The government of Sweden on Tuesday donated $4 million to Unicef to improve water safety, sanitation and hygiene for local communities and empowering adolescents from marginalized communities in Bangladesh.
The grant will improve the water safety for 20 million people – 5.4 million of them children – in highly arsenic-affected rural areas, said a media statement.
While Bangladesh has made significant progress towards improving drinking water and eliminating the risk of arsenic contamination, there are still challenges to overcome, the statement said.
With previous support from Sweden, Unicef developed practical and innovative models for arsenic free water systems.
Bangladesh will now scale up these models by investing $240 million of its own budget into arsenic-safe water hardware.
“Our goal is to provide access to safe and clean water, basic toilets, and good hygiene practices to all children,” said Sheldon Yett, Unicef representative to Bangladesh.
The new $2 million contribution from Sweden represents the bridging phase of a larger contribution and will enable Unicef to provide the technical assistance which will ensure that the new systems meet national safety standards.
Over the last four years, through Unicef’s work with partners, and with support from the government of Sweden, 2,500 new safe water points are now serving over 300,000 people, and nearly half a million people have benefited from hygiene education and improved latrines.
In addition, 261 villages have been declared arsenic safe.
Adolescents’ empowerment
A second additional grant to Unicef of $2 million from Sweden will support a broad program of interventions to improve the health, nutrition, protection and life skills of adolescents, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds in Dhaka, Gazipur, Barisal, and Patuakhali.
The program includes comprehensive sexuality education and mental health services.
It will also support adolescents to participate in programs to address the impact of climate change in their communities.
“By investing in adolescents, we strengthen their ability to build a brighter future for themselves, their families and communities,” Yett added.
Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde said: “Sweden has been supporting Bangladesh since its independence in improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescents.”
The Swedish ambassador continued: “Increasing access to SRHR will help to create an enabling environment for adolescents for unleashing their full potential. Sweden is also happy to contribute to expanding the water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for the poor and vulnerable population. Women, children and adolescents are at the center of the Swedish development cooperation.”