To improve nutritional status of children and prevent stunting in children under 2 years of age focusing first 1000 days window of opportunity and break the intergenerational cycle of stunting.

Reducing stunting in Pakistani children under 2 years of age through a conditional cash transfer programme

The government of Pakistan, through its Ehsaas Program, commits to preventing stunting in children under 2 years of age through increased uptake of health and nutrition services among the 0.5 million most vulnerable families (including pregnant and lactating woman and children under 2 years of age) by 2023. Following the commitment to prioritise stunting made in the maiden speech of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the nation, the Ehsaas Nashonuma programme was developed and is now being implemented; the programme addresses stunting through cash transfers that are conditional on consumption of specialised nutritious food, quarterly immunisation, antenatal and postnatal visits and attendance at health awareness sessions. Progress will be assessed through the growth monitoring of 0.5 million children under 2 years of age and the programme's impact evaluation. A total of 50 centres have been opened to date in 14 districts that are the most disadvantaged on the Human Development Index ranking of districts. The government of Pakistan has committed 34 billion of indigenous resources over a three-year period for this programme. Ehsaas Nashonuma is one of the components for funding under the World Bank's post-pandemic Crisis-Resilient Social Protection programme, which seeks to advance Pakistan's social protection system to make it an adaptive and crisis-resilient one. The World Program has been contracted as an implementing partner to assist with Ehsaas Nashnuma's execution, in partnership with provincial health departments.