Saving Lives from Drowning
In 2012, JH-IIRU launched the Saving of Lives from Drowning (SoLiD) project in Bangladesh—one of the largest implementation research initiatives focused on drowning prevention in low- and middle-income countries.
Supported Conducted in partnership with the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), the project sought to address the alarming rate of childhood drowning deaths through evidence-based interventions and local collaboration.
Since 2017, JH-IIRU and local partners have managed the effective functioning of community daycare centers (creches) in seven rural sub-districts.
Scalable Solutions to Prevent Childhood Drowning
Home-Based Daycare Reduces Drowning by 88%
Establishing home-based, community-led daycare centers—known as creches—led to an 88% reduction in drowning deaths among children under five.
Economic Impact Through Women's Empowerment
These creches are not only life-saving—they're cost-effective. By enabling mothers to pursue income-generating work, one year of creche services was projected to increase Bangladesh’s GDP by 0.35%.
Long-Term Skill Retention Through Survival Swimming
A partner-led study, in collaboration with JH-IIRU, found that 88% of children who received survival swimming lessons nearly a decade ago still retained their skills. This is the first long-term study of its kind in the region and directly supports the expansion of swimming facilities under the ICBC project.
Sustainable Scale-Up Through National Leadership
To date, 2,198 creches have been transitioned to Bangladesh Shishu Academy (BSA)—the lead agency of the ICBC project—with over 50,000 children currently enrolled.
Data-Driven Planning Through Comprehensive Surveys
A nationwide baseline survey covering 133,389 households across 16 districts has been completed, assessing drowning burden, knowledge, attitudes, practices, and child care norms.