How GNB’s Community Health Workers Are Bringing Healthcare Closer to Marginalized Families
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In the tea garden communities of Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, and the remote Pangan Manipuri villages, women often grow up within the boundaries of tradition. Language barriers and social norms have long made these communities difficult to reach with essential health services.
Roksana Begum grew up in this reality. She began as a Health Volunteer with GNB and became a Community Health Worker (CHW) in 2016, trained in maternal and child health. Being from the same community, she speaks their language and understands their customs, trust an outsider could never earn as quickly.
One mother changed her life forever. Sultana had already lost three babies during pregnancy and childbirth; her fourth child survived but lives with autism. In her fifth pregnancy, fear gripped the family, who refused antenatal care, believing fate alone would decide the outcome. Roksana did not give up. She returned, again and again, until they agreed.
The check-up revealed dangerously high blood pressure and serious risk factors. Through regular monitoring and treatment, Sultana delivered a healthy girl, now in Class Four.
“All the difficulties disappear when I see her smile,” Roksana says. “It makes me proud to know I could help save a life.”
Today, 332 families across Pangan communities seek her guidance. Being a CHW has given her dignity and standing few expected she’d hold.
Roksana’s story is not only about one woman’s success – it shows how opportunity, training, and trust can transform a community. Through GNB’s support, 271 local women across 8 project areas have become CHWs, each a bridge between tradition and healthcare.
