National Community Engagement Consultant: Strengthening Community Engagement System in Islamabad, Pakistan .2.5 Months. Site/Office based

Pakistan, with a population exceeding 240 million, faces persistent challenges in poverty, social exclusion, gender inequality, and vulnerability to disasters and emergencies. Over 38% of Pakistanis live in multidimensional poverty, with deep disparities at provincial and district levels, exacerbated by social exclusion, discrimination, and violence against marginalized groups, especially women, children, and minorities. The COVID-19 pandemic, recurring natural disasters, and ongoing humanitarian crises have further exposed the fragility of community systems and the urgent need for robust, inclusive, and resilient community engagement mechanisms

Social norms, information gaps, and low trust in public services further hinder service uptake. Technical solutions alone are insufficient; robust community engagement (CE) is essential to expand service reach, strengthen frontline systems, and address behavioral, social, and structural barriers. However, current CE efforts are fragmented and inconsistently linked with service delivery.

Community engagement emerged as one of the most effective components across the SBC portfolio . It relies on trusted local actors, culturally grounded approaches, participatory delivery, and regular interpersonal contact. These strategies helped shift knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours across sectors including health, WASH, education, nutrition, child protection, and polio.

The SBC formative evaluation highlights that interpersonal, community embedded delivery was the central driver of behaviour change. By leveraging community trust, local insights, and repeated face to face engagement, programmes were able to overcome social barriers, build ownership, and make desired behaviours more practical and acceptable for households.