The UK and
Australia have launched a new £18.3 million Research and Advocacy
Fund (RAF) aimed at improving the lives of all mothers and
children across Pakistan – the first fund of its kind in the country.
Every year, 15,000 women in Pakistan die from complications
related to pregnancy and childbirth. Over 60 per cent of births
are not attended by skilled professionals.
The new RAF initiative will provide grants to organisations and
individuals working on research projects that will help ensure
improved access to and quality of maternal and newborn health
services in Pakistan. Funding will also be made available for
research and advocacy projects that will inform health policy
reforms in the country.
The Department for International Development (DFID) and
Australian Agency for International Development have launched the
RAF to provide a mix of small and large grants of up to £500,000
each. Proposals will be encouraged from public institutions, civil
society organisations, research and academic institutions, private
consulting firms, individual consultants and national and
international consortia. The five year programme is being managed
by a consortium of agencies from Pakistan and the UK led by the
British Council.
Development Minister Mike Foster said:
“Pakistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the
world, and one in ten children die before their fifth birthday.
That’s why DFID is so committed to improving the health of the
country’s mothers and children. We already provide £69 million to
the government’s Maternal and Newborn Child Health programme. But
this new project is another important step in catalysing changes
to how services are provided at both a policy and a practice
level.
“The value of research lies in how it gets used by policy-makers
who have the power to make a real difference to the lives of
people across the country. Giving those people a voice to demand
the health services their families need is critical in the fight
to save and improve the lives of women and children in Pakistan.”
Notes to Editors
DFID is providing £665 million of assistance to Pakistan from
2009 to 2013. By 2011, Pakistan will be the UK’s second largest
development programme worldwide. The first Call for Proposals can
be found on DFID’s website at www.dfid.gov.uk or
Contacts:
Chris Kiggell.
Phone: 020 70230504
c-kiggell@dfid.gov.uk