On December 1, U.S. Ambassador Marcia Bernicat and USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski visited USAID’s Strengthening Partnerships, Results and Innovations in Nutrition, Globally (SPRING) Activity in Bagerhat District. The delegation visited the home of a farmer nutrition school participant, interacted with the mother to learn about her experience participating in a farmer nutrition school, and observed her nutrition and hygiene practices, homestead garden with diverse and nutrient-dense vegetables, and small-scale poultry rearing and fish culture practices that ensures year-round nutritious foods in the home. This site depicted activities that have been rolled out to more than 125,000 participants in over 6,500 farmer nutrition schools across 40 upazilas in nine districts across Barisal and Khulna divisions.
The delegation also visited Gemini Sea Food Ltd in Khulna during their visit, and met senior level managers and elected leaders of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), and officials of Department of Fisheries (DoF). The visit provided an opportunity to enrich knowledge about the shrimp and fish processing industry, which is second only to ready-made garments as the largest industry to earn export revenue. During the tour of the Gemini Shrimp processing plant, the delegation interacted with the workers and learned about the knowledge workers gained from training provided by Solidarity Center.
Also, Ambassador Bernicat eagerly joined the Khulna community in recognizing the importance of ending gender-based violence by launching the photo exhibition entitled “My Daughter is Precious.” Rajesh Ramakrishnan launched this photography project to convey the idea that his daughter – and by extension, all girls – are inherently valuable and deserved to be loved and cherished.
