At ACP by SDTS-January, 27-30 ,2012 KHAIRPUR.

British Council Pakistan & SDTS - Touching Young Lives By Developing Leadership Skills

Restoring Pakistan's Communities Through Active Citizenship

Future Active Citizens for Pakistan

Here at Sewa Development Trust Sindh (SDTS), we are implementing an Active Citizens Programme with the support of the British Council Pakistan in the three districts of Sindh province. 

The Active Citizens programme aims to develop leadership skills in young people of the Khairpur, Sukkur, and Larkana districts.

Active Citizens Programme Training held at Green Palace Hotel, Larkano, 6-9 January, 2012 under the banner of British Council and Sewa Development Trust Sindh.

The Active Citizen Programme facilitates community and political participation amongst young people through interactions with local community organizations, and local and national governments. It also develops an understanding of global issues which affect young people and their communities.

A total of five trainings thus far have been conducted with young people.

Each training covered four days, and in three venues: Sukkur, Khairpur (2x), and Larkana (2x), from mid-November 2011 through early January 2012. A total of  33 females and 136 males participated.

The programme aims to increase outreach through developing strengthened partnerships with civil society organizations in the country, and engage with communities and young people in the Khairpur, Sukkur, and Larkana districts.

By participating in the Active Citizenship programme,  young leaders will be equipped with skills to help them address social issues, access decision-making processes, and contribute to building community cohesion with people of all generations through:

1. Capacity building: For young people that includes; leadership, communication, advocacy, citizenship,volunteering, social action programme delivery, fundraising, entrepreneurship, partnership, and network-building.
2. Developing international network: Both face-to-face and online, enabling young people to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience to develop new relationships and understand their roles as global citizens.
3. Developing youth-led social programmes: Where young people contribute to addressing various development issues in their communities by involving local institutions and people of all generations to make a positive difference.
4. Facilitating policy dialogue: To stimulate debate about active citizenship and youth policy and practice at national, local and community levels.

The programme is scheduled to run until February 2013.

Community Restoration Through Cash-for-work Initiatives

SDTS is an implementing partner of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the Community Restoration Programme (CRP) in union council Duniapur Tehsil Tangwani district Kashmore of Sindh province. With the financial support from IOM, SDTS is involved in rehabilitation of community infrastructure in the following villages:

1. Adam Khan Bhalkani,
2. Alif Khan Bijarani-A and
3. Nihal Khan Bahalkani-A.

 

The project aims to restore access to essential services through employment-intensive rehabilitation of basic/critical infrastructure of flood-affected communities and households at risk, reduce environmental hazards and disaster risk exacerbated by –  or resulted from the flood in ways that facilitate the safe and resilient recovery of livelihoods of the affected population.

SDTS is involved in restoration and repair of key community infrastructures damaged or destroyed during the flooding, such as link roads through road pavements in the above said villages.

Households are engaged in repair and restoration activities through cash-for-work initiatives that will assist them to meet their post-return basic survival needs.

Beneficiary Selection

Household vulnerabilities to be prioritized for the programme:

1. No Adult Male in the family.
2. Disabled.
3. Medically Unfit (chronic disease).
4. Elderly family member.
5. Orphan.
6. Very Low Earnings (<6000 rupees per month).
7. Large Family (> 8 people).
8. Additional vulnerability: particularly those with many more girls.

 

All beneficiaries were selected by the Village Committee (VC) in the presence of SDTS team for guidelines, in terms of vulnerability.

Achievements/Results

1. Selected three villages as beneficiaries out of 32 visited villages which sustained the most destruction, and vulnerable families.
2. Completed all documentation process.
3. Selection of project workers.
4. Procurement of tools and material.
5. Distribution of workers payment tranches in each village became finalized with pictures.
6. Restoration of three key community infrastructure schemes of road pavements in union council (UC) Duniapur district Kashmore.
7. Flood-affected communities of three villages benefited from restored community infrastructure to meet fundamental needs for return.
8. Generation of up to 3,600 labour days infrastructure rehabilitation/reconstruction, supporting local labour markets and reviving local economies.
9. A minimum of 120 households are better positioned to meet their daily survival needs through immediate income as a result of cash-for-work initiatives linked to restoration and repair of community infrastructures.
10. Special needs of vulnerable groups such as female-headed households, met.

 

Construction

According to a construction point of view, conducted technical workshop/trainings at the  Sukkur office in different times, and SDTS staff attended those workshops.

IOM technical staff also came to SDTS' field office in Kandhkot and  gave technical training to the team. SDTS' Field Technical Mobilizer conducted three construction-related technical workshops in all selected villages and covered all aspects of construction material, parameters, quality, rules, and regulations.

One Room Shelters for Vulnerable Groups

One Room Shelter Programme

With the financial support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) , SDTS  is implementing the One Room Shelter (ORS) Programme in union with council Duniapur Tehsil Tangwani districts Kashmore of Sindh province. SDTS is involved in the monitoring and mobilization of 700 ORS.

The project uses local designs and mobilizes communities’ capacity for self-help to meet the unprecedented need for shelter solutions.

The design for a one room shelter using local material and techniques had specific groups of people in mind: the most vulnerable groups such as female headed households, minorities, disabled, older persons, low-income households. And families with a large number of family members have been given priority.

Households engaged in repair and restoration activities through cash-for-work initiatives will be able to meet their post-return basic survival needs.

Additionally, a grant mechanism for restoration of assets for small businesses will be administered to revitalize these key sectors of the economic and social environment.

Beneficiary selection

There are following certain characteristics of beneficiaries’ selection:

1. 100% demolished house.
2. Widow.
3. Disabled.
4. Large familes.
5. Very poor families.
6. Involved in chronic diseases.
7. Aged/ Older persons.

 

All beneficiaries were selected by Village Committee (VC) in the presence of SDTS' team for guidelines in terms of vulnerability.

Among the selected 32 villages, there are 3% minorities – among  700 beneficiaries, and also in some villages, the minorities are members of village committees.

Project Beneficiaries:

Male: 2,233

Female: 2,109

Total: 4,342

Achievements/Results

1. Selected 32 villages as beneficiaries out of 62 visited villages, which sustained the  most destruction, and vulnerable families.
2. Completed all documentation processes.
3. Selection of 700 beneficiaries.
4. Distributions of three tranches in each village became finalized with pictures.
5. 100% plinth (base) level, wall Level, roof level, and occupied work is completed with each beneficiaries’ pictures.
6. The completion of 700 ORS Projects in selected villages.
7. All 700 ORS has been occupied.
8. Recorded GPS Coordinates of 32 villages and 700 ORS beneficiaries.

 

Construction

SDTS conducted technical workshop/trainings in the Sukkur office at different times, and SDTS staff attended those workshops. IOM technical staff also came to SDTS' field office in Kandhkot and gave technical training to the team.

SDTS' Field Technical Mobilizer also conducted 32 construction-related technical workshops in all selected villages and covered all aspects of construction material, parameters, quality, rules, and regulations.

“Build Back Better (BBB)” posters were displayed in each village.

SDTS has made possible in every way to follow the Distaster Risk Recommendation (DRR)  –  a technique to minimize natural disaster risk to the infrastructure, to beneficiaries, initially, and now finally they completed all their plinth, wall, and roof level work.

Medical Camp

SDTS  organized a One Day Free Medical Camp on  22 January 2012 at the Govt. Primary School Village, U.C Fakeerabad Taluka Kot Diji, District Khairpur, in collaboration with LEAD Pakistan and Save the Life Gambat, for providing health services.

During the Medical Camp, a team of four medical officers –  Dr. Sayed Feroz Ali Shah, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Arejo,  Dr. Marvi Bhatti (female, gynecology/obstetrics), and Dr. Anwar Illahi Sahito, prescribed medicines and checkups.

Following are the details of patients treated in the medical camp.

1. Number of patients treated: 210
2. Number of males treated: 45
3. Number of females treated: 123
4. Number of children treated: 52
5. Number of patients referred: 5
6. Number of Anemia cases treated: 63
7. Diarrhea cases treated: 7
8. Skin disorders treated: 47
9. Malaria cases treated: 4
10. Eye Infection cases treated: 13
11. Other diseases treated: Cough-15, Fever-38, Pain-15, B.P. (blood pressure)-6