Urban Anchal is a study looking at sustainable day-care for 1-4 year olds in disadvantaged urban communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh

It aims to address the lack of safe, stimulating and health-promoting environments for adequate early childhood development (ECD). Urban slums provide a challenging environment for child health. With slum-dwelling women working long hours and limited availability of extended family, slum communities face a childcare vacuum, undermining children’s healthy ECD. Adverse experiences and exposures increase the risk of poor health, social and cognitive outcomes during childhood and later in life.

Our study assesses the feasibility of providing day-care centres for young children in Dhaka. This present a holistic solution, allowing women to work whilst knowing their children are safe and provided with ECD opportunities. Our partners, Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, have extensive experience delivering and evaluating childcare in rural Bangladesh. Their model achieved significant impacts on all-cause mortality and injuries.

This project is funded from the UK Medical Research Council’s Public Health Intervention Development Fund and is of 1.5 years duration.