Pakistan’s first premarital web portal and mobile application have been launched to provide young newlyweds or those who are about to get married with access to comprehensive information about sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
The project was initiated under the brand name ‘Aghaaz’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination’s Population Program Wing.
Aghaaz aims to ensure that young people have a strong foundation for marriage, for which it discusses several important areas ranging from pre-marital screening to fostering a healthy relationship with one’s life partner. It also provides information and guidance on subjects such as the number and spacing of children, pre-natal and post-natal care, and household and money management.
The Director-General of the Population Program Wing, Dr. Sabina Durrani, spoke at the launch ceremony and highlighted that Pakistan’s youth makes up 70 percent of the population, and such an informative platform is the need of the hour. She added that it will go a long way in disseminating important information to the youth.
The CEO of the Forum for Safe Motherhood, Dr. Amanullah, emphasized the need of bridging the gap that the youth faces while attempting to access SRH information and services. These gaps include providers who are unwilling to or uncomfortable with providing these services, fearful of being seen or mistreated, and distance to and cost of services.
Aghaaz has taken into consideration all the aspects of consultation and communication, including barriers, cultural sensitivities, and societal challenges, with particular attention to the needs of young people.
Its project lead, Dr. Haris Ahmed, said that it provides quality information on reproductive health and rights with the view of empowering the youth to make the right choices at the right time. He stressed the need to ensure that every prospective couple needs to undergo premarital counseling, and Aghaaz is the perfect platform that can facilitate long, healthy, stable, and satisfying marriages.
The portal is accessible on www.aghaaz.com.pk and also on a mobile app that can be downloaded from Google Play Store.
