Funded by a US$25 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Umeed-e-Nau (new hope) is a five-year project that will see the AKU work with public sector programmes and primary care providers such as lady health workers and community health midwives to deliver proven interventions and improve the quality of care at health facilities in 14 rural districts in Balochistan, Southern Punjab and Sindh, as well as urban slums in Karachi.