Pakistan Initiative For Mothers & Newborns (PAIMAN)

PAIMAN has undertaken a holistic approach for improving maternal and newborn health in the 10 districts which ranges from interventions within the community, within the public and private sector, and with district health systems. The community BCC and mobilization component has been working to improve families’ awareness about maternal and newborn health issues. This communication and mobilization strategy has been closely linked with a second component which seeks to improve access to and the quality of public and private sector health care delivery at the district level. This has included the training of public and private sector providers in Essential and Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, with a special emphasis on the training of a new cadre of community-based midwives as a long-term solution to increasing rates of skilled birth attendance.

PAIMAN has also refurbished and re-equipped selected public sector facilities to ensure 24/7 emergency care, and has oriented Traditional Birth Attendants in clean delivery techniques and referral mechanisms. As a cross cutting intervention, PAIMAN has also worked on building the capacity of district health mangers to plan for and evaluate interventions the district level.

Save The Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 27 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 100 countries to ensure the well-being of children.

Save the Children is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of field training activities for the public sector in the ten PAIMAN districts. Save the Children also oversees the community mobilization activities in the Punjab and NWFP districts.

United States Agency For International Development (USAID)

The goal of U.S. assistance to Pakistan is to tangibly improve the well-being of Pakistanis and to support the Government of Pakistan in fulfilling its vision of a moderate, democratic, and prosperous country. The U.S. government re-opened the USAID mission in Islamabad in 2002. From 2002 through 2009, USAID provided more than $3.4 billion (including Emergency Economic Assistance) to address needs in economic growth, education, health, good governance, earthquake reconstruction assistance, as well as humanitarian assistance.

Working in partnership with the Pakistan government, the U.S. is designing a number of high-impact projects in energy, agriculture, education, and health to help meet Pakistan's immediate and long-term development goals. These high-visibility projects will address some of the country's most critical development needs, and will demonstrate the U.S.'s steadfast commitment to Pakistan's development. These projects will be complemented by programs intended to strengthen the human, financial and institutional capacity to sustain these investments and enhance their long-term impact.

In order to speed project implementation and ensure greater accountability and integrity in program implementation, the U.S. assistance program in Pakistan will increase its use of reimbursement agreements with the Pakistan government for infrastructure projects, as well as targeted financial transfers and budget support for government institutions. The U.S. will continue and expand its public private partnerships and direct contracts with Pakistani business and service providers, while expanding its long-standing partnership with Pakistani non-profit and non-governmental organizations. In partnership with Pakistan, the U.S. will ensure local implementers are cleared and authorized to manage civilian assistance funds.

United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Children in Pakistan face a variety of serious challenges ranging from malnutrition and poor access to education and health facilities to exploitation in the form of child labour. Their low status in society can leave them victim to daily violence at home and in school as well as to organised trafficking and sexual exploitation. Girls are specially affected as conservative attitudes may impede them attending or finishing school. Recent natural disasters have increased the vulnerability of thousands of children. In 2005 a devastating earthquake killed an estimated 73,000 people, leaving 3.3 million people de homeless.

• By March 2008, Pakistan will have completed a measles campaign to immunize more than 63 million children.
• More than half a million girls were enrolled in school for the first time in 25 UNICEF-assisted districts from 2005 to 2007.
• A comprehensive Child Protection Bill drawn up with UNICEF support is currently under government review. When approved it will criminalize abuses and violence against children, raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 years and ban corporal punishment.
• UNICEF is working with the authorities to improve water quality, promote household latrines and hygiene practices and support school-based water and sanitation in focus districts.
• UNICEF has supported the rehabilitation of 400 water schemes serving about 320,000 people in earthquake-affected areas.