- The church and UNICEF are launching a two-year initiative aiming to reach 3 million mothers and newborns in South Asia.
- The initiative will provide essential supplies and equipment to health facilities and strengthen health workers to manage high-risk pregnancies and childbirth complications.
- The collaboration builds on previous church support, including 14 developmental centers in Pakistani provinces and a prior $25 million donation to a UNICEF child nutrition fund.
A new million-dollar initiative launched by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and UNICEF is aiming to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare for a combined 3 million mothers and newborns across South Asia.
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The two-year initiative includes efforts in Pakistan, a South Asian country with one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in the world, according to a church press release.
The church is contributing $1.2 million to improve maternal and newborn healthcare in Pakistan. The initiative’s work there is estimated to reach 410,000 mothers and newborns in the country, according to the church release.
“We are grateful and pleased to continue our long-standing collaboration with UNICEF to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children and mothers in Pakistan and South Asia,” Elder Kelly R. Johnson of the church’s Asia Area Presidency said in the release.
“The church seeks to extend care to an ever-increasing number of God’s children in need, in this case helping thousands of mothers and newborn babies in Pakistan receive access to lifesaving care that will lead to a better life for each affected family.”
More than 700 newborns die daily in Pakistan, while roughly two mothers die every hour from pregnancy-related complications, according to the church press release. Despite healthcare progress in South Asia, an estimated 43,000 women in the region die from pregnancy-related causes each year.
The deaths “are compounded by malnutrition, gaps in referral systems, weak supply chains and unequal access to quality health services,” the press release states.
The church’s collaboration with UNICEF on this initiative will help support health facilities across South Asia by providing essential supplies and equipment and strengthening health workers to identify and effectively manage high-risk pregnancies and childbirth complications.
The initiative will also improve the use of data and digital systems to enhance quality of care.
“Nearly two thirds of all deaths among children under five in South Asia occur in the very first month of life,” Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said in the press release. “For mothers and newborns alike, quality care before, during and after childbirth can mean the difference between life and death.
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“This collaboration will help strengthen the services, skills and systems needed to prevent avoidable deaths and ensure more mothers and babies across South Asia survive and thrive,” Wijesekera said.
The initiative’s efforts across South Asia will be implemented in collaboration with national and subnational health authorities, enabling efforts to be tailored to local priorities while creating more sustainable health systems across South Asia.
“Each mother and child has great worth and infinite potential, and we have seen how communities thrive when they receive the care and resources they need,” Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson said in the press release.
“This initiative with UNICEF strengthens healthcare systems and closes resource gaps so mothers can feel more confident in the care they and their children receive during pivotal moments of their lives, helping create healthier futures for families and communities.”
The church’s collaboration with UNICEF builds on several projects, including previous support to advance early childhood development through 14 developmental centers established in the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh.
The new initiative also follows the church’s $25 million donation to a UNICEF fund supporting child nutrition worldwide.
“Healthy families begin with mothers and newborns getting the care they need at the moments that matter most,” said Mickey Lui, director for temporal affairs in the church’s Asia Area.
“By investing in frontline health workers and the resources they need to provide quality care, we can help bring lifesaving maternal and newborn services closer to families and communities across South Asia,” Lui said.
The church similarly announced a $65 million donation this August to a consortium of charities working under its Caring for Women and Children Initiative. Learn more about how this consortium is caring for women and children worldwide here and how you can join the effort from your own home here.
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