Islamabad, Pakistan – In the narrow, muddy lanes of Ghorabari, Sindh, Ali Muhammad’s motorbike brings hope and medical science to the most remote communities. Over the last two decades, Ali has been navigating this marginalized landscape, where accessing healthcare can be a daily struggle. Ali is one of over 15 000 skilled vaccinators trained by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the leadership of Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization.His mission: to ensure every child completes their full vaccination course, staying protected from vaccine-preventable diseases that could lead to lifelong disability or death.Vaccinator Ali on his motorbike, about to head to vaccination in a remote area in Sindh province, Pakistan. Photo credit: WHO PakistanDay after day, Ali fights a burden of diseases that particularly threatens communities living in makeshift houses far from health facilities.WHO’s collaboration with Pakistan and partners – supported by donors like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – provides the infrastructure, training, and tools needed to record the vaccination status of children and reach those living in the most isolated areas.Ali Muhammad with a vaccine carrier and safety box on his way to remote households in Ghorabari, Sindh. Photo credit: WHO PakistanWhether during the 2022 floods or the measles and rubella vaccination campaigns of 2022 and 2025, Ali was on the ground to provide a safety net for the most vulnerable. "I have seen real improvement because of vaccination," Ali says. "There are fewer outbreaks now, but our work must be consistent to keep children safe."Ali often encounters hesitation due to misinformation. He remembers one family who, fearing minor side effects like fever, chose to skip life-saving vaccines."We would get our children vaccinated sometimes, and other times we wouldn't," says Zohra, a mother in Ghorabari. This inconsistency turned fatal when her daughter fell ill. Mistaking her fever for a common chest infection, the parents waited. It was only when a rash appeared and they reached the hospital that the truth emerged: it was measles. The realization came too late; the young girl died the next day.Today, Zohra has transformed her grief into a plea: "My daughter is gone because I was careless. I let my doubts come before her safety, and now I have to live with that grief every day. I thought I was protecting her from a fever. I urge every mother: do not wait for a rash to appear, do not let your child become a memory; ensure they are vaccinated on time, every time."Zohra, a mother in Ghorabari, Sindh, advocates immunization after losing her daughter to a preventable measles outbreak. Photo credit: WHO PakistanAli vaccinates over 3500 children annually at the basic health unit and in outreach sites, but he is more than a vaccinator. He is also a counselor who shares the plight of parents like Zohra to break the cycle of refusal. Every morning, he prepares his vaccine carrier, safety box, and vaccines, heading out to reach every woman and child, no matter where they live or who they are."In this area, some people don’t have access to basic health facilities; my mission is to ensure that every child completes their full vaccination course, so they are safe and protected.Written by Ayesha Javed.Edited by José Ignacio Martín Galán.

“I didn’t choose this work. This work chose me,” says Sanam, one of the more than 428 000 vaccinators – including 15 000 routine vaccinators and 413 000 polio workers – trained by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Pakistan. They brave distance and difficult terrain and overcome doubts to bring lifesaving medical science to their communities, protecting them against 13 vaccine-preventable diseases.Every year, they protect 7 million children and 5.5 million mothers with routine vaccines. Over 45 million children have been reached with polio vaccines during multiple supplementary campaigns.Many of these vaccinators are women who speak mother to mother, bridging cultural codes and going where others cannot. This World Immunization Week, we pay tribute to them.Meet Sanam, Laila, Rozina, Sagheera, Zeenat, Fatima, Ayesha, Shumaila, Deen-a-Komal and Amina, and learn how, across Pakistan’s provinces, they are proving that, for every generation, vaccines work and save lives.Sanam – Barakahu, Islamabad“When I was in college, I wanted to select a field where I could interact with people and with children – like this vaccination programme that protects children. I wanted to do something for children, as a vaccinator and as a mother.”Vaccinator Sanam prepares a routine immunization dose at the Rural Health Centre Barakahu, Islamabad, Pakistan, in April 2026. Photo credit: Sara Akmal/ WHO PakistanLaila – Muzaffargarh, Punjab“These are my villages, my children. I have walked through these fields in July heat and December fog. When you know a child is waiting, you don’t calculate the distance. You just go. Trust is a real medicine. The injection comes after,” says Laila.Vaccinator Laila walks through the fields of Muzaffargarh, Punjab, carrying a vaccine carrier and supplies to reach children in her community. Photo credit: WHO PakistanRozina – Thatta, Sindh“Some mothers walk very far to bring their children to me. When I see them coming, I never make them wait. There are mothers in this area who lost children to measles because they were not vaccinated on time. Vaccination is not just a choice. It is a responsibility we share.”Vaccinator Rozina prepares a vaccine dose at a community outreach session in, Thatta, Sindh, as mothers and children wait to be vaccinated. Photo credit: WHO PakistanSagheera – Kahuta, Punjab “For 25 years I have been coming to these hills. The children I vaccinated first are now bringing me their own children. That is all the reward I need.”Vaccinator Sagheera reviews vaccination cards with mothers and families during a community outreach visit in Kahuta, Punjab. Photo credit: WHO PakistanZeenat – Rawalpindi“I am a mother too and I got my own children vaccinated for polio. Thank God, they are healthy and protected now. I want all parents in the country to vaccinate their children with polio drops so they do not fall prey to paralysis.”Vaccinator Zeenat, accompanied by a WHO frontline worker, administers polio drops to a child at his doorstep in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, during a door-to-door immunization campaign in February 2026. Photo credit: Hamid Inam/WHO PakistanFatima – Thatta, Sindh“Every tetanus-diphtheria vaccine that we provide protects mothers and newborns from maternal and neonatal tetanus. I am proud to have played a part in eliminating this disease across Sindh.” Vaccinator Fatima administers a Td (tetanus-diphtheria) vaccine to a woman at a community outreach site in Thatta, Sindh, as part of Pakistan’s maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination programme. Photo credit: WHO PakistanAyesha – Tarlai, Islamabad“Every child, every missed dose is all in this register. This data are not just numbers. These are the children I am responsible for.”Vaccinator Ayesha presents her vaccination register to Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, during a visit to the Tarlai health facility in Islamabad in 2025. Photo credit: Ayesha Javed/WHO PakistanShumaila –  Karachi, Sindh“The human papillomavirus (HPV) campaign (against cervical cancer) was challenging. I was not just vaccinating — I was convincing parents the vaccine was safe. Every girl on our list was a daughter, a sister, a future. It was our responsibility to protect her health.”Vaccinator Shumaila administers an HPV vaccine to a schoolgirl in Karachi, Sindh, during the national HPV campaign. Photo credit: Ayesha Javed/WHO PakistanDeen-a-Komal –  Diamir District, Gilgit-Baltistan“In Diamir, people once turned us away at the door. Since15 women vaccinators were deployed here, coverage has risen from 57% to 83%. That change is what I worked for.”Vaccinator Deen-a-Komal at an outreach site during a measles and rubella campaign in November 2025 in Diamir District, Gilgit-Baltistan. Photo credit: WHO PakistanAmina Khan – Mehrabadi, Islamabad“A missed child does not disappear from my list. I follow up until I find them. A blank space in this register means a child is still at risk.”Vaccinator Amina updates vaccination records at a field outreach site in Mehrabadi, Islamabad. Photo credit: WHO Pakistan.Bridging the human distance to deliver medical scienceIn 1976, Pakistan was certified free of smallpox by WHO. In 1980, smallpox was officially declared eradicated worldwide, ending one of the deadliest diseases in human history. That success was achieved by health workers who walked through neighbourhoods, climbed into villages, and stayed until every eligible person was reached. Two years later, in 1978, Pakistan launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization in partnership with WHO. At the time, there were a limited presence of women vaccinators.Nearly 5 decades on, Pakistan has more women vaccinators than ever. They carry vaccines into the country’s hardest-to-reach corners with WHO technical and operational support –  in collaboration with partners and with funding from donors like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.These vaccinators continue to build on the hard-earned lesson that motivated the creation of the immunization programme 48 years ago: understanding that the distance between a vaccine and a child is always, in the end, a human distance, and that the medical science behind vaccines needs vaccinators to deliver it.Written by Ayesha Javed.Edited by José Ignacio Martín Galán

In Union Council Churbandar, in Gwadar district, Saeeda’s days once revolved around quiet, repetitive work.At 39, widowed and raising two children, she relied on hand embroidery to sustain her household. Her work was careful and skilled, but it remained confined within her home. Without access to buyers, pricing knowledge, or regular orders, her monthly income fluctuated between PKR 10,000 and 15,000. It was uncertain, informal, and difficult to scale.  “I used to do embroidery, but I did not know how to sell my work properly or get regular orders,” she recalls. Like many women in her community, Saeeda’s challenge was not a lack of skill. It was the absence of a pathway to turn that skill into a stable livelihood.That began to change with the establishment of the Women Resource Centre (WRC) in Churbandar under the Gwadar Lasbela Livelihoods Support Project, financed by Government of Pakistan and the International Dund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Designed as a safe and accessible space, the centre brought women together to learn, work, and exchange knowledge. For Saeeda, it marked her first step out of isolation.Through the centre, she participated in Enterprise Development Training, where she learned advanced embroidery techniques, product finishing, business planning, and basic financial management. More importantly, she began to understand how her work could connect to a wider market.The shift was not immediate, but it was steady.At the WRC, women were encouraged to organise into enterprise groups. Saeeda joined others with similar skills, and for the first time, her work became part of a collective process. Tasks were shared across embroidery, stitching, finishing, and packaging. Products that once took months to complete could now be produced more efficiently and with consistent quality. With support from the centre, she also began receiving orders from local markets and women-led online networks, including through WhatsApp. Her customer base expanded, and her pricing improved.Today, Saeeda earns approximately PKR 35,000 a month. The increase in income has brought stability to her household, but the change is not only financial.“After my husband passed away, I was broken and afraid… The Women Resource Centre gave me skills, confidence, and direction. Today, I can support my children with dignity and hope.” The centre has also reshaped how women in the community engage with work and with each other. It provides a space where they can move beyond home-based, informal production into structured, market-oriented activities, while building confidence and decision-making capacity.Saeeda’s experience reflects a broader shift underway across Gwadar and Lasbela districts.  Under the project, women are not peripheral participants but a central focus. They make up more than half of the membership in community organisations, and the majority of productive assets and training opportunities are directed towards them. This approach is supported through a network of Women Resource Centres, designed to anchor skills development, enterprise formation, and market engagement at the local level. The results are visible beyond individual households. Across the project area, there has been a marked decline in the proportion of ultra-poor households earning below PKR 10,000, alongside a rise in households moving into higher income brackets. These trends indicate a gradual but measurable shift from subsistence to more stable livelihoods.At the same time, the process is still evolving. Building enterprise groups, strengthening market linkages, and sustaining local institutions such as WRCs requires time and continued engagement.  For Saeeda, however, the direction is already clear.What began as solitary work within the confines of her home has grown into a more structured livelihood, connected to markets and supported by a network of women facing similar challenges. In that transition lies not only increased income, but a redefinition of what is possible. 

Many district and tehsil hospitals across Pakistan face a serious but often overlooked problem: the safe disposal of hazardous medical waste. Used syringes, blood-soaked bandages, and other infectious materials are generated every day, yet proper disposal systems are either outdated or unavailable. In some cases, waste is stored for long periods, handled manually, or disposed of in ways that put hospital staff, waste handlers, patients, and nearby communities at risk. The absence of reliable incineration facilities creates a critical gap in the healthcare system, directly affecting both public health and environmental safety.To address this challenge, with support from the Global Fund and in coordination with the Common Management Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoHSRC), UNOPS, under its “Developing Infrastructure for Incinerator Installation” project, has successfully constructed facilities in seven district hospitals across different provinces. The medical waste incinerators were procured by UNOPS Geneva office and have been installed  in four hospitals as of now,  including Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) Hospital, Muridke, Punjab; Institute of Chest Diseases (ICD), Kotri, Sindh; Civil Hospital, Mithi, Sindh; and Teaching Hospital, Khuzdar, Balochistan. The next installation is planned at Teaching Hospital, Turbat. Two sites are currently under construction, and work on the remaining three sites will begin in the next few weeks. Built according to international safety standards, with cavity walls and a properly designed ventilation system to ensure safe and controlled operation. Each installed incinerator can dispose of up to 150 kilograms of medical waste per hour, enabling hospitals to manage their waste efficiently, safely, and securely on-site.The impact goes beyond the structure itself. Staff at all these hospitals have received hands-on operational training, including live demonstrations of the full incineration cycle and safe waste-handling procedures. With four incinerators now operational as of now , they will significantly reduce infection risks for patients and surrounding communities, protect waste handlers from injury, and prevent harmful pollutants from entering the environment.“The installation of the incinerator at THQ Hospital Muridke marks a major step forward in safely managing infectious medical waste within the hospital. This initiative not only protects our healthcare workers but also safeguards our patients, the surrounding community, and the entire population of Muridke.”Dr. Ahmed Ammar Asif, Medical Superintendent, THQ Hospital Muridke This initiative demonstrates UNOPS’ strong expertise in infrastructure development and procurement globally,  particularly in complex and high-challenge environments. By delivering safe, standards-compliant facilities and building local capacity, UNOPS is helping to strengthen Pakistan’s healthcare system in a practical and lasting way. The impact goes beyond waste disposal. It means safer hospitals for patients, improved working conditions for healthcare staff, and healthier communities. This project closes a long-standing gap in the health system and contributes directly to better health outcomes and responsible waste management for the future.