Through a Child’s Eyes: Understanding Childhood Drowning in Bangladesh

This event introduces Sonamoni, a global research project tackling one of the most serious but least recognised threats to children in rural Bangladesh: drowning.  This interdisciplinary research is funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research).

Join us for an interactive session starting with a short presentation about the project, followed by a chance to step inside a specially created Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Developed with Dreamerz Lab in Bangladesh, the VR gives both child and adult perspectives of rural village life, showing how water surrounds homes and why very young children are so vulnerable. 

The event will finish with a discussion and Q&A, giving you the opportunity to explore the research in more depth and share your thoughts with the panel.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 6 -24 months in Bangladesh, yet it rarely receives the same attention as other global health issues. The Sonamoni project, led by Bournemouth University and the University of Southampton in collaboration with partners in Bangladesh, Uganda, and the UK is developing practical, community-based solutions to reduce drowning among 6 - 24 months children.

The research also looks at how prevention measures affect the daily lives of local women, shaping their ability to work and support their families. By combining social science, health research, and human-centred design, the project highlights the power of interdisciplinary teams to make a difference in global health.  This research is funded by UK-Aid/NIHR.

• Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen (Bournemouth University), PI
• John Powell MBE (Bournemouth University), Senior Lecturer
• Dr. Yonghun Lim (Bournemouth University), Senior Lecturer
• Tom Mecrow (Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI), Research Lead
• Shafkat Hussain (Bournemouth University), PhD student on the Sonamoni project

Young People (16-25); Adults (over 25);

People interested in international development, health promotion, drowning prevention or human-centred design

7th November 2025