KARACHI: The German Government through KfW Development Bank has committed 7.5 million EUR as a grant to improve the lives of mothers and children in various provinces and regions of Pakistan. The grant has been given to the Provincial Governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab as well as to FATA and GB. Greenstar Social Marketing (GSM), DKT International, Rahnuma and Agha Khan Foundation will work closely with relevant authorities to ensure the grant is utilize in the best way possible. To mark the kick-off ceremony of the three year Reproductive Health project, an event was held in Islamabad. Participants included Ishaq Shinwari, Deputy Secretary of Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Wolfgang Moellers, Director of KfW, Dr. Syed Aziz ur Rab, CEO of GSM, along with Chief Executive Officers of the three other implementing partners. The main features of the project are to construct and renovate a number of basic health facilities and maternity wards. A network of healthcare providers shall be developed and health workers, community midwives and mobilizers would be trained. In addition, Village Health Committees will be established and e-health technology to connect selected primary health centers with higher healthcare facilities are going to be introduced. Speaking on the occasion, Ishaq Shinwari thanked KfW for providing vital support to Pakistan specially to address this critically important issue of Reproductive Health. EAD ensured that Pakistan is fully committed to mobilize efforts and scale up practices for reproductive health issues. Wolfgang Moellers thanked EAD for its support and appreciated the efforts of partner NGOs for their exemplary work in helping families. This tripartite partnership shall achieve lasting results that will benefit current and future generations of Pakistanis. Adding to his comments, representatives of all four NGOs also thanked the German Government for its generous support to address the most critical issue of maternal and child health in Pakistan. In Pakistan 25% of married women have an unmet need for family planning. Maternal mortality remains high, at an estimated 276 deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality remains at 78 deaths per 1000 live births. In order to assist, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW Development Bank provides funding for marketed products and services for family planning, reproductive health, mother and child health, nutritional supplements for children and safe water. Development cooperation between Pakistan and Germany goes back to 1961 exceeding 3 billion EUR. In the health sector, KFW Development Bank invests on behalf of the German Government in health programs to improve mother and child health, reconstruct hospitals in AJK, support for social health protection schemes in KP and GB, finance safe blood transfusion systems nationwide and immunization programs.