PROJECTS

Project areas: Health

In the areas where our Foundation operates, women and children are often the most vulnerable. In Pakistan 16,500 women die during pregnancy or delivery each year. The majority of these deaths occur in rural areas and in the absence of skilled birth attendants. In Chitral, a remote and isolated district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the situation is dire where 82 percent of deliveries take place at home and only 13 percent of all deliveries are attended by a doctor or nurse.

A variety of factors contribute to these problems. With a literacy rate of 36 percent, many women in Pakistan are uneducated about healthy living practices. High levels of poverty make nutritional eating habits and adequate healthcare difficult to afford. 

To address the high levels of maternal and infant mortality in Chitral, the Chitral Child Survival Program (CCSP) trains and deploys community midwives who are able to deliver vital healthcare to the family's doorstep, eliminating the need to travel over mountainous land and reducing the costs for the family. The project is implemented in partnership with the government of Pakistan's National Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Program, which aims to train and deploy thousands of community housewives across the country.

In 2009 the project established the Midwifery School in Chitral in partnership with the government of Pakistan. Over 60 women have graduated from the school. The projects assists community midwives to open private practices and charge reasonable fees for services, allowing these women a steady source of income while providing a vital asset for the community and protecting the lives of others.

The project also has established community-based savings groups in order to improve access to funds to pay for the services of the community midwives. These groups are comprised of self-selected members that meet routinely to save and make small loans and grants within the group. Currently, 1,000 women are actively participating in savings groups, helping them pay for their own healthcare without going into debt.

The project plans to reach 90,000 women and children and deliver much needed hope for healthier lives.

Chitral Child Survival Program (CCSP) is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS,P) and made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development.