VAALO avant-garde Ltd. played a pivotal role as keynote presenter in the National Dissemination Workshop on the Integrated Rehabilitation Programme for Health and WASH Services, held on July 02, 2025 at the BRAC Centre Inn, Dhaka. The event, organized by BRAC Urban Development Programme (UDP) and funded by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Programme (KAAP) through the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), highlighted transformative improvements in health, sanitation, and hygiene for underserved urban communities in Bangladesh.
Key Achievements of the Programme
The five-year initiative, implemented in Mirpur, Mohammadpur (Dhaka North City Corporation), and Saidpur Municipality, achieved remarkable progress:
1. Sanitary toilet usage surged from 10% to 69% among low-income urban households.
2. Access to safe water increased from 51% to 80%.
3. Sanitary pad usage among women rose from 53% to 90%.
4. Antenatal care coverage (4+ visits) improved from 45% to 71%, while postnatal care coverage doubled from 21% to 49%.
5. 94% of households now have access to clean drinking water.
6. Mosquito control efforts expanded from 54% to 85% in target areas.
VAALO’s Role in the Project
VAALO avant-garde Ltd. conducted the endline survey of this impactful project, which benefited over 200,000 urban residents. Dr. Nazneen Akhter, Managing Director of VAALO, delivered the keynote presentation, sharing critical insights from the survey, project impacts, and recommendations for future scaling.
Highlights from the Workshop
The event brought together 100+ stakeholders, including government officials, development partners, NGOs, and community representatives. Key discussions included:
• Brigadier General Imru-al-Quais Chowdhury, Chief Health Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Chief Guest, emphasized the economic returns of WASH investments-every dollar spent yields $4.30 in benefits. He stressed the need for institutional collaboration to sustain progress.
• Dr. Shayla Islam, Associate Director of BRAC Health Programme, highlighted improvements in postnatal care and tuberculosis management, crediting community engagement as a key driver of behavioral change.
• Md. Arif Shahid, Country Coordinator of KAAP at IsDB, advocated for co-financing strategies with community contributions to ensure sustainability.
• Dr. Md. Liakath Ali, Director of BRAC’s Climate Change and Urban Development Programme, underscored the need to institutionalize the programme’s outcomes for long-term impact.
Community Voices & Way Forward
Community representatives from Dhaka and Saidpur shared their experiences, reinforcing the importance of inclusive dialogue and collaborative action in addressing urban health challenges. The workshop concluded with a call to scale up successful interventions and strengthen partnerships for resilient urban health systems.
VAALO avant-garde Ltd. is honored to contribute to this milestone in strengthening Bangladesh’s health and WASH infrastructure. The findings from this initiative will guide future policies and interventions to improve living conditions in urban slums.
