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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is collaborating with UNICEF to launch a new initiative to strengthen maternal and newborn health services across South Asia. The program aims to reach 1.5 million mothers and 1.5 million newborns in the region with improved access to lifesaving care before, during and after childbirth.
The two-year program includes a $1.2 million contribution by the Church to strengthen maternal and newborn health care in Pakistan, the Church and UNICEF announced this week. The program will reach 410,000 mothers and newborns in Pakistan, strengthening the continuum of care from pregnancy through childbirth and the newborn period. The program aims to increase antenatal care coverage and institutional delivery rates by 50 percent, while strengthening the quality and availability of essential maternal and newborn health services.
“The generous support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is helping UNICEF strengthen the health systems and services needed to give children the best possible start in life,” said Pernille Ironside, UN Resident Coordinator Pakistan (a.i.) and UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “Investing in sustainable and quality maternal and newborn care today means saving precious lives and building a healthier, more prosperous Pakistan where every child can survive and thrive.”
Elder Kelly R. Johnson, Asia Area President of the Church, said, “We are grateful and pleased to continue our long-standing collaboration with UNICEF to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable children and mothers in Pakistan and South Asia. 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 life-saving care that will lead to a better life for each affected family.”
More than 700 newborns die and around 500 babies are stillborn every day in Pakistan, while approximately two mothers die every hour from pregnancy-related complications. These deaths are compounded by malnutrition, gaps in referral systems, weak supply chains and unequal access to quality health services, particularly for poor and rural communities and adolescent mothers.
Across South Asia, despite important progress in maternal and newborn health in recent decades, preventable maternal and newborn deaths remain a major challenge. Too many women and newborns still lack access to quality care before, during and after childbirth. Each year, an estimated 43,000 women in the sub-region die from pregnancy-related causes, while more than six million births take place without skilled health personnel. South Asia is the second-largest contributor globally to maternal and newborn deaths, as each year 784,000 newborns die within their first month of life and 597,000 babies are stillborn.
“Nearly two thirds of all deaths among children under five in South Asia occur in the very first month of life,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “For mothers and newborns alike, quality care before, during and after childbirth can mean the difference between life and death. 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.”
This initiative will support health facilities with essential supplies and equipment, strengthen frontline health worker capacity to identify and effectively manage high-risk pregnancies and childbirth complications, and improve the use of data and digital systems to enhance quality of care. Implemented in collaboration with national and sub-national health authorities, it will be tailored to local priorities while contributing to stronger, more sustainable health systems across South Asia.
“Healthy families begin with mothers and newborns getting the care they need at the moments that matter most,” said Mickey Lui, Asia Area Director for Temporal Affairs of the Church. “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.”
In Pakistan, which has the second-highest neonatal mortality rate in the world, the collaboration builds on previous support from the Church to advance Early Childhood Development (ECD) through which 14 functional ECD centers were established across Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh, connecting child-friendly spaces with health, nutrition, rehabilitation, pediatric and protection services.
“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,” said Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President. “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.”
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