Launching a Messaging Campaign to Combat COVID-19 Spread in Bangladesh

Founded in 2005 by Joke and Steven Le Poole after their infant son Max’s unexpected death from an infection, the Max Foundation seeks to foster a world where children no longer die from preventable diseases. Working mainly in Bangladesh, the Max Foundation focuses on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as critical to children’s health. Through its work promoting WASH, the Foundation developed a network of partnerships with organizations based in Bangladesh and with local leaders and community members. Through this network, the Foundation offers low-cost WASH products and shares information, ideas, advocacy and support.

As COVID-19 took hold in Bangladesh, the Max Foundation sought ways to help the families in their communities prevent the spread of infection and manage through challenging times.  The Foundation mobilized their network around a large-scale messaging campaign that reached 1.2 million people in the south coastal area of Bangladesh. Messages included practical information on hygiene, nutrition and COVID-19 and provided guidance on available government aid for people facing financial hardship.  National, regional and local partners all joined the campaign. For example, community leaders in the Foundation’s existing “Healthy Villages” program passed along the campaign’s messages to households in each village.