In partnership with Evidence Action, Dubai Cares launched a nationwide deworming program in Pakistan to combat soil-transmitted helminths (STH), a major health challenge affecting the country. Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest STH burden and remains the only high-burden country yet to scale up deworming for at-risk school-age children.

Following the first nationwide STH survey in 2016, which identified 17 million children at risk, Dubai Cares and Evidence Action expanded school-based deworming as a key strategy across Pakistan’s five provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The program targeted approximately 40,000 public schools, 18,000 private schools, and 8,000 religious schools, aiming to reach the most vulnerable children.

Over three years, the program mobilized a collaborative donor fund worth USD 10.7 million to strengthen government capacity, support policy development, and ensure sustainable implementation of deworming efforts throughout the country.