Over several years, the Government of Pakistan trained and deployed girls in their twenties to operate as community midwives in rural Pakistan. While the focus has been on their technical ability, they lack the experience, skills, and confidence to set up and grow independent clinics - the cornerstone of the program - as a commercially viable and sustainable business. This is considered essential to enhance the retention of midwives in the profession, particularly in their local villages of deployment.

To address this skill gap, between 2019 and 20, we worked through a three-stage process to address this gap in selected districts. In the first phase, we conducted a business skills gap assessment of the midwives, to determine the ‘what and how to effectively build their business development, management, and growth skills. In the second phase, over a 12-month period, we designed and delivered a classroom and on-the-job advisory program to bridge the gaps. In the third phase, we evaluated the impact of the program on their skills, income, and growth of their micro-enterprises.