Eco-SocialDevelopment Organization (ESDO) has recently implemented the 'Addressing WASH Crisis in low-income settlements of garment workers in Mirpur, Dhaka' project funded by Water Aid Bangladesh. ESDO launched the project in May 2018 to increase access to clean drinking water, improved sanitation, and influence behavior among low-income communities and school students. Since the pandemic hit, the project was continuing through adaptation and redesigned to impact hygiene practices positively.
Under the project, ESDO trained a cadre of 150 adolescent girls as 'Change Agents.' These girls, empowered in the essence of real-life experiences, preach Covid-19 precautions in the slums, create awareness about water, sanitation, and hygiene among the slum dwellers, help the teen girls in their periods and break taboos in this regard.
This project has also ensured access to safe drinking water for 7000 people, improved sanitation facilities, handwashing with soap, menstrual hygiene management, water safety plans, etc.
The ESDO has also developed 50 women entrepreneurship in the slums for sustaining WASH services, 350 women trained on entrepreneurship for WASH services, and supported 50 in their WASH business development. It created access to 37 safe drinking water spots, improved sanitation, and influenced hygiene behavior at the community and school level.
When asked about the program, Water Aid Bangladesh country director Hasin Jahan said, "We choose adolescent girls as change agents because they can be motivated, and when they are motivated, they can bring a generational change. We brought forth the idea of Change Agents from this perspective. The adolescent girls can change others and change themselves."
ESDO Executive Director Dr. Shahiduzzaman said, "We tried a create leadership among the adolescent girls. Our WASH Crisis projects contributed to the progress of some ten thousand people in four slum areas. This success was possible thanks to the change agents."
The other partner of the project, Linex's Kazi Iqbal Hossain, explained why a fashion brand joined the project, "We are contributing in executing SDG 6 as a company. Secondly, the concept of change agents appeared to us as an interesting concept, particularly among the garments employee."