Written by Paul Bettings.
When Ajmira was 27, she saw a posting on her local government's bulletin board for a World Vision community health facilitator job. The mother of two jumped at the opportunity to help her community, which is in a remote district about 400 km away from Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.
She received training in maternal nutrition and hygiene for new and expectant mothers and learned how to monitor the weight and nutrition of children under five years old. This was education she could share not only with families in her community but also use in her own household. It was also her first job.
Adjmira with her daughter harvesting nutritious greens for her family. Photo: Paul Bettings
But Ajmira didn’t stop there. She also joined the Citizen Voice and Action initiative, which teaches people how to use their voices collectively to drive change within their villages. She now leads a Citizen Voice and Action group advocating for the development of a local health centre. It’s intended to serve as a hub where new and expecting mothers can get information about nutrition and access quality care and health advice. Armed with her knowledge and training, Ajmira says improved health outcomes is the kind of development most important to her community.