Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, The Carter Center has built hope among mothers and infants plagued by a painful and often deadly disease, lobbied on behalf of an innocent young woman abducted into the Pakistani slave trade, and promoted a more free and peaceful democracy.

Waging Peace

An August 2001 mission to Bangladesh by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on behalf of The Carter Center and the Washington, D.C.-based National Democratic Institute resulted in the first serious meeting in years between rivals in upcoming parliamentary elections, during which they made commitments to ensure a democratic and peaceful election.

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Fighting Disease

Until 1992, The Carter Center and the Task Force for Child Survival and Development worked together to reduce the incidence of neonatal tetanus, or lockjaw, in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The disease, contracted during birthing procedures, is caused by a toxin called Clostridium tetani and is a primary cause of infant death during the first seven days of life in those countries. About 1 percent of rural babies die from the disease, with symptoms including muscle spasms, clenched fists, and rigidity.

Read full text on the Carter Center's health work in Bangladesh >