PESHAWAR – Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK), a leading organisation dedicated to enhancing population health outcomes in Pakistan, marked a pivotal collaboration with the Population Welfare Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PWD KP) through the formal handover of the campaign assets of its communication platform Khairkhwah and materials and toolkits developed under Public Sector Service Delivery (PSSD) component of DAFPAK.
The event was held in Peshawar on April 25 where key government figures and health sector leaders graced the occasion. They stressed the need for integral role of government collaboration in the programme’s next stages and a joint commitment to improving family planning and healthcare services in the region.
The event featured speeches from prominent government officials, including the Director General Population Welfare Department, Ayesha Ihsan, and Director General of Health Services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Shaukat Ali acknowledging the program's contributions to enhancing healthcare and family planning services.
The DAFPAK Programme, valued at £90 million and recognised as the largest donor-funded family planning initiative in Pakistan. Two of the key components of the programme focuses on behavior change communication through the multi-channel, multi-category brand KhairKhwah and delivering quality family planning services to users through public sector health facilities.
Khairkhwah initiative aims to boost demand for modern contraceptives and eliminate barriers to family planning utilisation. The brand has played a pivotal role in breaking barriers and normalising family planning practices in Pakistan, reaching over 95 million people through television, more than 20 million through print and outdoor advertising, 36 million through social media, and 4.5 million directly through community outreach.
PSSD component was focused on engaging with the provincial and district-level governments to strengthen systems for family planning.
The intervention districts included Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera where the programme averted 120 maternal deaths, 76,344 unsafe abortions, and provided the services to 236,620 family planning users over the course of programme.
Director General Population Welfare Department, Ayesha Ihsan said, "This collaboration is a testament to the shared commitment to improving reproductive health. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with KhairKhwah in advancing our goals."
During the event, DAFPAK's Public Sector Service Delivery (PSSD) Project Team Leader for KP, Hassan Mehmood Khan provided an insightful presentation detailing the project's key impacts, achievements, and insights, highlighting the comprehensive approach taken to address family planning needs in the region.
In a ceremonial highlight, M&C Saatchi, the Behaviour Change Communication lead for DAFPAK, completed the formal handover of campaign assets to the Population Welfare Department KP. These materials are tailored to support long-term health improvements and behavioral change within the community.