ISLAMABAD, July 7: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (Paiman) Project, has provided grants to eight NGOs to help rural communities in health services needed by mothers and their babies, including emergency transportation.

More than 130,000 mothers, newborns and their families in rural areas of Jhelum and Rawalpindi districts of the Punjab will soon be better prepared to cope with pregnancy-related emergencies, says a press release.

Rawalpindi District Nazim Raja Mohammad Javed Ikhlas was the chief guest at a ceremony held to award grants to Bunyad Development Foundation, Friends Foundation, Jahandad Society for Community Development (JSCD), Khair-un-Nass Jada Jhelum, Maternity and Child Welfare Association of Pakistan, National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Tanzeem-i-Amal Jhelum, and the United Christian Organization.

USAID Pakistan Mission Director Jonathan Addleton joined the district nazim in congratulating the eight NGO representatives on their success in competitively obtaining their awards.

Delivering his remarks in Urdu, Mr Addleton said: “Mother and newborn welfare is a shared responsibility between families, communities and the government.

The role of NGOs is critical in reaching out to communities because NGOs set up the links that help women and babies get the health care they need.”

Paiman is a five-year USAID-funded project whose goal is to improve the health of mothers and babies throughout Pakistan and reduce needless deaths. The project, which is working in four provinces, focuses on 10 designated districts, including Jhelum and Rawalpindi in the Punjab.

The benefits of the project will ultimately reach more than 2.5 million families and their newborns through community education, updated training of public and private health care providers and new equipment in rural health centres, and tehsil and district level hospitals.

The eight NGOs will work with religious leaders, birth attendants, volunteers, and health workers to alert families to the common emergencies that can occur during pregnancy, childbirth and immediately after, and to devise community plans to handle such problems.

The United States, through United States Agency for International Development, is providing more than $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance and economic growth.