Maternal Health and MMS

MMS Pakistan Program Footprint *through 2025

2,192,925

Pregnant women reached

392,298,300

Tablets distributed

98%

Distribution across 35 high burden districts

$5.9M+

Total Investment since 2020

$37USD

Economic return for every dollar invested in MMS3

What is MMS?

Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) are a proven effective intervention that improve maternal and child health. MMS contains 15 essential vitamins and minerals often lacking in pregnant women, living in resource-poor settings.

MMS is

12% — 14%

more effective than IFA in reducing the risk of low birth weight 2

7%2

more effective than IFA in reducing the risk of preterm birth 2
“As both a master trainer and a pregnant woman using MMS since my second trimester, I’ve seen its benefits firsthand. Now at 30 weeks, my regular checkups show my hemoglobin holding steady around 12. I’m very satisfied with the results and strongly recommend MMS for pregnant women.”

Lady Health Worker and MMS user in the Gilgit-Baltistan region

JFF is Paving the Way for MMS in Pakistan by:

Fostering Collaboration

In partnership with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), Kirk Humanitarian, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and Nutrition International, JFF has distributed 2.1 million bottles of MMS across Pakistan.

In 2024, JFF supported the establishment of the Strategic Technical Working Group on MMS, chaired by MoNHSR&C, to ensure a coordinated and collaborative national approach to MMS distribution—while advancing the systems needed for long-term sustainability and scale.

Building on this momentum, in 2025 JFF signed a Letter of Cooperation with the Gates Foundation and UNICEF to further strengthen alignment and accelerate MMS scaleup across Pakistan. These efforts have already yielded further progress, including an additional 1.75 million bottle shipment, currently managed and distributed by UNICEF.

Influencing Policy Change

Partnering with national and provincial leaders to drive essential policy reforms, while advancing the regulatory changes needed to remove barriers and enable the transition from IFA to MMS. JFF is advancing efforts to shape global policy, specifically changes to the World Health Organization guidelines, and will convene the first policy meeting on MMS at the 2026 World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Strengthening Capacity

Expanding system-wide capacity by scaling program priorities, design, and tools across a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders—from national policymakers and NGO leadership to frontline providers and Lady Health Workers.

Enabling Continuous Monitoring & Learning

Defining and building comprehensive, verifiable monitoring and learning systems in collaboration with UNICEF, the MoNHSR&C, and partners.
“A mother’s nutrition status is a powerful determinant of the survival, growth and development of her children, influencing health throughout life and into the next generation.” 3

  1. Larsen, B. Hoddinott, J., & Razvi, S. (2023). Investing in Nutrition: A Global Best Investment Case. Journal of Bene-fit-Cost Analysis, 1-20. https://doi:10.1017/ bca.2023.22.
  2. Smith ER, Shankar AH, Wu LS, Aboud S, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ali H, et al. Modifiers of the effect of maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation on stillbirth, birth outcomes, and infant mortality: a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 17 randomised trials in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet Global Health. 2017;5(11):e1090–e1100.
  3. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2024). Improving maternal nutrition: An acceleration plan to prevent malnutrition and anaemia during pregnancy (2024–2025). UNICEF.