Taking steps to help pregnant women

Mercy Corps staff distribute cash vouchers to families affected by violence in Pakistan. Photo: Holden Basch/Mercy Corps

We issued a news release today detailing the nearly $1.2 million grant we received from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. The money will help us deliver cash vouchers to 120,000 people over the next four months.

We're also taking steps to help some of the estimated 70,000 pregnant women who've been displaced by the current fighting. These efforts make sense given our current health work in Pakistan, which includes running nutrition programs to help new mothers and underweight infants.

Our plan now is to set up a number of birthing stations in Mardan to help deliver babies and provide post-natal support to mothers. Stay tuned.