Pakistan, Sept. 1 -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and UNICEF announced a $1.2 million contribution to strengthen maternal and newborn health care in Pakistan, as part of a wider collaboration to improve access to quality, life-saving health services across four countries in South Asia.

In Pakistan, the two-year programme will reach 410,000 mothers and newborns, strengthening the continuum of care from pregnancy through childbirth and the newborn period. The programme aims to increase antenatal care coverage and institutional delivery rates by 50 per cent, while strengthening the quality and availability of essential maternal and newborn health services.

The collaboration is part of a wider regional initiative that wil...