Narrative Description of the Project:

The Strengthening Household Ability to Respond to Development Opportunities (SHOUDARDO) III Plus Project of Care Bangladesh a USAID-funded two-year program in northern Bangladesh, endeavors to enhance food security, resilience, and gender equity for 168,521 impoverished households. It builds on prior successes by promoting income diversification, sustainable agriculture, market access for women, and financial services. Additionally, the project addresses maternal and child health challenges by deploying Private Community Skilled Birth Attendants (PCSBAs), trained women from local communities, to provide essential care and promote institutional deliveries. 

Under this project, IPTM was awarded an assignment to conduct a research program. The overall objective of the study is to assess and capture the existing service quality and practice of the healthcare institutes in the mentioned regions, the social and cultural barriers influencing maternal healthcare services, and the roles of skilled birth attendants within and outside the existing healthcare facilities. In addition, the IPTM was provided detailed insight into how SBAs linkage with different institutes uplifts the overall maternal and child health indicators in the Char under the SHOUHARDO III Plus project through a survey of 420 pregnant and lactating women (who gave birth in the last six months) from project households and 60 Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs) from six districts: Kurigram, Gaibandha, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Habiganj, and Sunamganj. The duration of the study is from September to November 2023.

Key Activities:

• Kick-off meeting with Care Bangladesh officials and submitted the inception report
• Reviewed relevant literature and documents
• Developed the questionnaire & finalize the questionnaire
• Prepared a list of stakeholder mapping for conducting a qualitative survey
• Provide training to the enumerator
• Pre-test of Data Collection Instruments
• Conduct the research (KII, FGD & IDI)
• Develop a comprehensive data quality assessment plan
• Prepare and submit the draft report and present the key findings with the project
• Prepare & submit the final report with incorporate feedback