Community health worker Parvin is 26 and lives in the Korail slum in Dhaka. She has two children, aged five and nine. She volunteered to be a health worker on a Gated Foundation-supported community health project run by the Bangladeshi NGO BRAC.

She is responsible for 2000 households and calls door to door to identify women who are pregnant. She refers them to the paid community health worker who can confirm the pregnancy and provide basic medical advice and help. She does get a token amount of money to take the mother to the delivery centre to give birth.

Community health workers are selected from the community and local area and are known as shasthya shebikas. They accompany pregnant women to the birthing hut and participate in the birth event. They are the front line workers each covering 2000 households. Two birthing attendants work in a birthing hut which covers 2000 households.

Korail slum is one of the largest slums in Bangladesh and most of its residents come from poorest parts of the country such as Jamalpur and Kishorganj. It covers about 100 acres and is home to around 30,000 people. Most of its inhabitants live below the poverty line.