Palms for Life Fund - Priority Countries

PAKISTAN

Population: 154.7 million
Gross National Income per capita: US$600
Under 5 mortality rate (per thousand): 101
Infant mortality rate (per thousand): 80
Maternal mortality rate (per 100,000): 500 (26,000 in 2004)
Adult literacy rate: 49
Male 62
Female 35
Net primary school enrollment/attendance rate: 56

Pakistan

Pakistan is a low-income, food-deficit country and 84.7 percent of the population lives with less than US$2 per day; one-third of the rural population lives below the poverty line. Although the country produces and imports sufficient food to meet the requirements of every citizen, poverty does not allow people to purchase enough food to lead a healthy and productive life. Furthermore, the indicators of illiteracy and health are disproportionately low among young girls and women.

Pakistan is part of the South Asia countries that has shown an economic growth in the last five years of over 5% a year however at the same time, poverty increased by 8 percentage points due to its previous economic stagnation. It is now 35.2 percent.

Illiteracy is considered one of the major indicators of poverty in Pakistan, where heads of poor households are twice as likely to be illiterate as those of non-poor households. Illiteracy is more common in rural areas than in the cities and is especially prevalent among women: only 20 percent of rural women are literate, compared with 47.4 percent of men.

Gender discrepancies are also observed in health indicators, which have led to very high maternal and infant mortality rates. Only 43 % of women aged 15-49 years are attended at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel (doctor, nurse, midwife). This is among the world’s lowest rates.

It is estimated that some 6 million children aged between 5 and 9, primary-school-age, are unable to attend school. For those who attend, there is a large disparity between the net and gross enrolment ratios because of the significant repetition and drop-outs.

The infant mortality rate of 80 per 1,000 births is high as compared with the averages of 6 per 1,000 in industrialized countries. This implies that about 650,000 young children die each year, with malnutrition a major factor in more than half the cases.

One in every 40 women in Pakistan dies as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. Many women who survive experience serious health problems. One third of pregnant mothers in Pakistan are estimated to be malnourished, resulting in 25 percent of live births being underweight. Of the 2.5 million girls born in Pakistan each year, it is estimated that at least 600,000 are underweight. These children have thus an increased risk of poor mental development and reduced immunity to infection.

The number of malnourished children and nutritionally deficient women in Pakistan was estimated at 8 million during 1999 – 2000. Iron-deficiency anemia is widely prevalent: 55 percent of children and 45 percent of non-pregnant women have sub clinical deficiency. Nutritional deficiencies are generally much worse in rural areas.

Pakistan is still suffering the effects of the recent earthquake in October 2005 which has affected 4 million people, one million seriously.

The major task of the nation is to close the gender gap and reach 100% literacy as quickly as possible.

Palms for Life Fund will focus its investment in education and health, in particular for young girls and women and any other activity that aims at reducing the gender gap in Pakistan.

Pakistan News Sources

Sources:
The State of the World’s Children 2006, UNICEF
World Food Programme – Country Program 2004-2008

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