New initiative aims to support pregnant women mothers and children in particularly marginalised and underserved areas

 ISLAMABAD, /DNA/ – The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has announced the launch of a new $7.2million nutrition and immunisation programme in Pakistan. The newprogramme aims to support one million mothers and children in the most marginalised areas of four provinces. This programmeis being implemented in partnership with federal and provincial governments, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and The Power of Nutrition (TPoN).

Pakistan faces significant challenges in child health, with the third-highest burden of child mortality and ranking third globally for the most under-vaccinated children. Nearly 1.2 million children have not received essential immunisations. The hardest-to-reach populations, with the highest concentrations of undernourished, stunted, and wasted children, also have the largest numbers of “zero-dose” children—those who have not received any vaccinations. This correlation indicates that children at high risk of malnutrition are also the ones missing out on critical immunisation services. Delivering integrated immunisation and nutrition services can provide combined reinforcement benefits. Malnutrition and infectious diseases are key contributors to child morbidity and mortality, as malnutrition impairs immune responses, increases infection risk, and reduces vaccine effectiveness. However, despite targeting the same vulnerable populations, immunisation and nutrition programmes often operate in isolation.

The $7.2 million programme aims to support seven districts where the need is particularly high includingDiamir, Astore, Gilgit, Sibi, Bolan, Usta Muhammad, Thatta, andSajawal. Through an integrated approach, the programme incorporates strengthening health systems to address existing gaps in routine immunisation and nutrition services, social behaviour change communication to generate demand for immunisation and supporting district and national governments in monitoring and reviewing data for evidence-based decision making and learning.The partnership aims to provide vital evidence on the importance of integration and real-life examples that demonstrate cost-effective ways of joint delivery to improve health, nutrition and vaccination outcomes while simultaneously developing resilient health systems and communities.

Akhtar Iqbal, Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan, said: “The strategic and innovative partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Power of Nutrition provides us a unique opportunity to contribute to SDGs by extending an integrated package of immunisation, health and nutrition interventions for children living in some of the most marginalised districts in Pakistan. Through a close partnership with the Federal and Provincial Expanded Programme on Immunisation Directorates, and technical support of the Aga Khan Health Services and Aga Khan University, the programme will generate data, evidence and learning to fill gaps and discover what works in this under-resourced area.”

Dr Tokunbo Oshin, Director, High Impact Countries, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said: “With funding from the Aga Khan Foundation, The Power of Nutrition, and the FCDO Matching Fund, and in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan, Gavi is pleased to be able to support this innovative programme, which responds to preferences expressed by parents to be reached with a package of interventions. Through health systems strengthening efforts, this will be a good opportunity to provide essential services in remote areas of Pakistan and learn how to better scale up integrated service delivery, including immunisation and nutrition.”

Dr. Alok Ranjan, Director of Programmes and Investments, The Power of Nutrition, said: “We’re delighted to bring together partners Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Aga Khan Foundation for this vital project in Pakistan. For too long, nutrition and immunisation stakeholders have been working separately, despite the interventions reaching similar populations and being mutually beneficial.  This programme promises not only real impact in Pakistan, it can help pave the way for more integrated programming worldwide.”

The programme is being jointly funded by all partners and centrally managed by The Power of Nutrition who convened the group using its unique matching model to create leverage and impact at scale. It commences later in 2024 running through to 2027.

Dr. Zareef Uddin Khan, National Technical Focal Person, Federal Directorate of Immunisation, Dr.Inam Bharti, Deputy Director Procurement, Federal Directorate of Immunisation along with the Provincial Government representatives of Sindh, Baluchistan and Gilgit Baltistan participated and ensured their support during implementation of the project.”