Community Partnerships to Improve Public Health: A case study of a slum in the megacity of Karachi, Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan is the third or fourth largest megacity in the world with over 18 million people. Sanitation problems have reached crisis levels. This is a case study of the social and political determinants of that problem and of local solutions through partnership.

Partnerships have received an increasing amount of academic attention as a strategy to improve community health. Sultanabad, a slum in central Karachi, Pakistan suffers from long standing inadequate accommodation for sewage. A community clean up day organized was part of this drive to improve the health of the community as a strategic action that created the base for further partnership development.

Community partnerships that address public health needs are severely constrained unless they are attached to a broader social and political movement that address the needs of poor people. This connection needs to happen in theory and practice.