Effects of the Challenge Initiative’s Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) on Public Sector Service Provision of Family Planning Services in Urban Sindh, Pakistan

Junaid-ur-Rehman Siddiqui (), Mansoor Ahmed Veesar, Kashif Manzoor, Irum Imran, Amir Saeed, Faisal Mahar, Saqib Ali Shaikh, Zafar Ali Dehraj, Aaliya Habib, Ghazunfer Abbas, Syed Azizur Rab and Victor Igharo
Additional contact information
Junaid-ur-Rehman Siddiqui: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Mansoor Ahmed Veesar: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Kashif Manzoor: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Irum Imran: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Amir Saeed: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Faisal Mahar: Communication Training Logistics & Supplies, Population Welfare Department Sindh, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Saqib Ali Shaikh: Health Services Karachi, Department of Health Sindh, Karachi 07530, Pakistan
Zafar Ali Dehraj: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Aaliya Habib: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Ghazunfer Abbas: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Syed Azizur Rab: Programs, Greenstar Social Marketing, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Victor Igharo: William H. Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: To counter the high unmet need for family planning in urban areas of Sindh province, Pakistan, Greenstar Social Marketing began implementation of The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in collaboration with the government departments of Population Welfare and Health in eight urban districts of Sindh province. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of TCI’s Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) on public sector service provision of family planning services in eight urban districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. The Contraceptive Logistics Management Information System (cLMIS) and District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) were used to obtain monthly contraceptive data from June 2022 to December 2024. CHVs began implementation at different time points in each district, starting from January 2023 to October 2023, when CHVs became operational in all eight districts. Descriptive statistics and two-sample t -tests were used for data analysis. CHVs significantly improved family planning service provision, particularly for short- and long-acting methods at the facility level, with greater change observed in Department of Health facilities. This study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of CHVs in increasing public sector service provision of contraceptives, particularly for Department of Health facilities. CHVs bridge the gap between the community and the facility, particularly in areas uncovered by the government’s existing mobilization staff.

Keywords: community health volunteers; The Challenge Initiative; urban family planning programs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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