Islamabad: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has officially partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, focusing on improving the health and nutrition of children and mothers across Pakistan. The agreements, signed by high-level officials from each organization, aim to address severe acute malnutrition through various strategic interventions including the establishment of specialized care centers and community-focused nutritional support.

According to Press Information Department, the collaboration with UNICEF will primarily concentrate on Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) and delivering Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children. The WHO partnership is set to manage stabilization centers within District Headquarter Hospitals (DHQs) across the nation, providing essential care to children with SAM who also suffer from medical complications.

During the signing ceremony, Senator Rubina Khalid underscored the critical nature of these agreements in fighting malnutrition in the country. She emphasized the cooperative effort to bolster health and nutrition support for vulnerable populations. UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Mr. Abdullah Fadil, stressed the importance of prioritizing children from impoverished communities in nutrition and social protection initiatives.

Dr. Luo Dapeng from WHO expressed the organization’s commitment to deploying evidence-based interventions to assist around 75,000 children facing severe malnutrition coupled with medical issues, and to promote breastfeeding as a preventive measure against stunting.

Secretary Amer Ali Ahmad of BISP remarked on the significance of these partnerships as milestones in advancing the welfare of beneficiaries and assured continued efforts to ensure the success of the collaborations.