In rural Bangladesh, ponds are more than just sources of water; they are part of everyday life. A pond beside the house, a ditch near the courtyard, a canal behind the home—children grow up coexisting with water. Yet this water often becomes a source of profound tragedy.

It was a tragedy that unfolded one afternoon in Baithakhai village of Dowarabazar upazila in Sunamganj. Two young girls, Ruma Akter and Papiya Akter, were playing in the yard while family members were busy with household chores. Unnoticed, the children wandered to a pond beside the house. After frantic searching, they were found unconscious in the water. Doctors later declared both girls dead.

A similar incident occurred in Porsha, Naogaon. Two-and-a-half-year-old Abrar Fahad had been playing near his home when he accidentally fell into a pond without his family noticing. He was later found floating in the water. Another child in the same incident was rescued alive, but Fahad could not be saved.

Such incidents occur almost every day across Bangladesh.

Against this backdrop, the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, implemented the “Integrated Community-Based Center for Child Care, Protection and Swim-Safe Facilities (ICBC)” project.