Bangladesh Anchal and Survival Swimming (BASS) Child Drowning Prevention Research Project

Phase 1.0 January 2014 - July 2015

Phase 1.5 August 2015 - July 2016

Phase 2.0 August 2016 - July 2018

 Grand Challenges Canada project

This Bangladesh Anchal and Survival Swimming Child Drowning Prevention Research is supported by Grand Challenges Canada.

Grand Challenges Canada is funded by the Government of Canada and is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact in global health.

"Reducing a newly recognised leading cause of child mortality through prevention of drowning" is supported by Grand Challenges Canada. Grand Challenges Canada is funded by the Government of Canada and is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact in global health. This research project will contribute to the reduction of child drowning in Bangladesh.

Child Drowning is the leading cause of child mortality in many low income nations. Most of the world's children live in low income nations of Asia. This project will effectively demonstrate bold, innovative, culturally appropriate child drowning prevention, while building capacity to produce sustainable and impactful drowning prevention within communities in Bangladesh. 

Project objectives:

1. Implement strategic drowning prevention interventions to the rural community in Bangladesh to show successful methods of community engagement and policy maker activation that lead to scaling up.
2. Demonstrate the impact of the two interventions in mortality and morbidity reduction, in a culturally empowering manner.
3. Embed skills in the at-risk community for child drowning prevention associated with activities of daily living and natural aquatic disasters.
4. Prepare to scale up the effective interventions to other at-risk communities in Bangladesh.
5. Engage civil society and NGO partners in the drowning prevention effort.

Why is this project important?

• Drowning is the leading cause of death in children (age 1-17) in many low and middle income nations in Asia.
• More than 90% of the global childhood drowning deaths occur in low and middle income nations.
• Child drowning mortality is a preventable public health tragedy.
• Child drowning is rural Bangladesh is associated with activities of daily living, not recreation activity.
• This project (phase 1,2 & 3) aspires to build community capacity to reduce child drowning deaths in rural Bangladesh by 50%, an impact of >5000 children saved per year.
• This research will help our understanding of child drowning prevention in lower and middle income nations.