KARACHI – The Aga Khan University (AKU) has successfully concluded its five-year Foundations for Health and Empowerment (F4HE) initiative, a multi-country programme focused on newborn, maternal, and family health. The project, co-funded by Global Affairs Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, was implemented in Afghanistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
“In our projects across Pakistan and the neighboring region, we saw how development and research inform each other,” said Dr Anjum Halai, Professor and Vice Provost for AKU in Asia and the UK. “This is not research as an afterthought; it is woven into the fabric of projects on women’s empowerment, well-being, and health. Guided by the PPPP framework — Passion, Partnership, Purposeful, Publications — we advanced both knowledge creation and its dissemination.”
In Pakistan, F4HE was led by AKU faculty in collaboration with the Aga Khan Development Network. The work focused on maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, mental health, cancer prevention, and digital health innovation, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. The initiative also promoted early childhood development (ECD) by integrating health, nutrition, and psychosocial care for children and caregivers, laying foundations for lifelong well-being.
Some research extended into Afghanistan, providing cross-border insights into digital health and early childhood development.
At the programme’s closing seminar, experts highlighted pressing health challenges, including high-risk pregnancies, cervical cancer screenings, and barriers to digital healthcare access. Participants stressed the need for collective efforts from both public and private stakeholders to improve awareness and outcomes.
“F4HE integrates gender equality, health, and civil society engagement to improve the health of mothers and their children, while supporting research and innovation to inform policies for inclusive and equitable health systems,” said Dr Sajid Soofi, Professor at AKU’s Department of Child Health.