A large number of Pakistan’s population is facing severe multidimensional poverty which translates into a majority of people without access to healthcare, education, means to earn livelihood and water and sanitation facilities. Recognizing the dire need to improve the socio economic well-being of poverty- stricken population, SPO through its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme is implementing multiple initiatives in more than 53 districts across Pakistan.

The overall goal of the programme is to ensure that all citizens have access and the ability to exercise their fundamental rights to education, health, water, sanitation, and sustainable livelihood in order to attain good governance.

SPO aims to:

1. Strengthen key public institutions to develop policy frameworks that effectively respond to the
   socio-economic development needs of the citizens
2. Facilitate communities, public interest institutions and policy makers at local, provincial and national level to advocate and collaborate for human and institutional development

Under this thematic area, SPO has been contributing to the delivery of health services by developing community-centric interventions for mother and child healthcare, immunization, and TB care and control in different regions across the country. In the education sector, SPO has taken initiatives across Pakistan through focused efforts to increase the enrolment of school children, particularly girls, introducing modern pedagogical and interactive education models and mobilized communities to become members of school management committees. SPO has played a vital role in advocating for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene rights at provincial and national level through engaging legislators and
other relevant government stakeholders in policy making that would provide communities access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Furthermore, the Social and Economic Development component of SPO also infuses different dimensions of issues related to women’s economic empowerment.