July 15, 2026
DHAKA – As monsoon rains swell the pond beside her home in Bajitkhila village of Sherpur, Nusrat Jahan Ritu grows increasingly anxious.
Every few minutes, she checks on her four-year-old daughter, Afia Jannat, and her 10-month-old infant, terrified they might wander into the swollen pond beside their home.
Her fears have deepened since the nearby community childcare centre closed in December, leaving her without the support that once helped keep her children safe.
“When the centre was open, I could study in peace. They looked after my daughter from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Now, with my HSC exams under way, keeping my children safe has become overwhelming,” Ritu said.
Like thousands of rural families across Bangladesh, Ritu has lost access to one of the country’s most effective child drowning prevention programmes after government-run community childcare centres closed pending approval of a new project.
Launched in 2022 under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) and implemented by Bangladesh Shishu Academy, the Tk 306-crore Integrated Community-Based Centre for Child Care, Protection and Swim-Safe Facilities (ICBC) project covered 45 upazilas in 16 districts.
Under the project, 8,000 childcare centres were established to provide supervised care for around 200,000 children under five, alongside 1,600 Swim-Safe centres serving another 360,000 children aged six to 10.
However, after the project’s first phase ended, the centres have remained closed since December as a new Development Project Proposal awaits government approval.
The prolonged closure has extended into the current monsoon season — the deadliest time of year for child drowning.
Between January and June this year, 583 people, including 527 children, drowned across Bangladesh, according to data compiled by the Foundation for Disaster Forum.
Last year, drowning claimed 1,311 lives, with nearly 90 percent of victims being children (1,184).
According to media reports, nine children have drowned so far this month.
August consistently records the highest number of drowning deaths as monsoon waters rise and rural women become occupied with work, whether at home or outside.
Analysis shows that most drownings occur within a few metres of the family home between 9:00am and 1:00pm, when mothers are busy with household chores, tending livestock, collecting firewood or working in the fields — the same hours during which ICBC childcare centres supervised young children in a safe environment.
According to project officials, no drowning deaths were recorded among children enrolled in the childcare centres.
The programme’s impact extended far beyond drowning prevention. A 2025 evaluation by the BRAC Institute of Educational Development found that participating children showed significantly better communication, motor skills and confidence.
For mothers, dependable childcare reduced anxiety and freed up time to work or study, while also providing local women with employment as caregivers.
Sanjida Akter, a mother from Nandail in Mymensingh whose three-year-old son attended the centre before it closed, said, “We have to care for sick family members, manage household chores, look after cattle and goats, and supervise young children all at the same time. I used to earn a little extra through sewing, but even that is no longer possible.”
Parents said many young children are now spending long hours unsupervised or in the care of elderly grandparents who are unable to provide constant supervision, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to drowning. They also said many children are missing out on the early learning, hygiene routines and nutritious meals the centres once provided.
The shutdown has also left hundreds of caregivers without work.
Rupali Akter, a caregiver in Sherpur’s Bajitkhila village, said monthly stipends for caregivers and assistants stopped in January, forcing the centre to close.
“I used my small stipend to buy things for my children, but I can no longer afford to do that. Whenever I meet parents, especially mothers, they ask when the centre will reopen and tell me how helpless they feel.”
Latifa Khatun, another caregiver from Sherpur, said, “I have no children of my own. Looking after 20 to 25 children was my life. Now I have lost my only source of income and my joy.”
Project Manager Tariqul Islam Chowdhury said a new Tk 838-crore Development Project Proposal has been prepared to significantly expand the programme.
“Under the proposal, coverage would increase from 16 to 30 districts and from 45 to 79 upazilas. More than 13,000 childcare centres would operate nationwide, integrating existing facilities with new ones, while childcare and Swim-Safe interventions are expected to reach around 1.006 million children.
“The proposal also recommends increasing caregivers’ monthly allowances from Tk 4,000 to Tk 5,000. Once the project is approved, reopening the existing centres will be our first priority. However, NGO recruitment under the Public Procurement Rules means full field implementation could still take five to six months.”
MoWCA Secretary Yasmeen Parveen NDC said the proposal is currently with the Planning Commission.
“We have formally requested the Planning Commission to convene the Project Evaluation Committee meeting as quickly as possible. Meetings have already been held with the state minister for planning, and we expect the PEC meeting date to be finalised soon.”
While she could not provide a timeline for reopening the centres, she said, “We expect approval very shortly.”
Experts, however, say Bangladesh should no longer rely solely on time-bound development projects to tackle child drowning.
Instead, they argue that childcare and drowning prevention should be recognised as essential public services, supported through the government’s regular revenue budget, while development funding is used to expand infrastructure and drive innovation.
Mir Masrur Zaman, who has long advocated for child drowning prevention through Somosti Media Communication & Development Foundation, said repeated project closures create service gaps, disrupt a trained workforce and weaken community monitoring, despite drowning remaining a year-round public health and child protection challenge.
He called for a permanent allocation in the revenue budget to finance staffing, training, supervision, monitoring and day-to-day operations, while using the Annual Development Programme to support expansion and innovation.
“A blended financing model combining development and revenue budgets would ensure continuity.”