In Bangladesh, the Council’s research is helping to reduce the likelihood of early marriage and school dropout for adolescent girls living in remote settings. Researchers conducted three rounds of surveys on a cohort of adolescent girls aged 10-19 in 2020 to map the immediate and longer-term outcomes of the pandemic and related efforts to mitigate its effects on girls’ wellbeing. This research informed the redesign of a skills development program to support adolescent girls.
Spotlight
Understanding Adolescent Girls’ COVID-19 Related Risks of Child Marriage
Council researchers are conducting a multi-round survey of 960 adolescent girls to explore how the pandemic and associated lockdowns are changing their experiences of schooling, time use, caregiving, and economic insecurity as mediating pathways to child marriage.
Trends in Maternal Health and Family Planning Service Uptake During COVID-19
Utilizing data from the Directorate General of Family Planning of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Council researchers found that uptake of maternal health and family planning services faced severe disruptions at the onset of the pandemic, but have since rebounded. Some critical MH and FP services remain affected.
Highlights
In this webinar, Council researchers from the Bangladesh, Guatemala, India, and Kenya teams shared learnings on how partnerships have been built with decision-makers and policymakers in support of the response to COVID-19, detailing process through June 2020.
A commentary in Netranews from Council Senior Associate Sajeda Amin details the crucial role of Bangladeshi women in the fight against COVID-19.
In June 2020 in News Hour Bangladesh, Dr. Ubaidur Rob, the Council’s Bangladesh Country Director, commented on the COVID-19 pandemic, observing certain inequalities in the burgeoning crisis and urging investment and expansion of existing health systems.