The Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) (https://ISFD.IsDB.org), with IsDB representatives and other donors visited Tajikistan in support of the country’s health sector. The visit focused on the “Improving Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) in the Republic of Tajikistan’’ project which is funded by ISFD in addition to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the King Salman Humanitarian Aid, Relief Center (KSRelief), and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).  The project is implemented through the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) and executed by the Republic of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population (MHSP).

The project aims at saving the lives of mothers and their newborns and children under 5 years of age in four districts of the Khatlon region with a population of nearly 5 million.  The Project components include, i) Provision of equipment, medical supplies, and development of health facilities infrastructure; ii) Development of institutional and human resource capacity through inter-related studies and training courses; iii) Mobilization of community and support to awareness campaigns.

By 2030, the planned impact of this project include: reducing maternal mortality from 45 to 25 per 100,000 live births (LB), under 5 years mortality from 43 to 25 per 1000 LB, infant mortality from 34 to 20 per 1000 LB, and neonatal mortality from 19 to 16 per 1000 LB.

On 5th September, the donors’ representatives, including ISFD, visited 2 districts in the Khatlon region namely Danghara, and Norak where they followed on project implementation on the ground. The visit focused on rural health centers and health houses benefitting from equipment and training, as well as the construction and renovation sites for the Danghara polyclinic and the Norak Central District Hospital.

The ISFD and other donors also interacted with the local communities and sought their opinion about the services provided under the project within these densely populated and yet geographically challenging environments.

Dr. Hiba Ahmed, Director General for Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) stated: “Despite being still in the implementation phase, the LLF project in Tajikistan has made remarkable forward steps towards enhancing maternity conditions and reducing child mortality and morbidity rates in the Khatlon Region. The project complements the country’s efforts in developing an effective health sector that can realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially Goal 3 of “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”.  ISFD looks forward to seeing the project being fully implemented with positive and far-reaching impacts on the lives of beneficiaries, especially those living in rural areas and the hard-to-reach communities.”

Dr. Hiba Ahmed also expressed the appreciation of ISFD and IsDB to the Government of Tajikistan, the different stakeholders, and ministries supporting this very important project, especially the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Economic Development & Trade. The country’s hospitality made this visit a great success.