No woman should have to delay life-saving maternal healthcare because she cannot afford it.For Shumaila, Chairperson of the 30 Stars Community-Based Saving Group (CBSG) in Muhammadabad, Danyore, Gilgit, this is more than a belief. It is the principle that has brought women together to support one another during one of life’s most critical moments: pregnancy and childbirth.
In the mountainous communities of Gilgit-Baltistan, expectant mothers often face more than long distances to health facilities. The cost of transport, medicines, diagnostic tests and delivery can force families to delay or forgo essential maternal healthcare, putting both mothers and newborns at risk. Recognizing that financial barriers often prevent women from seeking timely maternal healthcare, UNFPA, through its partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and Aga Khan Development Network under the Sehat Ka Safar (SKS) initiative, introduced Community-Based Saving Groups to help women build their own financial safety nets.
Sehat Ka Safar programme, supported by the Government of Canada, seeks to improve reproductive health and rights by strengthening health systems, expanding access to quality maternal healthcare and empowering communities across underserved districts, including Gilgit-Baltistan.
Today, more than 180 Community-Based Saving Groups are active across the Gilgit region, helping thousands of women prepare not only for emergencies but also for healthier pregnancies and safer deliveries.
Karima Didar is a mother of four school-going children. Her husband works as a security guard, and his modest income is just enough to meet the family’s daily needs. On the night, when Karima went into labour with her fifth child, complications during childbirth, coupled with her newborn’s health condition, required both mother and baby to remain in the hospital for an additional three days. Faced with mounting medical expenses, the family struggled to afford the care they urgently needed.
But Karima was not alone. As a member of the 30 Stars CBSG, she was able to access an emergency loan of PKR 50,000 without any delay. The loan enabled her family to pay for medicines, delivery expenses and the extended hospital stay, ensuring that both mother and newborn received the care they needed.
“My group was there when I needed the help. The loan gave me peace of mind during one of the most difficult moments of my life. Instead of worrying about money, I could focus on my recovery and my baby’s health,” says Karima.
Karima later repaid the loan in manageable monthly instalments, allowing the revolving fund to continue supporting other women facing similar emergencies.
For another member, Naila Fida, the support began even before delivery. Knowing that financial assistance would be available when the time came gave her confidence throughout her pregnancy. When she required hospital care, she borrowed PKR 50,000 from the group to cover medicines and other medical expenses during her travel and five-day stay at the District Headquarters Hospital in Gilgit.
“I was completely stress free because I knew the expenses would be taken care of when I needed them the most. Every expectant mother deserves that peace of mind,” says Naila.
The 30 Stars CBSG was established in 2021 under the Sehat Mand Khandan (SMK) programme, also supported by the Government of Canada and implemented by AKRSP with support from UNFPA. The group began with only 17 women, each contributing PKR 50 as a share, united by a common purpose: ensuring that no woman in their community would have to delay antenatal care, postnatal care or a safe delivery because of financial hardship.
Building trust was not easy. In the beginning, many families were uncertain about saving collectively and lending money to one another. Yet the founding members remained committed, believing that together they could create a stronger and more resilient community. Today, that vision has become reality. The group has grown to 49 members, with the share value increasing from PKR 50 to PKR 300. Together, the women have accumulated more than PKR 1,548,300 in savings and disbursed PKR 827,000 in loans while maintaining an outstanding 98% repayment rate. The average loan, ranging between PKR 50,000 and PKR 70,000, helps women cover the costs of antenatal check-ups, safe deliveries, emergency care and postnatal services. Every contribution, loan and repayment is carefully recorded in ledgers and individual passbooks maintained by the members themselves, ensuring transparency and collective ownership.
What makes the initiative especially sustainable is where the savings come from. Across the community, women generate income through kitchen gardening, poultry farming, handicrafts and the sale of local agricultural produce, including seasonal fruits such as apricots. These earnings, though often modest, become powerful when pooled together. Money earned from tending a small vegetable garden or raising a few chickens is transformed into a community fund that enables mothers to seek skilled healthcare without delay. The model demonstrates how investing in women’s livelihoods can directly improve maternal health. Economic empowerment and better health outcomes go hand in hand.
The savings groups are one component of a broader package of support under the Sehat Ka Safar initiative. Alongside the CBSGs, Lady Health Workers and Lady Health Visitors supported by UNFPA regularly visit pregnant women before and after childbirth, providing counselling, monitoring the health of mothers and newborns, promoting antenatal and postnatal care, and referring women to health facilities whenever needed. Together, financial preparedness and quality healthcare are helping women access the services they need at the right time.
According to Adina Dinar, Manager Health and Nutrition, Regional Programme Office Gilgit, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), the success of the Community-Based Saving Groups lies in the strength of community ownership.
“Community-Based Saving Groups are built on a simple but powerful idea: when women save together, they build more than a financial reserve. They build confidence, solidarity and resilience. These groups enable women to make timely decisions about their health, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth, while strengthening their livelihoods and creating lasting community support systems.”
For Shumaila, Chairperson of the 30 Stars, watching women help one another has been the greatest achievement of all.
“No woman should have to delay life-saving maternal healthcare because she cannot afford it. Our savings group ensures that when a mother needs care, financial constraints do not stand in her way.”
Read the Story at Original Source: Women savings groups are safety nets for pregnant women in Gilgit Baltistan
