Safe Motherhood Pakistan

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Safe Motherhood Pakistan

A struggle in the making
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Each year in Pakistan

• 25,000 women die due to complications of
  pregnancy and childbirth - one woman every 30
  minutes !
• More than 300,000 babies die in the first month
  of life
• 165 million 2 annual growth
• 4 births per woman, 1 induced abortion out of 6
  pregnancies

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Reproductive and Maternal Health Indicators 2007
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• The group... Will promote better coordination
  for making motherhood safer.... will raise
  awareness in safe motherhood at all levels, each
  member acting as catalyst for action and change.
• The group shall be identified as Alliance for
  Safe Motherhood Pakistan.
• Understanding among professionals, 2001

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Vision 2020

• COMMUNITY AWARENESS, SKILLED ATTENDANCE, EMOC
• Advocacy and watchdog
• Catalyst
• Debate and technical assistance
• Networking
• Voluntary membership of over 400 professionals
  and SM advocates

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Strengths Weaknesses

• Little coordination between stakeholders
• Lack of harmony between research, advocacy
  agencies
• No standard methods for monitoring and evaluation

• Maternal, newborn health on the national agenda
• Good numbers of researchers and advocates
• Sufficiently large funds for intervention
  programs

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The White Ribbon Alliance

• Formalization and registration - 2006
• National WRA Secretariat
• Public meetings in districts
• Expansion of membership
• Influencing the policymakers
• Continued technical support to Ministry of Health
• Safe motherhood conference

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Ingredients of success (adapted from Shiffmann)

• Actor power leadership, enduring coalitions,
  civil society participation
• Framing the issue severity, one plan, one set
  of policies and interventions, one M E framework
• Governance structure of the sector and political
  context
• Funding opportunities

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Recent Opportunities

• National MNCH Policy and Strategic Framework
• Governments commitment (Islamabad Declaration
  April 2005)
• Led to the establishment of a A National MNCH
  Program in 2007
• Synergy, Continuum of Care, Collective Results
• DFID, Norway, GAVI HSS, UN (Reform)
• Example skilled birth attendance

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Action points for The White Ribbon Alliance

• Lobbying decision makers and leveraging resources
• Center for accountability
• Repository of data
• Watchdog catalyst for implementation
• Convener of national stock taking conferences
• Brokering partnerships