ISLAMABAD, DEC 20 (DNA) -To improve the health of women and girls in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, Grand Challenges Canada and partners launch or scale-up 18 projects, bringing Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy to life

Toronto, Canada – Grand Challenges Canada today announced 18 projects extending innovative forms of health-related lifelines to some of humanity’s most acutely impoverished, neglected and vulnerable women and girls, supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.

The undertakings — in Africa (Kenya (5 projects), Rwanda, Sierra Leone (2), Togo, and Uganda (3), Asia (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines), the Caribbean (Haiti), and Central America (Nicaragua) — embrace a range of creative products and services to advance gender equality, promote human dignity, and empower women and girls worldwide.

In Pakistan: Advancing family planning and gender equity through peer-delivered therapy in Pakistan’s urban slums

Child Advocacy International | Implementation Country: Pakistan

Improving the use of contraceptives is a top priority identified in Pakistan’s national health plan. This project aims to improve the demand for and use of contraception in Pakistan’s urban slums in Pakistan through a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach.

Accompanied by mobile phone and interactive voice-response technology, the CBT approach will use the principles of guided discovery, empathetic listening, problem solving and behavioural activation to address the misconceptions around contraception and empower women in decision making.

The project will organize and train couples to deliver the CBT-based intervention, creating networks of parents working with community health workers to form linkages with private and government family planning service providers.

The new Grand Challenges Canada projects help bring to life the Canadian government’s recently adopted Feminist International Assistance Policy. The Policy embraces a feminist approach, one that advances gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, as the most effective way to reduce poverty and to build a more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world.

The projects will receive CAD $2.7 million in funding from Grand Challenges Canada, supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada. The funding will be complemented by dozens of partner contributions, as well as the collaboration of government and non-governmental agencies in each country, creating a total investment of $3.9 million.=DNA

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