District Coordination and Integration Committee (DCIC) meeting held in Karachi Central.
Since May 2022, The Challenge Initiative (TCI) has been providing technical support to selected districts in Sindh, Pakistan, enhancing family planning services managed by the Health and Population Welfare Departments (PWD). TCI’s high-impact practices and other interventions (HIPs & HIIs) have strengthened data quality and staff capacity, driving measurable improvements across health facilities in the region.
Restoring Crucial Coordination Meetings
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Karachi Central’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the District Population Welfare Officer (DPWO) jointly led quarterly District Coordination and Integration Committee (DCIC) meetings. These gatherings ensured alignment among government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders, preventing duplication of resources and optimizing the delivery of family planning services. However, the meetings were halted during the pandemic and remained suspended longer than anticipated.
Recognizing the need for renewed coordination, TCI’s City Manager for Karachi Central and West, Aziza Burfat, worked closely with DPWO Mukhtiar Memon to revive the DCIC meetings. A strong advocate of public-private partnerships, Memon emphasized the critical role of these meetings in improving Sindh’s stagnant contraceptive prevalence rate of 34%. His advocacy led to a formal notification on March 7, 2024, to announce the meetings’ resumption.
The revitalized DCIC, co-chaired by Memon and Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Asim Abbasi, brought together NGOs and government bodies – including TCI, Willows International, Mazraab, the Social Welfare Department, the Health Department, the Education Department, and the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health program – to discuss family planning progress.
ADC Abbasi expressed his eagerness to support educational initiatives:
Sexual health begins from an early age and NGOs and the Health Department should collaborate to disseminate appropriate information on life skills-based education in schools, colleges, and universities with the DC office’s support.”
To streamline communication, the DC office established a WhatsApp group for regular updates. Following the first meeting, DC Fawad Abdul Gaffar Soomro convened two more sessions focused on family planning. He stressed the urgency of reproductive health education for girls in grades 9 and 10 and advocated for establishing satellite camps in remote communities:
TCI introduced satellite camps and family health days (FHDs) that should be conducted in remote areas where unmet needs are high. The importance of educating young girls in schools from classes 9 and 10 about reproductive health is necessary and Integrating family planning activities will be crucial for improving family planning in the central district.”
The DCIC’s restoration has catalyzed multi-level collaborations, including integrated satellite health camps in schools and expanded community outreach supported by the Education Department. Working with Deputy Commissioner Education Officer Rahila Masroor, Memon facilitated the organization of satellite camps at schools, where staff supported client mobilization through home visits and mosque announcements.
Additionally, Memon coordinated with the Education Department to introduce reproductive health sessions for girls in grades 9 and 10, set to launch in Karachi City schools. Through consistent DCIC meetings and TCI’s leadership, collaboration among health, education, and government entities has significantly improved family planning services, uniting stakeholders under a shared mission for positive community impact.
