However, despite the fact that Bangladesh has a good coverage in health facilities as described in the government policies, there is an extreme shortage in health providers, with overall shortages as high as 60,000 for doctors and 160,000 for nurses (Bangladesh Health Watch, 2008). There are also huge disparities in the distribution of providers between divisions and between urban and rural areas, with only 16% of qualified doctors practicing in rural areas. Bangladesh has one of the lowest nurse ratios in the world and the capacity of the existing training institutions is insufficient to significantly increase these numbers in the near future (Bangladesh Health Watch, 2008).Severe inadequacy of midwifery trained persons is a major constraint to increasing skilled attendance for births both at home and in facilities. A strategy for increasing midwifery skills in the country has been outlined and accepted. This is an important milestone. It now needs to move rapidly into implementation phases

So considering all these context of the region this project is very essential for the community people.

• Name of the Project : Health Monitoring and Advocacy on safe Motherhood
• Objective : To improve governance of health and family planning regarding safe motherhood by health monitoring on the local (Union) level and advocacy on the local and national level
• Working Area :   Dist: jamalpur, UZ: Dewangong, UP: Hatibhanga, (only one Union)
• Beneficiary : The ultimate beneficiaries of the project will be the mothers and children and other vulnerable and marginalised rural communities and other marginalised groups. Priority has been given to landless households that are dependent on daily wage labour, the hardcore poor and other vulnerable and marginalised groups within rural communities. A situation analysis will be conducted to determine the target population and establish baseline at project inception.

• Output
• Well functioning UP health standing committee (UPSC) for enhancing safe motherhood monitoring system is established and functioning)
• Improved performance of public  providers for safe motherhood at Union level responsive to quality of health services)
• Private providers have been sensitized to enhancing safe motherhood
• Capacity of CBOs has been strengthened to empower women for enhanced safe motherhood
• a. The Ministry of Health and Family Planning (at district, Upazila, district and national levels) takes steps to improve health service provision for safe motherhood

b. Other NGOs, Unions and Upazilas are planning to replicate the project.

• Project Cost (Budget) The total budget for three years is 3756135 BDT. (This is only DAM part)
• Project Period : July 2010 to June 2013 (Now August 2013 because 2 month no cost extension)
• Donor:  Boom partners in the Netherlands:   (Cordaid, Simavi, Wemos, Woord and Daad)
• Partners :  Boom partners in Bangladesh:  (CSS, DAM, DORP, RDRS and VERC)
• Activities
• Workshop for developing monitoring tools for the UPSC
• Training of UP standing committee on monitoring tools
• Training by staff of BOOM members of CBO members and other members of civil society platforms about health service provision for safe motherhood and community mobilization
• Formation & Orientation of CBO’s or civil society platforms on monitoring system
• Workshop on monitoring tools with Health and Family Planning officials
• Support UPHC to organise workshop for private providers
• Facilitate UPSC to arrange Quarterly consultation meetings with HFP officials for sharing monitoring findings
• Facilitate CBOs to organise half yearly Union-public hearings with health service providers
• Organise yearly meeting at national level and make synthesis report.

Contact Person   : Md. Selimuddin, Project Coordinator

E-mail                     : s.uddin@ahsaniamission.org.bd, selim525@yahoo.com,
 Cell                         : 01712-975250