The DHS Program

"...Violence against women and girls is a subject rarely discussed in Nepali society. The 2011Nepal Demographic and Health Survey found that 77% of women surveyed has never sought help for the violence they had faced and another 64% of women had never told anyone. Prashansa and Aastha understand that this taboo only perpetuates the cycle of violence for women and girls in Nepal. 'In order to prevent violence we need to speak about the violence [we face] and stand up for ourselves. One voice or cry of help may scare away the offender,' says Prashansa..."

"...According to the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS 2010), Malawi's fertility rate stands at 5.7 children per woman, which is higher than the wanted fertility rate of 4.5 children per woman while the annual growth rate stands at 2.8%..."

"...The recently released results of the 2014-2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey confirm that Rwanda has surpassed its targets for Millennium Development Goals 4 (reduce child mortality) and 5 (improve maternal health). Between 1990 and 2015, the country reduced the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds and achieved an extraordinary 85% decline in maternal mortality. This significant progress is the result of the Government of Rwanda’s commitment and partnership with donors like USAID to increase the availability and quality of services that support maternal, newborn, and child health. Despite this impressive progress , however, maternal and child health remains a major national concern..."

"...Pakistan has the largest birth cohort (4.6 million) of all countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region. Despite a slow decline in the past 10 years, the under-five mortality in Pakistan is still very high and immunisation coverage considerably low. The last Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS 2012-13) demonstrates that only half of the children are fully immunised in Pakistan. The number varies considerably across geographic, social and cultural boundaries and there are marked variations in immunisation coverage across provinces and districts, and gender, which is alarming. For instance, the 2012-13 PDHS shows that the proportion of fully immunised children in Sindh and Balochistan has dropped since 2006-07, from 37 to 29 per cent and 35 to 16 per cent, respectively. It is startling to see that around one-fifth of infants and children in rural Balochistan did not receive any vaccination (PDHS 2012-13). However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have shown slow but steady progress..."