Drowning Prevention Efforts in Bangladesh During Eid

Eid Festivals are celebrated by Muslims in Bangladesh and worldwide. These are celebrations, but unfortunately, child drowning incidents tend to double during these holidays, Millions of people living in cities travel via waterbodies to visit their local villages to celebrate with relatives and their own community. Most of the adult family members are busy socializing and children are playing unsupervised in an unfamiliar environment. Families may not be as aware of the water hazards and risks and as a result, many more children drown in nearby ditches, ponds or other open water bodies.

Eid provided an important opportunity to communicate and educate these families about this issue during their travels. The Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s partner SoMaSHTe, the Society for Media and Suitable Human-communication Techniques, conducted a campaign to distribute drowning prevention messaging via leaflets at train stations, stickers on rickshaws and on water transports. Radio public service announcements at bus stops, train stations, water ports and sub-stations carried drowning prevention messages. Promoting public health messaging during important events is a standard practice in Bangladesh, when families are more open to receiving information. We worked with our partner the Center for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) to ensure that the messages were accurate and engaging.

Learn more about this important campaign: