What we do · Health
Healthcare Program
Community health for climate-vulnerable communities — from clinics and a hospital to care that reaches the last mile, since 2007.
From a rural hospital to community-based care
Since 2007, DHARA has worked to improve community health in rural Jashore District and in Shyamnagar, Satkhira — an area repeatedly affected by floods, cyclones, and other climate-induced disasters. What began with community clinics and a small hospital has evolved into community-based preventive and promotive healthcare that keeps reaching the people the formal system leaves behind.
Community health clinics — since 2007
DHARA has been actively engaged in improving community health through community health clinics in the rural areas of Jashore District, providing essential healthcare services to underserved populations. Recognising the extreme vulnerability of climate-affected communities, DHARA expanded its health interventions in 2007 to Shyamnagar, Satkhira.
A 10-bed hospital in Shyamnagar — 2009
In partnership with the AMI Foundation, DHARA initiated a 10-bed hospital in Shyamnagar in 2009 — one of the first of its kind in a large, climate-disaster-prone upazila of Bangladesh — focused on maternal and child health for poor and rural communities. It operated until 2012, after which DHARA shifted to community-based health initiatives.
Free health camps — 2012 to today
From 2012 to 2019, DHARA collaborated with volunteer doctors from the Netherlands to organise free health camps providing consultations, basic treatment, and health education in Shyamnagar and surrounding areas. Since 2020, DHARA has organised these camps independently, with special attention to women and children.
Training Traditional Birth Attendants
So far, 40 local women in Shyamnagar have received comprehensive TBA training in safe childbirth practices, maternal and neonatal care, hygiene, and emergency referral — supporting safe deliveries and acting as a bridge between rural communities and formal health services.
Through these sustained initiatives, DHARA’s Health Program ensures that climate-vulnerable populations have continued access to healthcare, awareness, and support — improving the health, resilience, and well-being of the communities it serves.