The Sindh government has approved a major Rs14 billion Early Childhood Development (ECD) program under which caregivers of children up to five years of age will receive Rs3,000 every quarter. The initiative aims to improve child nutrition, health monitoring, and early learning support across the province.
The decision was taken during the third board meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Authority chaired by Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday. Officials said the program will focus on child growth monitoring, nutrition counselling, and school readiness assistance for families in need.
According to authorities, the initiative is being funded by KfW and is expected to benefit nearly 885,000 children aged between one month and five years throughout Sindh. The government believes the project will help tackle malnutrition, reduce poverty, and improve long-term human development indicators in the province.
Officials explained that financial assistance under the scheme will be distributed directly to caregivers every three months. The support is intended to encourage parents to regularly monitor children’s health, improve nutritional practices, and prepare young children for early education before entering school.
During the same meeting, the board also approved reforms to the Mamta maternal health cash transfer program, which currently operates in 22 districts. Authorities said the program has a budget of Rs56 billion and more than one million registered beneficiaries across Sindh.
A new Hybrid Predictable Payment Model was also introduced to improve the system of scheduled cash disbursements. Under the revised mechanism, mothers will continue receiving full payments for pregnancy or for their youngest child, while 75 percent of the conditional cash transfer amount will also be provided for an older child under the age of two.
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