’t always access essential services or markets.
Bangladesh is prone to frequent tropical cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal, affecting mainly the coastal regions of the country. The latest was the powerful Cyclone Amphan that made landfall in May 2020, causing widespread damage and disruption for 2.6 million people across 19 districts. To their great credit, the people of Bangladesh have learned a great deal about handling the threat of cyclones and have taken action through cyclone preparedness, enhanced hazard early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure where people can confidently seek refuge and weather the storms.
As in countries around the world, Bangladesh’s entire health system is heavily occupied in meeting the rising demand of health services for COVID-19 patients, and continuing to provide emergency medical services. There is also a decline in demand in seeking health care services from general patients, fearing exposure to COVID-19. The question remains—what should expectant mothers do in such a scenario? Do they still go to healthcare centers for their check-ups and deliveries?
Standing their ground against the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh’s midwives and other health workers are going the extra mile to care for people and protect and save lives. One young champion is 24-year-old Shilpi Rani Bormon. She has been working as a midwife in the remote Char Chandia Union Health and Family Welfare Center in Feni District’s Sonagazi upazila since 2019. Every day, she risks becoming infected and continues to provide health services.
Parvin Akter was born in 2002 into a poor family in Cox’s Bazar. Pressured by poverty, Parvin’s mother sold her to a couple with two other daughters. Parvin was studious and disciplined, but economic hardship ended her education in class five. As she grew older and more independent, her foster father started abusing her mentally, treating her as a second-class family member, blaming her for their economic difficulties, and dehumanizing her. Eventually, he decided to marry her off to a man from Kazi Para, a village in Cox’s Bazar when she was just 15.
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