We have always worked to introduce effective change, such as planning activities in the development selector. Eminence may be one of the first organizations to take advantage of social media. We create opportunities for home based work, and allow working mothers to bring in their young children to work. In 2004, we are one of the first community based NCD based program services available.
Advocacy of double burden of Malnutrition
In 2004, shortly after its inception, Eminence conducted a baseline survey of the Integrated Nutrition Program (INP) for Plan International. While analyzing the data, an important and unexpected finding emerged: a significant number of women in rural areas were overweight. The report highlighted both underweight and overweight trends among women in the INP implementation areas of Northern Bangladesh. This became the first report in the country to identify and address the double burden of malnutrition. Following the dissemination of our findings, organizations like HKI and icddr,b revisited and reanalyzed their own datasets discovering the same alarming trend. Eminence’s INP survey thus became a true game changer in the nutrition landscape of Bangladesh, sparking wider recognition of the double burden challenge. Since then, this groundbreaking work has helped influence nutrition discourse and policy in Bangladesh, paving the way for more inclusive strategies to combat all forms of malnutrition.
NCDs in USAID’s agenda
In 2008, Eminence joined the Technical Committee for the Bangladesh Urban Health Survey, conducted by NIPORT (National Institute of Population Research and Training) and funded by USAID. During the committee meetings, Eminence successfully advocated for the inclusion of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the urban health surveys, a proposal that initially faced strong opposition from most members. Thanks to support from Dr. Shamsul Arifeen and Dr. Kamta Jamil, our recommendations were accepted, marking the first time Bangladesh collected urban health data on NCDs, including diabetes and hypertension. Eminence’s continued advocacy with USAID further helped Dr. Kamta Jamil ensure that NCDs were incorporated into the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) in 2013. Since then, NCD data has been consistently included in every BDHS, shaping national health monitoring and policy.
A Common Platform for Non-Communicable Diseases
In late 2007, Eminence, in collaboration with SHONEN, advised the unification of 14 different associations working on diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) into a single platform. With a three-year commitment from Medico Bangladesh, this initiative led to the formation of the Bangladesh Noncommunicable Disease Forum, chaired by the late Professor AKM Rofikuddin, then president of the Medicine Society of Bangladesh. This platform was the first of its kind globally, bringing together associations working on different NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, and COPD. When the Global NCD Alliance was formed in 2010, Eminence was recognized as one of the pioneering organizations in the global NCD network.
Urban Health Network
Around 2009, Bangladesh established an Urban Health Network, initiating various policy development efforts and advocacy activities. In 2015, Eminence organized the 12th International Conference on Urban Health in Dhaka, bringing together local government officials and support from the Joint Health Ministry. The conference attracted 450 international participants and led to the creation of the Dhaka Statement on Urban Health, which became an important global advocacy tool. The event was supported by USAID and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), highlighting Eminence’s pivotal role in advancing urban health policy and international collaboration.