This paper provides an overview of social protection strategies in the South Asian  context, focusing on Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka which  together account for over 95% of the region’s population. It discusses the  relationship between economic growth and social development in these countries  and their past efforts to deal with poverty and vulnerability. It reviews some of the  key interventions in the field of social protection within the different countries and  draws out a number of issues that bear on the future evolution of these strategies. It concludes with some reflections on the possible contribution that Ford Foundation  could make in this field.