Each year in Pakistan, 25,000 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth complications, while over 300,000 babies die in their first month. In 2001, professionals formed the Alliance for Safe Motherhood - Pakistan to promote coordination and raise awareness of safe motherhood. The Alliance, now called the White Ribbon Alliance, aims to increase community awareness, skilled birth attendance, and emergency obstetric care through advocacy, technical assistance, and networking. Recent opportunities like increased government commitment and international funds could help the Alliance achieve its vision if it leverages resources, acts as a data repository and watchdog, and brokers partnerships.
2. Each year in PakistanEach 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
3. Maternal HealthMaternal Health
Indicators 2007Indicators 2007
MMR (estimates 2005) 500
Antenatal care 61%
Births attended by skilled
personnel [health facility]
39%
[34%]
Postpartum care 22%
Contraceptive Prevalence
Rate
30%
4. “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
5. Vision 2020Vision 2020
• COMMUNITY AWARENESS, SKILLED
ATTENDANCE, EMOC
• Advocacy and watchdog
• Catalyst
• Debate and technical assistance
• Networking
• Voluntary membership of over 400
professionals and SM advocates
6. Strengths WeaknessesStrengths Weaknesses
• Maternal, newborn
health on the
national agenda
• Good numbers of
researchers and
advocates
• Sufficiently large
funds for
intervention
programs
• Little coordination
between
stakeholders
• Lack of harmony
between research,
advocacy agencies
• No standard
methods for
monitoring and
evaluation
7. The White Ribbon AllianceThe 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
8. Ingredients of successIngredients of success
(adapted from Shiffmann)(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
9. Recent OpportunitiesRecent Opportunities
• National MNCH Policy and Strategic
Framework
• Government’s 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
10. Action points for TheAction points for The
White Ribbon AllianceWhite 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
