Advocacy Project

MSS has embarked on an exciting 23 month advocacy initiative: “Postabortion Care – From Pledge to Practice”, with funding from the Maternal and Newborn Health Programme Research and Advocacy Fund (RAF). The project will advocate for the institutionalization of postabortion care (PAC) in all policies, guidelines, protocols and standards for health facilities throughout Pakistan, so that no woman has to suffer morbidity or lose her life owing to lack of availability and access to postabortion care and services.

The project will engage with stakeholders in all provinces at three levels- government/policy makers, healthcare providers and facility managers, and community leaders/gatekeepers. The goal is to have PAC prioritized by them as a crucial issue that needs to be addressed, as it impacts maternal mortality and the wellbeing of families. The project will reiterate the need for intensive efforts to address identified gaps in postabortion care provision and scale it up as a ‘best practice’ to improve Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH).

The project will be steered by a rich group of experts forming a ‘National Steering Committee’; advocacy groups in each province; a dynamic group of ‘champions’ to personally take the message to relevant key stakeholders; and the media to enhance the general public’s awareness and acceptance of PAC as a key intervention in saving women’s lives. Project progress will be updated on this space. For any additional details, please contact Sabina Ansari, the project’s Advocacy Specialist, at sabina.ansari@mariestopespk.org