Bangladesh
Bangladesh
The Drowning Prevention Partnership
NEW Resources from Bangladesh
November 13, 2026
Developed to celebrate and strengthen leadership for collaboration across Bangladesh’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) ecosystem, this resource pack offers practical tools, frameworks and insights for navigating complexity, bridging differences and building trust. It encourages inclusive engagement, deep listening and shared action, positioning leadership as a practice of bringing people together to co-create pathways towards meaningful and sustainable change.
November 13, 2026
This document traces the collective journey to make child drowning prevention a national priority in Bangladesh, exploring how partnerships, strategies and contributions evolved to advance government ownership and scale-up through the ICBC Project. It brings together narrative history, strategic reflection and key lessons, drawing on independent evaluations, project reports, workshop reflections and learning reviews to capture insights from the process.
November 13, 2026
The Integrated Community-Based Childcare Centers and SwimSafe Facilities (ICBC) Project has reached more than 500,000 children through 2026. Led by Synergos, the coalition-building effort began in 2018 to address child drowning through research, shared understanding and cross-sector collaboration. This report shares key insights and lessons on how bridging leadership, systems thinking and inclusive collaboration can bring diverse stakeholders together to drive lasting change.
November 14-15, 2026
Quality childcare supports child development and welfare, women’s economic participation and productivity, family wellbeing, and inclusive economic growth. Bangladesh has taken important steps to strengthen the sector, including the Child Daycare Act 2021, but expanding access to affordable, quality childcare for families from different socioeconomic backgrounds remains a policy and implementation challenge.
Jointly organized by Synergos Bangladesh, BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC, and the World Bank Group, the Summit brings together policymakers, employers, childcare providers, researchers, development partners, and civil society organizations. Together they will advance dialogue on childcare policy, systems development, financing, quality assurance, and service delivery, and explore opportunities for investment, collaboration, and joint action within the care economy.
November 17, 2026
This event celebrates the launch of the Bridging Leadership for Collaboration Resource Pack, with a program that dedicates time to explore the pack's contentss, time for networking amongst attendees, and an opportunity to learn more about Bridging Leadership through a facilitated practice.
Every day, more than 30 children, between the ages 1-4, die from drowning in Bangladesh.
With the right interventions, child drowning is preventable.
The Problem
Bangladesh is prone to regular flooding. This is a huge threat to children every single day and their safety is compromised due to a care gap. Parents struggle to provide enough time and attention for childcare during the day while they also have to work. Rural parts of the country experience much higher drowning rates, where children drown as close as 20 meters from home, due to open ponds, rivers, canals, and drainage ditches. However, statistics show that high-impact interventions, such as supervision and training, can help in making child drowning preventable.
Effective drowning prevention interventions
Daycare is a proven highly effective tool for preventing child drowning. Research conducted by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research – with Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization – shows that community-based daycare and learning centers are not only scalable drowning prevention tools, but have lasting benefits for children and families.
Our growing network of partners include:
For more information
Esha Husain, Partnership Lead
ehusain@synergos.org
Notable Milestones
On February 22, 2022, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the "Integrated Community Based Center for Child Care, Protection and Swim-Safe Facilities Project" by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. It is the first signature project based on the country's Comprehensive ECCD Policy, 2013.
Synergos, alongside its drowning prevention and ECD partners, is pleased to have worked on the project design with Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Bangladesh Shishu Academy.
We congratulate them on their new project.
The launching ceremony of the government-approved “Integrated Community-Based Center for Child Care, Protection, and Swim-Safe Facilities Project”, implemented by Bangladesh Shishu Academy under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, took place on June 12, 2022.
The Honorable State Minister of Women and Children Affairs attended as the Chief Guest, with the Secretary of the Ministry serving as the Special Guest. Representatives from key development partners, including Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), also graced the occasion. The event was presided over by the Chairman of Bangladesh Shishu Academy.
This innovative project aims to provide comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) services and benefits to 200,000 children and their parents across 16 districts through community-based childcare centers. Additionally, 360,000 children will receive survival swimming training, amongst other life-enhancing benefits.
We commend the Government of Bangladesh for its visionary commitment to this groundbreaking initiative.
Highlights from the Launching Ceremony
Our archive of efforts to prevent and raise awareness on the issue include the following categories:
