BISP Nashonuma Programme 2025 – Impact on Nutrition and Child Health
The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is Pakistan’s largest social protection initiative, providing financial relief to millions of struggling families. While most people know it for its cash transfers, one of its most powerful yet less highlighted projects is the Nashonuma Programme, which directly addresses malnutrition and child health.
What is the Ehsaas Program 8171?
Malnutrition has long been one of Pakistan’s toughest challenges. Studies reveal that nearly 40% of children under five are stunted, meaning they fail to reach normal growth due to a lack of proper nutrition. Stunting is more than a height issue. It weakens learning capacity, reduces future earning potential, and undermines the country’s human capital.
Recognizing this crisis, BISP launched the Nashonuma Programme to focus on nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life—from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. This is a crucial window where nutrition determines lifelong health and cognitive development. Without proper care during this period, the effects are often irreversible.
Poor nutrition at this stage can:
- Weakened immunity, leaving children vulnerable to infections
- Slow brain development, leading to poor school performance
- Causes stunting, leaving children smaller and weaker than their peers
- Increase future disease risks, including diabetes and heart issues
By targeting mothers and young children, Nashonuma aims to break this destructive cycle.
How the Nashonuma Programme Works
The programme goes beyond financial assistance and combines cash support with nutrition, healthcare, and education. Its core components include:
- Monthly cash stipends: Eligible mothers receive around Rs. 2,000 per child to cover essential nutrition and health needs.
- Nutrition supplements: Pregnant and breastfeeding women, along with children under two, are provided with fortified food.
- Regular health check-ups: Growth is monitored through weight and height tracking.
- Awareness training: Mothers learn about breastfeeding, hygiene, and balanced diets.
- Community healthcare links: Local health centers are connected with BISP beneficiaries for easy access to services.
This integrated model not only provides relief but also builds healthy practices for the long term.
Achievements So Far
Although still a relatively young programme, Nashonuma has already shown a tangible impact:
- Over 1.2 million mothers and children are supported with stipends and nutrition packs
- 6% reduction in stunting rates in targeted districts
- Better maternal health outcomes, including safer pregnancies
- Higher awareness of breastfeeding, especially in rural areas
- Improved access to healthcare for families that were previously excluded
These results prove that combining financial aid with targeted nutrition policies can bring real change.
Challenges and Criticisms
Like all welfare efforts, Nashonuma has faced hurdles:
- Corruption risks in certain regions raise questions about transparency
- Limited coverage, as millions of children remain malnourished and outside the programme’s reach
- Logistical problems in delivering nutrition supplies to remote areas
- Risk of dependency, with critics stressing the need for structural reforms alongside cash aid
- Awareness gaps, since not all families follow the training advice provided
Despite these issues, experts consider Nashonuma an important step forward since it tackles malnutrition directly instead of indirectly through general welfare.
Nutrition, Poverty, and the Bigger Picture
Nutrition is at the heart of poverty reduction. Poor households spend most of their earnings on food, but often on cheaper, less nutritious items. Malnourished children become less productive adults, pushing families deeper into the poverty trap.
By improving child health and maternal care, BISP is:
- Enabling better school performance among children
- Lowering long-term healthcare costs
- Strengthening mothers’ ability to care for families and work if needed
- Contributing to a stronger, healthier workforce
This proves that fighting malnutrition is not just about saving lives—it is about building an economy.
Social and Community Benefits
Another important aspect of Nashonuma is how it empowers women. By directing stipends to mothers, the programme strengthens their role in household decision-making. Women are not just passive recipients but active agents of change in improving family health.
Awareness sessions also encourage women to share knowledge with others, spreading good practices across communities. Villages where Nashonuma is active often report better hygiene, improved child care, and greater nutritional awareness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BISP Nashonuma Programme?
It is a nutrition and health initiative under BISP to reduce child stunting through stipends, fortified food, health check-ups, and awareness sessions.
Who qualifies for support?
Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under two from poor families.
Has it shown results?
Yes. In areas where it operates, stunting has fallen by around 6%.
What do mothers receive?
Monthly cash stipends, fortified food, regular health monitoring, and training on nutrition and hygiene.
What problems does it face?
Corruption risks, limited coverage, difficulties in remote delivery, and dependency concerns.
Conclusion
The BISP Nashonuma Programme shows how welfare can go beyond survival support to directly improve health. By focusing on nutrition it gives children a better chance to grow, learn, and thrive.
Yes, the programme has challenges—from limited reach to governance issues—but the positive outcomes are undeniable. A 6% drop in stunting means thousands of children are healthier and have brighter futures.
If expanded and strengthened, Nashonuma could become one of Pakistan’s most effective tools in breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition. Investing in mothers and children today lays the foundation for a healthier, stronger Pakistan tomorrow.