Acceptance speech.

Abstract

In Bangladesh, the executive director of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) gave an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony celebrating the key role of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in the discovery of oral rehydration solution [ORS]. For more than 10 years, BRAC has been involved in distributing information about ORS to rural and urban mothers in Bangladesh. BRAC learned more about rural Bangladesh when it began its ORS program. Thousands of BRAC workers disseminated the message about ORS to almost 13 million homes. The most important fact they learned was that the mother is the key health provider in the family. So BRAC focused on mothers. BRAC workers communicated directly with mothers while conveying a message of hope for their children. BRAC motivated its workers with incentives when mothers could properly prepare ORS and remember key points in preventing and treating diarrhea. BRAC's ORS program was first a pilot project. It successfully spread nationwide and showed that nongovernmental organizations could expand without losing quality. Cooperation with the government, sound management principles, and a devoted staff motivated to think on a grand scale contributed to BRAC's national ORS program. ORS-oriented organizations and individuals must continue conducting ORS-related research to continue and build on its success. For example, BRAC based its program on ICDDR,B research in the development of oral rehydration therapy and implementation of diarrhea treatment programs. BRAC intends to continue fighting diarrhea until it is no longer a major threat to Bangladesh's children.