LDS Church and UNICEF start $1.2 million program to boost maternal and newborn care in South Asia

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and UNICEF announced a two-year, $1.2 million effort to reinforce maternal and newborn health services for an estimated 3 million people in South Asia, including 410,000 beneficiaries in Pakistan. The plan provides critical supplies, equipment, and training to health workers so they can better manage high-risk pregnancies and childbirth complications. It also aims to upgrade data collection and digital platforms to raise care standards.

The initiative comes amid stark statistics: over 700 newborns die each day in Pakistan and about two mothers die every hour from pregnancy-related causes, while the broader South Asian region sees roughly 43,000 maternal deaths annually. Church leaders highlighted the collaboration as a continuation of earlier projects, such as 14 development centers in Pakistani provinces and a prior $25 million donation to UNICEF’s child-nutrition fund. UNICEF’s regional director emphasized that quality care before, during, and after birth can be the difference between life and death for mothers and infants.