Benazir Nashounuma is a nutritional support program launched by the Government of Pakistan in 2021 under the umbrella of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the country’s premier social safety net. The key objectives of Benazir Nashounuma are to provide specialized nutritious food and integrated healthcare to pregnant and lactating women (PLW) as well as children aged between 6 to 23 months from low-income, underprivileged families registered with BISP.
Target Beneficiaries
Benazir Nashounuma specifically targets two vulnerable demographic groups in Pakistan’s population:
- Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW)
- Children aged 6 months to 23 months
These groups were identified as being at high risk for malnutrition and related morbidity and mortality. By providing them supplemental nutrition and healthcare support, the Nashounuma program aims to prevent adverse health outcomes.
Eligibility Criteria
The following eligibility criteria applies for inclusion of beneficiaries into Benazir Nashounuma:
Active BISP Kafalat Recipients
A mandatory requirement is that the eligible PLW or children should belong to families already registered as active beneficiaries under BISP’s Kafalat cash transfer program
Geographical Coverage
The beneficiary family must reside in <u>any district across Pakistan
Presence of Eligible Family Member
There must be a PLW or a child aged between 6-23 months present in the BISP-enrolled household
Therefore, simply being a BISP Kafalat beneficiary alone does not automatically qualify the family for Nashonuma benefits. There must be either a pregnant/lactating mother or an infant/toddler aged 6-23 months in the family to meet this additional criteria.
Registration and Enrolment Process
Eligible PLWs or families with children 6-23 months who wish to enroll into the Nashonuma program must complete the following registration and verification process:
Visit Nashonuma Facilitation Centre
– The eligible PLW or family member first visits their nearest Nashonuma Facilitation Centre (NFC) for enrollment
Verification of NSER and CNIC
– At the NFC, their BISP beneficiary status is verified in the NSER database using CNIC numbers
Verification Medical Check-up
– The PLW or child is then sent to an on-site doctor for medical examination and verification
- For pregnant women – pregnancy confirmation test report and vaccination status is verified
- For lactating mothers – new-born registration and vaccination status is verified
- For children under 2 years – birth certificate and vaccination status is checked
Streamlining Ineligible Entries
– Individuals who fail to meet the documentation requirements are marked ineligible and referred to the registration desk
This robust verification mechanism ensures only genuinely eligible beneficiaries are enrolled into the Nashonuma program as per set criteria. It eliminates inclusion errors.
Compliance Monitoring Process
A key component of Nashonuma is monitoring of compliance for continued receipt of program benefits. The compliance criteria includes:
90% Consumption of Micronutrient Sachets
– PLWs and enrolled children must consume at least 90% of the specialized nutritious food (SNF) sachets provided to them under the program
Healthcare Services Compliance
– PLWs must comply with attending antenatal care, postnatal care and immunization services
Quarterly Compliance Reporting
– Compliance is monitored on a quarterly basis in alignment with BISP’s quarterly cash transfer payment system
Cash Transfer Ratio for Compliance
– An amount equal to 25% of the cash transfer will be frozen and disbursed upon meeting >90% compliance by the PLW or child
This ensures continued consumption of supplemental nutrition by enrolled beneficiaries to achieve program objectives.
Specialized Nutritional Products
Two specialized nutritious food formulations are provided under Nashonuma tailored to each beneficiary group with their micronutrient needs in mind:
| Beneficiary Group | Specialized Nutritious Food | Daily Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnant and lactating women | Maamta | 75g sachet |
| Children 6-23 months | Wawa Mum | 50g sachet |
Both sachets provide beneficiaries with macro and micronutrients tuned to the physiological needs of pregnant or growing children to prevent any deficiencies.
Conditional Cash Transfers
A portion of BISP’s unconditional cash transfer is now made conditional for meeting Nashonuma’s nutrition support compliance targets.
| Beneficiary Type | Cash Transfer Amount per Quarter |
|---|---|
| Pregnant or Lactating Woman | PKR 2,000 |
| Male Child 6-23 months | PKR 2,000 |
| Female Child 6-23 months | PKR 2,500 |
An additional top-up incentive amount is provided for girl children to spur compliance. Payment is immediate upon verification of meeting nutrition compliance by NFCs each quarter. This ties the supplementary cash to responsible feeding practices geared for better health outcomes in vulnerable groups.
Impact and Outcomes
Since its nationwide roll-out in 2021, Benazir Nashonuma has made a significant impact through some key metrics:
- Over 200,000 beneficiaries enrolled by end of 2022 comprising PLWs and children under 2 years
- Distribution of 150 tons of specialized nutritious foods (SNFs) across Pakistan
- An average 40% reduction in stunting levels among enrolled children below 2 years
As coverage expands to more districts, the program’s outcomes and impacts are expected to scale up proportionately. With increased enrollment of pregnant mothers and young children combined with monitoring of SNF intake, the long-term implications on lowering stunting and malnutrition rates are hugely positive – helping build a healthier future generation.
Concluding Thoughts
Benazir Nashonuma is a pioneering maternal and child nutrition program by the Government of Pakistan that directly targets key at-risk demographics among the country’s poorest households. By linking supplemental nutrition and healthcare compliance with existing social safety net cash transfers, it incentivizes healthier practices.
After the first two years, the program has already demonstrated significant outcomes – highlighted by major reductions in stunting levels and enrollment crossing 200,000 mark. As it expands its coverage further, Benazir Nashonuma has the potential to tackle the crucial crisis of malnutrition and promote long-term health at scale for the vulnerable in Pakistan.
Nauman is an education policy analyst associated with BISP as senior program consultant for the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif conditional cash transfer initiative. He heads portfolio management for the program including planning, budgeting and performance monitoring. Nauman has over 10 years experience in the social impact space. He completed his MPhil in Economics from Government College University Lahore, focusing his research on financial inclusion for literacy and skills development.