With the collaboration of all the provincial chapters (Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Quetta) of the Pakistan Haemophilia Patients Welfare Society (PHPWS), Dr Tahira Zafar started the third NNHF project in Pakistan in 2009.

This national project focused on skills development and awareness towards improved preventive care. The strategy included the development of a train the trainer module on conducting awareness workshops, assembling a training kit, developing brochures in Urdu and English for easy distribution, translation of Urdu material developed under the previous project PK2 into English and the use of these materials for training doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff in conducting self care workshops in their respective areas.

During the project, a number of workshops took place to transfer knowledge and skills from the resource team to local master trainers.

Media representatives attended the workshops, demonstrating their continued commitment to creating awareness about bleeding disorders. Recordings of the workshop and interviews with the organizers and resource persons were aired and printed in the local newspapers.

After the successful nationwide implementation of the project, the project closing ceremony was held in June 2011. The Chief Guest of the ceremony, Mrs Rubina Saadat Qaimkhani, Parlimentary Secretary for Ministry of Human Rights, committed to the team and patients that she is going to include a project on haemophilia awareness and management in the agenda of her upcoming meeting with the policy makers of UNICEF Pakistan so that this project not only gets more domestic recognition but also more international recognition. She distributed cheques of financial aid to 100 people with Haemophilia provided by the Pakistan Bait ul Maal.

Dr Zafar summarised the success of the project saying, “The experience gained with these workshops is vital! Local chapters have requested continued close liaison to reinforce the benefit of educational training activities and awareness materials. We have assured them of our continued support of educational & awareness activities in future.”

To extend this support the HPWS Rawalpindi/Islamabad chapter will establish an active rapport with provincial chapters to ascertain their needs. Both technical and financial resources will hopefully be locally generated.

Read more about the Pakistan project in this news article and see our Haemophilia Journal article about the project