Abstract

With epidemiological transition over years, childhood injury appeared as a leading cause for both morbidity and mortality among Bangladeshi children. 125 kids died each day from injury in the country; drowning, road traffic injury, electrocution and falls are the leading causes (BHIS, 2016). With an objective to prevent childhood injury, Sesame Workshop Bangladesh which produces the local version of Sesame Street (Sisimpur) in Bangladesh is implementing a project titled ‘Play Safe with Sisimpur’ from 2016 to 2018. Based on a comprehensive injury prevention curriculum developed with extensive support from Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh, Sesame Workshop Bangladesh developed Sesame Street standard audio-visual and print content in the areas of Water Safety, Falls, Burn, Road Traffic Injury, Household Hazards, Animal Injuries, and Electrocution and Machine Injuries. This powerful audio-visual content was intergraded in popular Sisimpur show, which is watched by approximately 10 million children yearly. In addition, the outreach component integrated the content in co-curricular classes of primary schools; trained teachers on how to use those materials. It also employed a child-to-child and adult-to-adult mentorship model with 4500 trained mentors. Besides daily activities, a weekly edutainment session was organized at schools and communities. D3 System, Inc. a USA based research organization is conducting independent evaluation research to measure the impact of the project. Anecdotal change stories from the field showed that many kids have now clear understanding about critical injury prevention and pre-hospital care messages such as stop-drop-roll for flammable fire; pour tap water for burn; looking at right-left-right sides before crossing road; not to jump into water while seeing other kids falling into water. After receiving mentor training, a ten-year-old mentor saw a younger kid to fall in a pond and she called an adult instead of jumping in; eventually, the kid survived after taking him to hospital.