Aga Khan initiative harvests water in parched villages
AHMEDABAD: In Surendranagar district, there are at least 60,000-odd odd families which may not bear the brunt of the acute water crisis. This is because of the roof rainwater harvesting systems installed in the villages by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP). Villagers have enough water to take care of their drinking water needs.
Shah Karim Al Hussaini, the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims worldwide is on a four-day visit to Gujarat till Sunday. The CEO of AKRSP-India, Apoorva Oza, said that the institute has attempted to fulfil the Aga Khan’s vision of serving the poor in India and implement sustainable development models.
“At a time when Gujarat is staring at a major water crisis due to diminished Narmada water, the AKRSP has done sizeable work in drip irrigation, lift irrigation, and roof rainwater harvesting in districts such as Surendranagar and Junagadh,” Oza said. AKRSP works mainly in Junagadh, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Narmada and Dang districts.
More...
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 061211.cms
AKRSP’s intervention helped reduce poverty
Reflections on the Diamond Jubilee
Jubilees have traditionally been occasions for Mawlana Hazar Imam to launch new projects and programmes, such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India, which was launched during his Silver Jubilee. As we approach the end of Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee visit to India, we asked Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India Chief Executive Officer Apoorva Oza to share with us his reflections on the Programme.
Full interview
https://the.ismaili/our-stories/reflect ... nd-jubilee
Jubilees have traditionally been occasions for Mawlana Hazar Imam to launch new projects and programmes, such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India, which was launched during his Silver Jubilee. As we approach the end of Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee visit to India, we asked Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India Chief Executive Officer Apoorva Oza to share with us his reflections on the Programme.
Full interview
https://the.ismaili/our-stories/reflect ... nd-jubilee
Shoaib Sultan Khan The Man Who Fought Poverty for India and Pakistan
The South Asian region is the most populated region in the world and is the home of over 1.7 billion people. According to the World Bank, 309 million of them are ‘extremely poor’! The South Asian region houses over 34% of ‘extremely poor’ people in the entire world and is marginally doing better than the Sub-Saharan Africa. While there is a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), effective cooperation between its constituents remains a distant dream. In fact, the region threatens to push the world into a nuclear war every now and then, thanks to a long history of conflict between two of its largest nations, India and Pakistan.
Considering this, the leadership provided by Shoaib Sultan Khan in bringing the solution to rural poverty from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) to Pakistan, perfecting it in Pakistan, and later helping India scale it to up to great heights, is nothing short of extraordinary. He took me through his journey, and while he constantly credited other individuals and co-incidences for his achievements, I could see a pattern of him building institutions and creating leaders.
Profile
Shoaib Sultan Khan was born in pre-partition India in 1933 and joined Civil Services of Pakistan (CSP) in 1955. He resigned from CSP in 1978 and dedicated himself to rural development. Through his work with Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he provided the world with a holistic rural development program. He started Pakistan’s largest rural development program, National Rural Support Program (NRSP). India’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a rural poverty alleviation program with a massive budget of $5.1 billion and benefits 350 million people is inspired by the work he did in Andhra Pradesh. Through the leaders he created and institutions he built, he went on to support over 150 million individuals and 30-40 thousand households escape poverty in India and Pakistan. He was awarded with the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
More...
http://theleadershipreview.org/features ... -pakistan/
The South Asian region is the most populated region in the world and is the home of over 1.7 billion people. According to the World Bank, 309 million of them are ‘extremely poor’! The South Asian region houses over 34% of ‘extremely poor’ people in the entire world and is marginally doing better than the Sub-Saharan Africa. While there is a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), effective cooperation between its constituents remains a distant dream. In fact, the region threatens to push the world into a nuclear war every now and then, thanks to a long history of conflict between two of its largest nations, India and Pakistan.
Considering this, the leadership provided by Shoaib Sultan Khan in bringing the solution to rural poverty from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) to Pakistan, perfecting it in Pakistan, and later helping India scale it to up to great heights, is nothing short of extraordinary. He took me through his journey, and while he constantly credited other individuals and co-incidences for his achievements, I could see a pattern of him building institutions and creating leaders.
Profile
Shoaib Sultan Khan was born in pre-partition India in 1933 and joined Civil Services of Pakistan (CSP) in 1955. He resigned from CSP in 1978 and dedicated himself to rural development. Through his work with Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he provided the world with a holistic rural development program. He started Pakistan’s largest rural development program, National Rural Support Program (NRSP). India’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a rural poverty alleviation program with a massive budget of $5.1 billion and benefits 350 million people is inspired by the work he did in Andhra Pradesh. Through the leaders he created and institutions he built, he went on to support over 150 million individuals and 30-40 thousand households escape poverty in India and Pakistan. He was awarded with the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
More...
http://theleadershipreview.org/features ... -pakistan/
Heritage Museum set up to showcase Chitrali relics
CHITRAL: A Heritage Museum was established in Laspur to take care and showcase the artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural and historical importance of Chitral.
The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme with the financial support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has established the Museum under its WES project.
Artifacts and objects, including ancient agricultural tools, weapons used in wars in the past, domestic tools and traditional Chitrali poshak were placed at the museum for the visitors to come and have a glimpse of these unique jewels of Chitrali tradition. All the artifacts and objects displayed at the Museum are collected by Amirullah Khan Yaftali.
The museum is fully decorated and it is expected that the tourists and history loving people would visit it in a large number to watch these relics from the ancient times. The museum would be opened to public in the coming days.
More...
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/318339 ... ali-relics
CHITRAL: A Heritage Museum was established in Laspur to take care and showcase the artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural and historical importance of Chitral.
The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme with the financial support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has established the Museum under its WES project.
Artifacts and objects, including ancient agricultural tools, weapons used in wars in the past, domestic tools and traditional Chitrali poshak were placed at the museum for the visitors to come and have a glimpse of these unique jewels of Chitrali tradition. All the artifacts and objects displayed at the Museum are collected by Amirullah Khan Yaftali.
The museum is fully decorated and it is expected that the tourists and history loving people would visit it in a large number to watch these relics from the ancient times. The museum would be opened to public in the coming days.
More...
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/318339 ... ali-relics
Chasing the sun in Samastipur
How solar irrigation in Bihar has helped double yield
At a time when farmers across the country are in distress, solar power-irrigated agricultural fields at Chakhaji village in Pusa block, Samastipur, Bihar, are lush green. Standing resplendently are bumper crops of peas, tomatoes, a variety of vegetables and tobacco.
Since the solar power irrigation project was launched towards the end of 2016, dividends have been good. There is no more dependency on the polluting diesel pump sets or the vagaries of State electricity to pump water into the fields. Solar panels herald improved irrigation, carbon-free air and increased earnings for farmers.
Successful model
Two experienced organisations in the development sector, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and the International Water Management Institute/Tata Power, joined hands and worked out a successful business model over five years, since 2011. Now five entrepreneurs are providing water for irrigating 180 acres of land at a charge.
More...
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/sp ... 005940.ece
How solar irrigation in Bihar has helped double yield
At a time when farmers across the country are in distress, solar power-irrigated agricultural fields at Chakhaji village in Pusa block, Samastipur, Bihar, are lush green. Standing resplendently are bumper crops of peas, tomatoes, a variety of vegetables and tobacco.
Since the solar power irrigation project was launched towards the end of 2016, dividends have been good. There is no more dependency on the polluting diesel pump sets or the vagaries of State electricity to pump water into the fields. Solar panels herald improved irrigation, carbon-free air and increased earnings for farmers.
Successful model
Two experienced organisations in the development sector, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and the International Water Management Institute/Tata Power, joined hands and worked out a successful business model over five years, since 2011. Now five entrepreneurs are providing water for irrigating 180 acres of land at a charge.
More...
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/sp ... 005940.ece
Drinking water scheme Bihar
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVBKlg_8a0Y
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Mobile Voice message system
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... E48kX8MLaE
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVBKlg_8a0Y
********
Mobile Voice message system
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... E48kX8MLaE
Scrambling up the entrepreneurial ladder in Khandwa
Gurpreet Bhatia, AKRSP’s cluster manager at Pandhana, has found that incomes of people maintaining poultry increases by Rs 10,000 every two months.
Mohan Bare, 36, a Bhil adivasi from Ardale village, Pandhana block of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, is setting new goals for landless tribals who wish to soar and seek recognition as entrepreneurs. It is the humble goat, training in goat rearing, hand holding by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme- India (AKRSP-I) and personal endeavor that has enabled Bare to become the most successful goat breeder in the 28 villages of Pandhana block.
More...
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india ... andwa.html
Gurpreet Bhatia, AKRSP’s cluster manager at Pandhana, has found that incomes of people maintaining poultry increases by Rs 10,000 every two months.
Mohan Bare, 36, a Bhil adivasi from Ardale village, Pandhana block of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, is setting new goals for landless tribals who wish to soar and seek recognition as entrepreneurs. It is the humble goat, training in goat rearing, hand holding by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme- India (AKRSP-I) and personal endeavor that has enabled Bare to become the most successful goat breeder in the 28 villages of Pandhana block.
More...
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india ... andwa.html
Celebrating International Day of Rural Women
In the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme is implementing a rural livestock development programme for women entitled Project Mesha. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the programme builds the knowledge and skills of women as pashu sakhis or “friends of the animals”. The women, who function as goat nurses within their communities, are trained to provide basic, low-cost preventive health services for livestock. These services are not only intended to improve the health and productivity of goats but also designed to increase the financial independence of women in general. Pashu sakhis themselves have significantly increased their earnings.
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/celebratin ... ural-women
In the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme is implementing a rural livestock development programme for women entitled Project Mesha. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the programme builds the knowledge and skills of women as pashu sakhis or “friends of the animals”. The women, who function as goat nurses within their communities, are trained to provide basic, low-cost preventive health services for livestock. These services are not only intended to improve the health and productivity of goats but also designed to increase the financial independence of women in general. Pashu sakhis themselves have significantly increased their earnings.
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/celebratin ... ural-women
Fueling Prosperity in Northern Pakistan
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF2paonzsYk
An in-depth look at the Aga Khan Rural Support Program's Micro-Hydel Projects in Pakistan.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF2paonzsYk
An in-depth look at the Aga Khan Rural Support Program's Micro-Hydel Projects in Pakistan.
Improving Farmer Livelihoods, One Drip at a Time
Excerpt:
Sounds straightforward. The problem is that smallholder farmers usually do not have the resources to pay the remaining amount for drip and they cannot obtain formal credits because they often lack documentation and collateral. Without formal credit institutions to service them, farmers are left with no choice but to borrow money at exorbitantly high rates from informal moneylenders. So, despite the GGRC subsidy, drip irrigation remains a luxury that only medium and large-scale farmers can afford.
To bridge this gap, C&A Foundation in partnership with Aga Khan Foundation and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India, established a community funding mechanism to provide interest free loans to smallholder cotton farmers in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. With their loans, farmers have been able to pay the remaining amount, avail the GGRC subsidy, and install drip irrigation on their cotton farms. As farmers repay their loan, within a period of two years, the amount goes back into a “revolving fund”, which is managed by the community farmers groups and is used to give further loans to other farmers.
More...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/improvin ... ublished=t
Excerpt:
Sounds straightforward. The problem is that smallholder farmers usually do not have the resources to pay the remaining amount for drip and they cannot obtain formal credits because they often lack documentation and collateral. Without formal credit institutions to service them, farmers are left with no choice but to borrow money at exorbitantly high rates from informal moneylenders. So, despite the GGRC subsidy, drip irrigation remains a luxury that only medium and large-scale farmers can afford.
To bridge this gap, C&A Foundation in partnership with Aga Khan Foundation and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India, established a community funding mechanism to provide interest free loans to smallholder cotton farmers in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. With their loans, farmers have been able to pay the remaining amount, avail the GGRC subsidy, and install drip irrigation on their cotton farms. As farmers repay their loan, within a period of two years, the amount goes back into a “revolving fund”, which is managed by the community farmers groups and is used to give further loans to other farmers.
More...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/improvin ... ublished=t
Baltistan Farmers Increase Production And Profits
Excerpt:
I have personally witnessed the successes of the Satpara Development Project and the way these interventions are transforming the agriculture and livestock sectors in the region.” Farzana Bibi, a farmer who benefitted from this project and attended the event also stated, “It's a great honor to own a greenhouse and become an entrepreneur. Today I am able to sell my fruits for four times more than what I was earning before. Thanks to USAID!" Commenting on the strong partnership between USAID, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the local farmers, USAID Acting Deputy Mission Director Jeff Goebel noted, “Because of your efforts, thousands of farmers in Gilgit Baltistan now have economic opportunities they may not have even dreamed of just a few years ago.” The Satpara Development Project, funded by USAID and implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program, is a continuation of the U.S. support that helped build both the Satpara dam and its power generation stations.
More...
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/agricultur ... 89560.html
Excerpt:
I have personally witnessed the successes of the Satpara Development Project and the way these interventions are transforming the agriculture and livestock sectors in the region.” Farzana Bibi, a farmer who benefitted from this project and attended the event also stated, “It's a great honor to own a greenhouse and become an entrepreneur. Today I am able to sell my fruits for four times more than what I was earning before. Thanks to USAID!" Commenting on the strong partnership between USAID, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the local farmers, USAID Acting Deputy Mission Director Jeff Goebel noted, “Because of your efforts, thousands of farmers in Gilgit Baltistan now have economic opportunities they may not have even dreamed of just a few years ago.” The Satpara Development Project, funded by USAID and implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program, is a continuation of the U.S. support that helped build both the Satpara dam and its power generation stations.
More...
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/agricultur ... 89560.html
Smokeless Chulha
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCo4US1YviA
*******
Drinking water through solar energy
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJzqj1c3BuA
****
Solar Irrigation for livelihoods dangs
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkM9LCGTGps
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCo4US1YviA
*******
Drinking water through solar energy
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJzqj1c3BuA
****
Solar Irrigation for livelihoods dangs
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkM9LCGTGps
Supporting farmers to move to become more organic
In April 2015 the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) started an organic cotton project in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh with the support of the C&A Foundation.
Nimar, in the south west of the state, is a dry and hilly traditional cotton-growing area with a significant tribal population. The project aims to improve the livelihoods and incomes of 7,000 tribal farmers living there through the promotion of organic cotton cultivation.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/supporting ... rce=Direct
********
Water for Livelihoods - Stories of Pipalpada village of The Dangs, Gujarat
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsTPIcNfjM
In April 2015 the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) started an organic cotton project in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh with the support of the C&A Foundation.
Nimar, in the south west of the state, is a dry and hilly traditional cotton-growing area with a significant tribal population. The project aims to improve the livelihoods and incomes of 7,000 tribal farmers living there through the promotion of organic cotton cultivation.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/supporting ... rce=Direct
********
Water for Livelihoods - Stories of Pipalpada village of The Dangs, Gujarat
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsTPIcNfjM
https://www.dawn.com/news/1467113
RSPs under threat
Humayun Khan
March 02, 2019
I BELONG to a rapidly diminishing generation whose adult years are co-terminous with the existence of Pakistan. We have seen all the ups and downs the country has gone through in its 70-year history and, as we fade away, we have to admit that the graph has generally proceeded southward. We bequeath to our progeny a land riddled with all possible evils; corruption, nepotism, militarism, economic disaster, extremism and injustice. Our children have nothing, really, to thank us for. Now, they and we have high hopes that the new dispensation will bring us back to the straight path, though we must remember that such hopes have always been dashed in the past.
In the quest for a better Pakistan, the new leadership is targeting the most condemnable evils that beset the country and we must pray that the cleansing process will be carried through to its end.
This continuous deterioration has been largely caused by rapacious leaders who have set the worst possible precedents. But there has also been a tendency to do away with good practices which could improve the lot of the common man. We elders remember the example we set for developing countries in the 1960s. We recall that PIA was a model airline which helped set up the giants in the field today. Our progress in science received worldwide recognition with the award of the Nobel Prize to Dr Abdus Salam. Have we done anything to sustain such achievements? On the contrary, our reaction to Dr Salam’s success showed where our priorities lay.
Rural support programmes have benefited about 50 million people across the country.
One of the most shining examples of our success is in the field of rural development. Pioneered in urban Karachi by the late Akhtar Hameed Khan, its development philosophy brought a new approach to grass-roots development that put the community at the heart of the process. It was promoted in Pakistan by a civil servant who was a disciple of the pioneer. Shoaib Sultan Khan began with a small project at Daudzai but showed his true mettle when leading the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gilgit, Baltistan and Chitral. Within a few years he had transformed the economic and social condition of the people who were amongst the poorest in the world.
Article continues after ad
Perceptive donors were so impressed that financial support began to flow in from multiple sources. Even one of our former prime ministers, on seeing the results for himself, sanctioned a healthy endowment to replicate the process at the national level and today we see 10 RSPs (rural support programmes) covering the whole country, rendering services like electricity in Chitral and women’s empowerment in Sindh.
Shoaib Sultan won the Magsaysay Award and Sitara-i-Imtiaz was conferred upon him by the president of Pakistan, and has also been invited to address the UN General Assembly. UNDP even hired him to introduce the programme in Andhra Pradesh, India. The roaring success he achieved led to the Indian government making a provision of $5 billion in its five-year plan for the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, a countrywide programme of rural development.
What is it that has led to the fame of this approach to the reduction of poverty? As noted, the main quality is that it puts the community at the very centre. Through the process of social mobilisation, it enables the community to get organised, set up village councils in which the poor are fully represented and to identify their needs. The approach includes collaboration between RSPs and government departments, to implement schemes in which the community shares the costs by providing land, labour and all maintenance. Through this participatory approach, the community acquires a proprietary interest in the project and ensures its sustainability. Because of the direct partnership with government, the need for middlemen and contractors is avoided and minor schemes can be carried out at a fraction of the cost of similar government projects.
In a country where so many people live in villages this form of development is the most important and the most effective in that it directly addresses the needs of the poor, while giving them a sense of dignity at being the central actors in the process. The RSPs have benefited about 50 million people across the country, with the largest women’s participation of any programme in Pakistan.
By and large, all governments have encouraged this method of rural development, but they have never appreciated its full value. Today, the whole idea faces a great danger as various official agencies seem to be giving more importance to factors like security and foreign infiltration, than to the need to eradicate poverty and to promote real development. It must come as a great shock to all citizens that model organisations, on whose boards very senior officials sit, are being refused official registration and asked to explain outlays on projects and the source of donations over the years. This, obviously, at the behest of authorities whose main focus is on issues other than the welfare of the common man. It has a very adverse effect on donors and on civil society’s desire to participate in the country’s war on poverty.
Prime Minster Imran Khan is known to be an admirer of the work of the RSPs. He must not let agencies, which know little of grass-roots development, deprive his government of this chance of serving the needs of the poor. He does not have the resources to undertake massive projects. By focusing on grass-roots development, he can win the hearts of our impoverished millions at a reasonable cost. At least he should make it obligatory for everyone involved in the regulatory process to actually visit some RSP projects before making up their minds.
The writer is a former foreign secretary and chairman, Institute of Rural Management
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019
RSPs under threat
Humayun Khan
March 02, 2019
I BELONG to a rapidly diminishing generation whose adult years are co-terminous with the existence of Pakistan. We have seen all the ups and downs the country has gone through in its 70-year history and, as we fade away, we have to admit that the graph has generally proceeded southward. We bequeath to our progeny a land riddled with all possible evils; corruption, nepotism, militarism, economic disaster, extremism and injustice. Our children have nothing, really, to thank us for. Now, they and we have high hopes that the new dispensation will bring us back to the straight path, though we must remember that such hopes have always been dashed in the past.
In the quest for a better Pakistan, the new leadership is targeting the most condemnable evils that beset the country and we must pray that the cleansing process will be carried through to its end.
This continuous deterioration has been largely caused by rapacious leaders who have set the worst possible precedents. But there has also been a tendency to do away with good practices which could improve the lot of the common man. We elders remember the example we set for developing countries in the 1960s. We recall that PIA was a model airline which helped set up the giants in the field today. Our progress in science received worldwide recognition with the award of the Nobel Prize to Dr Abdus Salam. Have we done anything to sustain such achievements? On the contrary, our reaction to Dr Salam’s success showed where our priorities lay.
Rural support programmes have benefited about 50 million people across the country.
One of the most shining examples of our success is in the field of rural development. Pioneered in urban Karachi by the late Akhtar Hameed Khan, its development philosophy brought a new approach to grass-roots development that put the community at the heart of the process. It was promoted in Pakistan by a civil servant who was a disciple of the pioneer. Shoaib Sultan Khan began with a small project at Daudzai but showed his true mettle when leading the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gilgit, Baltistan and Chitral. Within a few years he had transformed the economic and social condition of the people who were amongst the poorest in the world.
Article continues after ad
Perceptive donors were so impressed that financial support began to flow in from multiple sources. Even one of our former prime ministers, on seeing the results for himself, sanctioned a healthy endowment to replicate the process at the national level and today we see 10 RSPs (rural support programmes) covering the whole country, rendering services like electricity in Chitral and women’s empowerment in Sindh.
Shoaib Sultan won the Magsaysay Award and Sitara-i-Imtiaz was conferred upon him by the president of Pakistan, and has also been invited to address the UN General Assembly. UNDP even hired him to introduce the programme in Andhra Pradesh, India. The roaring success he achieved led to the Indian government making a provision of $5 billion in its five-year plan for the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, a countrywide programme of rural development.
What is it that has led to the fame of this approach to the reduction of poverty? As noted, the main quality is that it puts the community at the very centre. Through the process of social mobilisation, it enables the community to get organised, set up village councils in which the poor are fully represented and to identify their needs. The approach includes collaboration between RSPs and government departments, to implement schemes in which the community shares the costs by providing land, labour and all maintenance. Through this participatory approach, the community acquires a proprietary interest in the project and ensures its sustainability. Because of the direct partnership with government, the need for middlemen and contractors is avoided and minor schemes can be carried out at a fraction of the cost of similar government projects.
In a country where so many people live in villages this form of development is the most important and the most effective in that it directly addresses the needs of the poor, while giving them a sense of dignity at being the central actors in the process. The RSPs have benefited about 50 million people across the country, with the largest women’s participation of any programme in Pakistan.
By and large, all governments have encouraged this method of rural development, but they have never appreciated its full value. Today, the whole idea faces a great danger as various official agencies seem to be giving more importance to factors like security and foreign infiltration, than to the need to eradicate poverty and to promote real development. It must come as a great shock to all citizens that model organisations, on whose boards very senior officials sit, are being refused official registration and asked to explain outlays on projects and the source of donations over the years. This, obviously, at the behest of authorities whose main focus is on issues other than the welfare of the common man. It has a very adverse effect on donors and on civil society’s desire to participate in the country’s war on poverty.
Prime Minster Imran Khan is known to be an admirer of the work of the RSPs. He must not let agencies, which know little of grass-roots development, deprive his government of this chance of serving the needs of the poor. He does not have the resources to undertake massive projects. By focusing on grass-roots development, he can win the hearts of our impoverished millions at a reasonable cost. At least he should make it obligatory for everyone involved in the regulatory process to actually visit some RSP projects before making up their minds.
The writer is a former foreign secretary and chairman, Institute of Rural Management
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019
Sudhanshini Devi: Having access to a toilet changes lives
Improving access to sustainable sanitation and hygiene continues to be one of the most pressing development challenges for India today. In response to this challenge, the Indian Government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission, to create an open defecation free India by 2019. Since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, India’s sanitation coverage has doubled to 74 percent.
In 2015, in response to the Government of India’s flagship programme, the AKDN launched its Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative. The initiative is a five-year programme aimed at facilitating access to improved sanitation and hygiene for over 700,000 people in six states: Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. A key component of the initiative is generating demand for improved hygiene practices, thereby tackling age-old norms and transforming long-standing behaviour change that improves the quality of life.
In 2016, a year into the initiative, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) began conducting interviews with beneficiaries to understand how having a toilet constructed in their homes was making a difference in their lives. Below is the transcript of an interview that was originally published on the AKF USA website:
Sudhanshini Devi, 60, lives with her two sons and their families in Vishanpur Bakri tola. Ganesh Kumar, 28, is her youngest son and has a young daughter. He and his wife are expecting their second child. On Gandhi’s Birthday, 2 October, Vishanpur Bakri tola was declared Open Defecation Free by the Government of Bihar. Ganesh Kumar and his mother were one of the last households to have constructed a toilet for their family.
Here they tell us what difference having access to a toilet has made in their lives.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/sudhan ... nges-lives
Improving access to sustainable sanitation and hygiene continues to be one of the most pressing development challenges for India today. In response to this challenge, the Indian Government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission, to create an open defecation free India by 2019. Since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, India’s sanitation coverage has doubled to 74 percent.
In 2015, in response to the Government of India’s flagship programme, the AKDN launched its Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative. The initiative is a five-year programme aimed at facilitating access to improved sanitation and hygiene for over 700,000 people in six states: Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. A key component of the initiative is generating demand for improved hygiene practices, thereby tackling age-old norms and transforming long-standing behaviour change that improves the quality of life.
In 2016, a year into the initiative, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) began conducting interviews with beneficiaries to understand how having a toilet constructed in their homes was making a difference in their lives. Below is the transcript of an interview that was originally published on the AKF USA website:
Sudhanshini Devi, 60, lives with her two sons and their families in Vishanpur Bakri tola. Ganesh Kumar, 28, is her youngest son and has a young daughter. He and his wife are expecting their second child. On Gandhi’s Birthday, 2 October, Vishanpur Bakri tola was declared Open Defecation Free by the Government of Bihar. Ganesh Kumar and his mother were one of the last households to have constructed a toilet for their family.
Here they tell us what difference having access to a toilet has made in their lives.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/sudhan ... nges-lives
A lift irrigation society ensures access to water in Gujarat
By Apoorva Oza, Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
A few Sundays ago, I was in Junagadh District (Gujarat, India) for some work. Since I was going to be free in the afternoon and the return train to Ahmedabad was at 10pm, I called up Rudabhai of Samadhiyala Lift Irrigation Society (LIS) to see about a possible visit. He agreed, and asked me to drop in at the LIS office at 4pm. When I landed there, the Committee was waiting. The secretary and members updated me on the progress.
Samadhiyala LIS was started by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) – AKRSP(I) – 33 years ago to address the water problems of a village that was on the banks of the Meghal River. It had saline groundwater so it relied on rain-fed agriculture. However, with a government grant and a bank loan, the LIS was started.
Despite initial worries about large loan repayments, thanks to wise leadership and a habit of all members meeting every month, the loan was paid back in half the required time. Since 1998, when AKRSP(I)’s field visits ended, the LIS has been managing itself. Membership has now doubled. In 2018, it invested approximately Rs. 20 lakhs (US$ 29,148) of its funds saved from higher water rates to replace the main pipeline, which had developed leaks after 25 years.
Water rate recovery continues to be 100% – a discipline the society developed amongst its members even in drought years. The impact in terms of increased income and reduced migration, as well as better education of the next generation, has been substantial. In addition, when I asked them what they felt was the impact of the society on the rest of the village, they mentioned the following:
a multi-caste, multi-village society had endured over 30 years without any major conflict. In a caste-divided society, this was a great example to others that caste divisions could be addressed if there was transparency and a clear, common objective;
the villagers had internalised planning as a way of life, learning from the LIS, which did annual crop planning, and systematically planned their revenue and expenses.
As the meeting progressed, it was clear that the enthusiasm and curiosity for new ideas in agriculture, which had originally made this society stand out, still had not dimmed. I returned from the meeting, gladdened by the knowledge that amidst the rise and fall of major institutions, this small society had grown, and had become – and remains today – self-reliant.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/lift-i ... er-gujarat
By Apoorva Oza, Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
A few Sundays ago, I was in Junagadh District (Gujarat, India) for some work. Since I was going to be free in the afternoon and the return train to Ahmedabad was at 10pm, I called up Rudabhai of Samadhiyala Lift Irrigation Society (LIS) to see about a possible visit. He agreed, and asked me to drop in at the LIS office at 4pm. When I landed there, the Committee was waiting. The secretary and members updated me on the progress.
Samadhiyala LIS was started by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) – AKRSP(I) – 33 years ago to address the water problems of a village that was on the banks of the Meghal River. It had saline groundwater so it relied on rain-fed agriculture. However, with a government grant and a bank loan, the LIS was started.
Despite initial worries about large loan repayments, thanks to wise leadership and a habit of all members meeting every month, the loan was paid back in half the required time. Since 1998, when AKRSP(I)’s field visits ended, the LIS has been managing itself. Membership has now doubled. In 2018, it invested approximately Rs. 20 lakhs (US$ 29,148) of its funds saved from higher water rates to replace the main pipeline, which had developed leaks after 25 years.
Water rate recovery continues to be 100% – a discipline the society developed amongst its members even in drought years. The impact in terms of increased income and reduced migration, as well as better education of the next generation, has been substantial. In addition, when I asked them what they felt was the impact of the society on the rest of the village, they mentioned the following:
a multi-caste, multi-village society had endured over 30 years without any major conflict. In a caste-divided society, this was a great example to others that caste divisions could be addressed if there was transparency and a clear, common objective;
the villagers had internalised planning as a way of life, learning from the LIS, which did annual crop planning, and systematically planned their revenue and expenses.
As the meeting progressed, it was clear that the enthusiasm and curiosity for new ideas in agriculture, which had originally made this society stand out, still had not dimmed. I returned from the meeting, gladdened by the knowledge that amidst the rise and fall of major institutions, this small society had grown, and had become – and remains today – self-reliant.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/lift-i ... er-gujarat
Sustainable Development Goals: Need for Essential Partnership
Excerpt:
Precedence to Follow
In Pakistan, the Rural Support Programs can be quoted as the brilliant and commendable examples for government and NGOs partnership which paid bonuses towards development in back ward areas of the country. These are examples to be quoted and followed.
The achievements of Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), one of the initial ingenuities of Aga Khan Foundation inspired and guided government as well as other organizations to imitate and replicate its successful models. AKRSP while taking the local government on board introduced community participation in its projects. It focused the requirements of community as well as the responsibilities of government where it was lacking.
All the rural support programs in the country some way successfully followed this AKRSP methodology. Partnership and collaboration between Government of Pakistan and AKRSP not only raised the standards of life in backward areas particularly in the erstwhile northern areas (present Gilgit-Baltistan) but also capitalized on mutual cooperation to set models for government programs. Soon government programs such as National Rural Support Program (NRSP) in the central and programs like Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP) and Sarhad Rural Support Corporation (SRSC) in the federating units followed the AKRSP model.
The most important factor in these programs was forging alliances and partnerships with community and other organizations. Government, private organizations and civil society were seen as a team, complemented by international donors. These partnerships between the local communities, NGOs and the local government not only proved vital in bridging the intra-agency fissures but also paid dividends in instilling thinking and awareness about developmental strategies that could be implemented jointly by NGOs and the government.
More...
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/feature ... 25c8c5fc8d
Excerpt:
Precedence to Follow
In Pakistan, the Rural Support Programs can be quoted as the brilliant and commendable examples for government and NGOs partnership which paid bonuses towards development in back ward areas of the country. These are examples to be quoted and followed.
The achievements of Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), one of the initial ingenuities of Aga Khan Foundation inspired and guided government as well as other organizations to imitate and replicate its successful models. AKRSP while taking the local government on board introduced community participation in its projects. It focused the requirements of community as well as the responsibilities of government where it was lacking.
All the rural support programs in the country some way successfully followed this AKRSP methodology. Partnership and collaboration between Government of Pakistan and AKRSP not only raised the standards of life in backward areas particularly in the erstwhile northern areas (present Gilgit-Baltistan) but also capitalized on mutual cooperation to set models for government programs. Soon government programs such as National Rural Support Program (NRSP) in the central and programs like Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP) and Sarhad Rural Support Corporation (SRSC) in the federating units followed the AKRSP model.
The most important factor in these programs was forging alliances and partnerships with community and other organizations. Government, private organizations and civil society were seen as a team, complemented by international donors. These partnerships between the local communities, NGOs and the local government not only proved vital in bridging the intra-agency fissures but also paid dividends in instilling thinking and awareness about developmental strategies that could be implemented jointly by NGOs and the government.
More...
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/feature ... 25c8c5fc8d
Alkesh Vasava: Alternative livelihoods for youth in rural India
A little over a month ago, I read the words of Marie Wilson, author, political organiser and founder of the White House project, for the very first time: “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Those words could not have been timelier as I travelled across rural Gujarat, meeting many young men and women for whom the world they know is typically limited to the approximately 20-mile radius of mostly farmland around them. In this rural setting, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) provides young people between the ages of 18 and 35 opportunities to explore diverse sources of livelihood beyond traditional agriculture, through its Yuva Junction programme.
Skill development
Across India, there is a drive to develop the skills of young people, with the aim to reach 500 million youth by 2020. Yuva Junction uniquely contributes to this national target through its work in incredibly remote, rural and tribal areas of Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, where agricultural-based incomes are the main sources of livelihoods. Yuva Junction mobilises the community and works actively with parents and alumni to create an enabling ecosystem for young people to explore their potential and alternative livelihoods, and break down barriers associated with their geographical confines. Limitations of small-farm scale and access to markets make it very hard to increase incomes solely from agricultural sources. For the younger generation, the need for more diverse income sources is increasingly apparent.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/alkesh ... rce=Direct
A little over a month ago, I read the words of Marie Wilson, author, political organiser and founder of the White House project, for the very first time: “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Those words could not have been timelier as I travelled across rural Gujarat, meeting many young men and women for whom the world they know is typically limited to the approximately 20-mile radius of mostly farmland around them. In this rural setting, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) provides young people between the ages of 18 and 35 opportunities to explore diverse sources of livelihood beyond traditional agriculture, through its Yuva Junction programme.
Skill development
Across India, there is a drive to develop the skills of young people, with the aim to reach 500 million youth by 2020. Yuva Junction uniquely contributes to this national target through its work in incredibly remote, rural and tribal areas of Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, where agricultural-based incomes are the main sources of livelihoods. Yuva Junction mobilises the community and works actively with parents and alumni to create an enabling ecosystem for young people to explore their potential and alternative livelihoods, and break down barriers associated with their geographical confines. Limitations of small-farm scale and access to markets make it very hard to increase incomes solely from agricultural sources. For the younger generation, the need for more diverse income sources is increasingly apparent.
More...
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/alkesh ... rce=Direct
‘Need an entrepreneurial approach towards sanitation’: Experts
The need to ensure universal coverage as far as access to toilets are concerned, an entrepreneurial approach rather than a subsidised one to sanitation and the need to work on improving the achievements made rather than proving it, were some of the suggestions put forward at a session on sanitation held in the city.
The session titled Sanitation In India: Movin Beyond Toilets was part of the Dasra Philanthropy Forum held on Friday.
Speaking on the behavioural changes that need to be addressed particularly at the grassroots level, Apoorva Oza, CEO of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme said that at the policy level at least there is a need to focus on improving.
“At present what a lot of energy is spent on proving the work that has been done instead of improving,” said Oza. He further added that as far as Open Defecation Free movement was concerned a lot of good work has happened.
“But at the policy level, we need to have the humility to accept that there is scope for improvement,” said Oza. He also called for an entrepreneurial approach rather than a subsidised approach to addressing the problem of waste management and sanitation.
Bijal Brahmbhatt, Director Mahila Housing SEWA Trust said that while the concentration on an ODF free city or taluka was welcome, one needs to rethink the rating methodology norm that is being put in place to address the problem under Swachh Bharat.
“Because when there is rating involved a lot of window dressing also happens particularly at the time of inspection before the ODF status is given out,” said Brahmbhatt.
Dinesh Mehta from the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) said that the criticism of the ODF movement at least in Gujarat was unwarranted as toilet access was 100% in the state. He added that those that were constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission also had access to water.
“Outside of metros, sewage treatment is a problem,” said Mehta. “We have achieved tremendous results under the mission and every measurement that we use as a yardstick will have its own set of problems but that doesn’t mean it is a failure,” he added.
https://www.dnaindia.com/ahmedabad/repo ... 25c8c5fc8d
The need to ensure universal coverage as far as access to toilets are concerned, an entrepreneurial approach rather than a subsidised one to sanitation and the need to work on improving the achievements made rather than proving it, were some of the suggestions put forward at a session on sanitation held in the city.
The session titled Sanitation In India: Movin Beyond Toilets was part of the Dasra Philanthropy Forum held on Friday.
Speaking on the behavioural changes that need to be addressed particularly at the grassroots level, Apoorva Oza, CEO of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme said that at the policy level at least there is a need to focus on improving.
“At present what a lot of energy is spent on proving the work that has been done instead of improving,” said Oza. He further added that as far as Open Defecation Free movement was concerned a lot of good work has happened.
“But at the policy level, we need to have the humility to accept that there is scope for improvement,” said Oza. He also called for an entrepreneurial approach rather than a subsidised approach to addressing the problem of waste management and sanitation.
Bijal Brahmbhatt, Director Mahila Housing SEWA Trust said that while the concentration on an ODF free city or taluka was welcome, one needs to rethink the rating methodology norm that is being put in place to address the problem under Swachh Bharat.
“Because when there is rating involved a lot of window dressing also happens particularly at the time of inspection before the ODF status is given out,” said Brahmbhatt.
Dinesh Mehta from the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) said that the criticism of the ODF movement at least in Gujarat was unwarranted as toilet access was 100% in the state. He added that those that were constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission also had access to water.
“Outside of metros, sewage treatment is a problem,” said Mehta. “We have achieved tremendous results under the mission and every measurement that we use as a yardstick will have its own set of problems but that doesn’t mean it is a failure,” he added.
https://www.dnaindia.com/ahmedabad/repo ... 25c8c5fc8d
International Day of Rural Women 2019
15 October 2019 - Investing in agriculture is a way to break the cycle of poverty for some of the world’s poorest women, many of whom rely on farming for their livelihoods. The creation of economic opportunities allows women to educate their children, provide their families with nutritious food, save money and transform their lives and the lives of their communities. The first AKF Rural Support Programme, which was established in northern Pakistan in 1983, has since been replicated in many other contexts. AKF’s rural development interventions now reach over 8 million people living in remote and often marginalised areas in Central and South Asia and East and West Africa. To help celebrate International Day of Rural Women 2019, we have pulled together here a small collection of images to showcase some of these women and their successes.
Gallery at:
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/internatio ... women-2019
15 October 2019 - Investing in agriculture is a way to break the cycle of poverty for some of the world’s poorest women, many of whom rely on farming for their livelihoods. The creation of economic opportunities allows women to educate their children, provide their families with nutritious food, save money and transform their lives and the lives of their communities. The first AKF Rural Support Programme, which was established in northern Pakistan in 1983, has since been replicated in many other contexts. AKF’s rural development interventions now reach over 8 million people living in remote and often marginalised areas in Central and South Asia and East and West Africa. To help celebrate International Day of Rural Women 2019, we have pulled together here a small collection of images to showcase some of these women and their successes.
Gallery at:
https://www.akdn.org/gallery/internatio ... women-2019
RajuBhai Gaikwad: Bamboo crafts and furniture enterprise
RajuBhai Gaikwad is a young successful tribal entrepreneur from Ambapada village of Dangs district in Gujarat. He worked as general bamboo artisan earning Rs.200 per day as wages prior to joining the entrepreneurship programme of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) in year 2017. With seed funding and handholding support, he established a modern workshop to produce innovative bamboo crafts and furniture items. At present his turnover is over 12 lakhs and provides employment to a group of 15 local tribal youths.
NOTE
In the current age of information and communication technology, television, mobile phones and access to the internet has penetrated even the most secluded rural belts. Access to technology and exposure to big cities due to migration has further altered the aspirations of rural youths. Increasingly, youth from tribal and rural areas aim to go for higher education, gain meaning full employment and start their own enterprises.
Despite this migration to urban areas, tribal and rural areas have inherent potential for enterprise development, particularly in areas like eco-tourism, arts and crafts, animal husbandry, agro-processing, honey production and millet-based products. However, the infrastructure and technology are not there. One of the major reasons for a lack of enthusiasm for entrepreneurship development among tribal populations is the absence of an enabling ecosystem in the tribal areas.
In response, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) (AKRSP (I)) started to build that enabling ecosystem in 2016. Its rural youth initiative programme seeks to promote entrepreneurship development among tribal and other rural communities, particularly youth and women. A limited number of youth and women’s groups go through a rigorous selection process that involves application, field visits, one to one interviews, workshops, business plan development and community feedback. The selected youths get support on training, mentoring, exposure visits, business development, financial linkages and limited seed funding.
Originally focused on rural youth from marginalised sections like scheduled tribes and women, the programme now has expanded to goat rearing cooperatives of women, solar based irrigation entrepreneurs, women para-veterinarians, commercial poultry farms, eco-tourism, bamboo crafts, and millet-based products are some of the successful innovative models of AKRSP (I)’s entrepreneurship development work.
Jobs created, income and impact
40 tribal entrepreneurs, employment for around 100 youths: Rs. 20000-35000/month
35 solar irrigation service providers: Rs. 120000-150000/year
389 Pashu Sakhies- average income: Rs. 3000-4000/month
26 farmers’ producers companies: income generating opportunity to 20443 farmers with Rs. 33.89 crore turnover
70000 small enterprises around backyard poultry, goat farming and other petty trades provide income-generating opportunity to 70000 people earning around Rs.4000- 5000/month.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/rajubh ... rce=Direct
RajuBhai Gaikwad is a young successful tribal entrepreneur from Ambapada village of Dangs district in Gujarat. He worked as general bamboo artisan earning Rs.200 per day as wages prior to joining the entrepreneurship programme of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) in year 2017. With seed funding and handholding support, he established a modern workshop to produce innovative bamboo crafts and furniture items. At present his turnover is over 12 lakhs and provides employment to a group of 15 local tribal youths.
NOTE
In the current age of information and communication technology, television, mobile phones and access to the internet has penetrated even the most secluded rural belts. Access to technology and exposure to big cities due to migration has further altered the aspirations of rural youths. Increasingly, youth from tribal and rural areas aim to go for higher education, gain meaning full employment and start their own enterprises.
Despite this migration to urban areas, tribal and rural areas have inherent potential for enterprise development, particularly in areas like eco-tourism, arts and crafts, animal husbandry, agro-processing, honey production and millet-based products. However, the infrastructure and technology are not there. One of the major reasons for a lack of enthusiasm for entrepreneurship development among tribal populations is the absence of an enabling ecosystem in the tribal areas.
In response, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) (AKRSP (I)) started to build that enabling ecosystem in 2016. Its rural youth initiative programme seeks to promote entrepreneurship development among tribal and other rural communities, particularly youth and women. A limited number of youth and women’s groups go through a rigorous selection process that involves application, field visits, one to one interviews, workshops, business plan development and community feedback. The selected youths get support on training, mentoring, exposure visits, business development, financial linkages and limited seed funding.
Originally focused on rural youth from marginalised sections like scheduled tribes and women, the programme now has expanded to goat rearing cooperatives of women, solar based irrigation entrepreneurs, women para-veterinarians, commercial poultry farms, eco-tourism, bamboo crafts, and millet-based products are some of the successful innovative models of AKRSP (I)’s entrepreneurship development work.
Jobs created, income and impact
40 tribal entrepreneurs, employment for around 100 youths: Rs. 20000-35000/month
35 solar irrigation service providers: Rs. 120000-150000/year
389 Pashu Sakhies- average income: Rs. 3000-4000/month
26 farmers’ producers companies: income generating opportunity to 20443 farmers with Rs. 33.89 crore turnover
70000 small enterprises around backyard poultry, goat farming and other petty trades provide income-generating opportunity to 70000 people earning around Rs.4000- 5000/month.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/rajubh ... rce=Direct
Work on Water by AKRSP(I)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGBpkbwDK8
The video is about AKRSP(I)'s work on Water Conservation during last 35 years.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGBpkbwDK8
The video is about AKRSP(I)'s work on Water Conservation during last 35 years.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2113026/6- ... baltistan/
Development of Gilgit-Baltistan
By Daud Khan / Leila Yasmine Khan
Published: December 7, 2019
The Express Tribune > Opinion
The socio-economic and territorial development of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is of tremendous strategic importance to Pakistan for a host of reasons. The area borders with China and the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, as well as with the India-occupied areas of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh (IOK). With the coming on stream of CPEC, the area will be of increasing commercial importance to both China and Pakistan. Keeping peace and safe borders will be critical. In addition, the Indus, our major river, and many of the glaciers that feed it, are located there. These are already threatened by global climate change and it is essential that we do not exacerbate these impacts by local actions. Lastly, given the current situation in IOK, how we deal with G-B (and with Azad Jammu and Kashmir) will be under scrutiny in Pakistan and overseas. We must get this right and show the world that we can manage the development of a small but strategically located area with skill and effectiveness. Key aspects that will need to be fine-tuned include the relationship of G-B with the federal government and other provinces, and how much power and autonomy is given to the G-B government and local bodies.
In the paragraphs below, we will highlight the main areas related to tourism, agriculture and governance where we think better policies are needed.
G-B is a spectacularly beautiful area of Pakistan, but is economically poor and environmentally fragile. The opening of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in 1978 dramatically improved access to the area which previously could only be reached by air or seasonal jeep roads. One of the results of the opening of the KKH has been rapidly growing tourism (reportedly 2 million visitors last year). However, this explosion in tourism poses major challenges. Most tourists tend to stay in relatively cheap accommodation; spend little on food, often bringing supplies with them; and undertake few recreational activities, preferring to drive around in cars and jeeps. What little money is brought into G-B does not match the costs related to the wear and tear on the infrastructure such as roads, and essential services such as sewage, solid waste collection and other municipal services. G-B may thus be losing rather than benefiting from such low-cost tourism.
It is important that the government take steps to upgrade tourism to bring in more revenues to the local population. This will require, inter alia, more investments in quality hotels and restaurants; better organised sports and other activities for tourists, particularly in the winter which tends to be a dead period; more experiential tourism where visitors can visit and stay in local houses, eat local foods and participate in local activities such as fruit harvesting, as is done in France during the grape harvest; and entrance fees for the four national parks in the area. It is also critical that strong steps are taken to ensure that tourism is environmentally friendly. In particular, strict regulations and guidelines backed up with penalties and fines are needed to control environmental degradation. Hotels and eating places should be licensed only after they have installed adequate sewage and waste disposal facilities; solid waste collection and recycling needs to be improved; and the import of plastic bags must be banned as has been done in countries such as Kenya, which are heavily dependent on tourism.
While tourism is big and growing, its impact is mainly on those living near the roads or major tourist sites. As a result most of the population in the area remains highly dependent on agriculture and livestock. The opening of the KKH helped move the area out of pure subsistence farming and currently several fruit and vegetable crops are sent to other parts of Pakistan, while major staples such as wheat, oil and sugar are imported. However, poor product quality, rudimentary packing and storage, and high transport costs mean that local farmers get very minimal returns. As a result they continue to grow wheat, buckwheat and maize for domestic consumption, and fodder for their animals. Further rapid improvements in the transport infrastructure currently underway will provide greater opportunities for farmers to produce more cash crops and livestock products for export particularly to the big cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, where consumers are prepared to pay premium prices for out-of-season, organic products and low gluten cereals that can be produced in G-B. While this process will be largely market-driven, government actions are needed for developing and promoting appropriate crops and livestock products; encouraging production clusters in areas where conditions are particularly suitable; establishing branding, quality control and certification system, preferably in collaboration with the international quality control firms already operating in Pakistan; and facilitating engagement with large supermarkets, as well as with contractors and middlemen who specialise in supplying to the large urban markets around the country.
Good governance and empowered community organisations are an essential part of development. In G-B, community organisations tend to be strong and perform well. This is due to the relatively egalitarian land holding systems, the absence of large landlords and feudals, the generally liberal and inclusive social structure which also allows a strong role of women, and years of work by organisations such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. However, the technical and administrative skills in the governmental system are still rudimentary. G-B is a relatively new province and is still struggling to establish strong, well-rooted and effective public systems. Enhancing the government’s capacity is a slow and complex process everywhere which is driven not only by investments in manpower and facilities, but is also dependent on the political structure and the vision and capacity of key leaders. G-B has the opportunity to turn its weakness (namely, its still nascent public system) into strength. It can do this by introducing more ICT-intensive systems, avoiding the creation of large overstaffed bureaucracies, bringing community organisations and the private sector into the management of public systems, and creating a more consultative system for policy making and implementation.
Much needs to be done and much can be done to put G-B on a strong and sustainable development trajectory. Government and development partners should not lose this opportunity.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2019.
Development of Gilgit-Baltistan
By Daud Khan / Leila Yasmine Khan
Published: December 7, 2019
The Express Tribune > Opinion
The socio-economic and territorial development of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is of tremendous strategic importance to Pakistan for a host of reasons. The area borders with China and the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, as well as with the India-occupied areas of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh (IOK). With the coming on stream of CPEC, the area will be of increasing commercial importance to both China and Pakistan. Keeping peace and safe borders will be critical. In addition, the Indus, our major river, and many of the glaciers that feed it, are located there. These are already threatened by global climate change and it is essential that we do not exacerbate these impacts by local actions. Lastly, given the current situation in IOK, how we deal with G-B (and with Azad Jammu and Kashmir) will be under scrutiny in Pakistan and overseas. We must get this right and show the world that we can manage the development of a small but strategically located area with skill and effectiveness. Key aspects that will need to be fine-tuned include the relationship of G-B with the federal government and other provinces, and how much power and autonomy is given to the G-B government and local bodies.
In the paragraphs below, we will highlight the main areas related to tourism, agriculture and governance where we think better policies are needed.
G-B is a spectacularly beautiful area of Pakistan, but is economically poor and environmentally fragile. The opening of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in 1978 dramatically improved access to the area which previously could only be reached by air or seasonal jeep roads. One of the results of the opening of the KKH has been rapidly growing tourism (reportedly 2 million visitors last year). However, this explosion in tourism poses major challenges. Most tourists tend to stay in relatively cheap accommodation; spend little on food, often bringing supplies with them; and undertake few recreational activities, preferring to drive around in cars and jeeps. What little money is brought into G-B does not match the costs related to the wear and tear on the infrastructure such as roads, and essential services such as sewage, solid waste collection and other municipal services. G-B may thus be losing rather than benefiting from such low-cost tourism.
It is important that the government take steps to upgrade tourism to bring in more revenues to the local population. This will require, inter alia, more investments in quality hotels and restaurants; better organised sports and other activities for tourists, particularly in the winter which tends to be a dead period; more experiential tourism where visitors can visit and stay in local houses, eat local foods and participate in local activities such as fruit harvesting, as is done in France during the grape harvest; and entrance fees for the four national parks in the area. It is also critical that strong steps are taken to ensure that tourism is environmentally friendly. In particular, strict regulations and guidelines backed up with penalties and fines are needed to control environmental degradation. Hotels and eating places should be licensed only after they have installed adequate sewage and waste disposal facilities; solid waste collection and recycling needs to be improved; and the import of plastic bags must be banned as has been done in countries such as Kenya, which are heavily dependent on tourism.
While tourism is big and growing, its impact is mainly on those living near the roads or major tourist sites. As a result most of the population in the area remains highly dependent on agriculture and livestock. The opening of the KKH helped move the area out of pure subsistence farming and currently several fruit and vegetable crops are sent to other parts of Pakistan, while major staples such as wheat, oil and sugar are imported. However, poor product quality, rudimentary packing and storage, and high transport costs mean that local farmers get very minimal returns. As a result they continue to grow wheat, buckwheat and maize for domestic consumption, and fodder for their animals. Further rapid improvements in the transport infrastructure currently underway will provide greater opportunities for farmers to produce more cash crops and livestock products for export particularly to the big cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, where consumers are prepared to pay premium prices for out-of-season, organic products and low gluten cereals that can be produced in G-B. While this process will be largely market-driven, government actions are needed for developing and promoting appropriate crops and livestock products; encouraging production clusters in areas where conditions are particularly suitable; establishing branding, quality control and certification system, preferably in collaboration with the international quality control firms already operating in Pakistan; and facilitating engagement with large supermarkets, as well as with contractors and middlemen who specialise in supplying to the large urban markets around the country.
Good governance and empowered community organisations are an essential part of development. In G-B, community organisations tend to be strong and perform well. This is due to the relatively egalitarian land holding systems, the absence of large landlords and feudals, the generally liberal and inclusive social structure which also allows a strong role of women, and years of work by organisations such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. However, the technical and administrative skills in the governmental system are still rudimentary. G-B is a relatively new province and is still struggling to establish strong, well-rooted and effective public systems. Enhancing the government’s capacity is a slow and complex process everywhere which is driven not only by investments in manpower and facilities, but is also dependent on the political structure and the vision and capacity of key leaders. G-B has the opportunity to turn its weakness (namely, its still nascent public system) into strength. It can do this by introducing more ICT-intensive systems, avoiding the creation of large overstaffed bureaucracies, bringing community organisations and the private sector into the management of public systems, and creating a more consultative system for policy making and implementation.
Much needs to be done and much can be done to put G-B on a strong and sustainable development trajectory. Government and development partners should not lose this opportunity.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2019.
Sumitra Devi: Improving the health of her family
Sumitra Devi, 35 years old, lives in Sakra, a village in the state of Bihar, India. Her household includes her husband (an agricultural labourer), son, parents-in-law, brother-in-law, and his family in a small brick house with two rooms. Until earlier this year, the family of nine did not have access to a toilet. Instead, they had to walk out to the fields behind their house to relieve themselves.
To mark World Water Day on 22 March, we are exploring the connections between clean water and sanitation – and the central role that women like Sumitra Devi are playing in improving the health of their families, their communities, and their environment.
The Aga Khan Development Network’s Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative, which was launched in 2015, will reach at least 700,000 individuals -- with a special focus on women, girls, and marginalised groups – supporting the construction of toilets in 100,000 rural households, improved sanitation in 538 government schools, and the establishment of community-run sanitation blocks and drinking water projects.
In this interview, Sumitra Devi discusses why her family decided to construct a toilet, and what has changed since the family has had access to sanitation. She also highlights the information and support she received from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), one of several partner organisations implementing the sanitation initiative.
Interview and photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/sumitr ... her-family
Sumitra Devi, 35 years old, lives in Sakra, a village in the state of Bihar, India. Her household includes her husband (an agricultural labourer), son, parents-in-law, brother-in-law, and his family in a small brick house with two rooms. Until earlier this year, the family of nine did not have access to a toilet. Instead, they had to walk out to the fields behind their house to relieve themselves.
To mark World Water Day on 22 March, we are exploring the connections between clean water and sanitation – and the central role that women like Sumitra Devi are playing in improving the health of their families, their communities, and their environment.
The Aga Khan Development Network’s Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative, which was launched in 2015, will reach at least 700,000 individuals -- with a special focus on women, girls, and marginalised groups – supporting the construction of toilets in 100,000 rural households, improved sanitation in 538 government schools, and the establishment of community-run sanitation blocks and drinking water projects.
In this interview, Sumitra Devi discusses why her family decided to construct a toilet, and what has changed since the family has had access to sanitation. She also highlights the information and support she received from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), one of several partner organisations implementing the sanitation initiative.
Interview and photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/sumitr ... her-family
A non-profit empowers marginalized communities in rural India to tackle COVID-19 with virtual trainings
Spread across 70 locations in India’s hinterlands, 400 employees of AKRSPI collaborate virtually on Microsoft Teams to empower rural communities fight COVID-19
Since 1983, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSPI) has been at the forefront of uplifting marginalized communities with a network of community-led institutions, employees, and on-ground volunteers in 2,200 villages across the states of Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
Over the last 37 years, the grassroots nonprofit organization has impacted the lives of over 1.5 million people by providing support in a wide variety of areas including women empowerment, water harvesting, livelihood generation, digital literacy, natural resource management, and micro-enterprise development. It also provides capacity building, research, and direct field support to government agencies, donor agencies, NGOs, corporates, and community-based organizations.
“We work with youth from rural tribal and marginalized communities, training them in various vocational skills, and supporting them to attain full-time employment through placement or to start their own enterprises,” explains Vivek Singh, Sr. Manager—Youth Development, AKRSPI.
To achieve its mission, AKRSPI built an internal training and capacity building platform called Vadvai, a Gujarati word for the Banyan tree. The platform is used by the organization’s trainers to train employees and sensitize them about various initiatives, as well as for employees to train on-ground volunteers who reach out to end beneficiaries.
But the pandemic brought AKRSPI’s activities to a standstill. With the entire country under lockdown, there was no way for them to conduct trainings either for employees or volunteers in the field.
“We used to conduct in-person group trainings for new employees over multiple days. But with the lockdown in place, all our trainings were put on hold. We didn’t know when we’d be able to resume them,” says Nirzaree Rajvanshi, a trainer based out of Netrang, a tiny town surrounded by forests in the western state of Gujarat.
With the threat of COVID-19 looming large, AKRSPI’s activities especially around “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene” (WASH) and educating communities about the pandemic had become even more important. They also wanted to impart training around mask making to make them self-reliant considering they were unlikely to be the first ones to receive aid.
Bridging the digital divide during a pandemic
While many organizations in major cities were moving to remote working, the management at AKRSPI were not sure if they’d be able to bridge the digital divide considering most of their field employees worked in some of the most remote areas across the three states. What’s more, only a few had laptops and most of the coordination and training would happen over in-person meetings.
With the lockdown showing no signs of easing off, the core team of 30 employees based out of Ahmedabad tried Microsoft Teams to see if it could help them collaborate. Within a couple of days, it became a habit and they started conducting their daily 10:30 a.m. meeting virtually on Teams. In barely over a week, more than 300 employees moved to Teams and began to rapidly expand how they used the platform from basic communication to collaborating and co-working remotely.
One of the crucial outcomes was moving the Vadvai platform to Teams and conducting online trainings for new employees.
“Even though it was a new platform, I found Teams to be very intuitive to use,” says Rajvanshi, who manages trainings. “However, we had to improvise. Instead of training large groups, we broke them down into smaller groups and even individuals. But now we can do trainings on demand and don’t have to wait for a group of employees.”
More...
https://news.microsoft.com/en-in/featur ... 0trainings
Spread across 70 locations in India’s hinterlands, 400 employees of AKRSPI collaborate virtually on Microsoft Teams to empower rural communities fight COVID-19
Since 1983, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSPI) has been at the forefront of uplifting marginalized communities with a network of community-led institutions, employees, and on-ground volunteers in 2,200 villages across the states of Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
Over the last 37 years, the grassroots nonprofit organization has impacted the lives of over 1.5 million people by providing support in a wide variety of areas including women empowerment, water harvesting, livelihood generation, digital literacy, natural resource management, and micro-enterprise development. It also provides capacity building, research, and direct field support to government agencies, donor agencies, NGOs, corporates, and community-based organizations.
“We work with youth from rural tribal and marginalized communities, training them in various vocational skills, and supporting them to attain full-time employment through placement or to start their own enterprises,” explains Vivek Singh, Sr. Manager—Youth Development, AKRSPI.
To achieve its mission, AKRSPI built an internal training and capacity building platform called Vadvai, a Gujarati word for the Banyan tree. The platform is used by the organization’s trainers to train employees and sensitize them about various initiatives, as well as for employees to train on-ground volunteers who reach out to end beneficiaries.
But the pandemic brought AKRSPI’s activities to a standstill. With the entire country under lockdown, there was no way for them to conduct trainings either for employees or volunteers in the field.
“We used to conduct in-person group trainings for new employees over multiple days. But with the lockdown in place, all our trainings were put on hold. We didn’t know when we’d be able to resume them,” says Nirzaree Rajvanshi, a trainer based out of Netrang, a tiny town surrounded by forests in the western state of Gujarat.
With the threat of COVID-19 looming large, AKRSPI’s activities especially around “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene” (WASH) and educating communities about the pandemic had become even more important. They also wanted to impart training around mask making to make them self-reliant considering they were unlikely to be the first ones to receive aid.
Bridging the digital divide during a pandemic
While many organizations in major cities were moving to remote working, the management at AKRSPI were not sure if they’d be able to bridge the digital divide considering most of their field employees worked in some of the most remote areas across the three states. What’s more, only a few had laptops and most of the coordination and training would happen over in-person meetings.
With the lockdown showing no signs of easing off, the core team of 30 employees based out of Ahmedabad tried Microsoft Teams to see if it could help them collaborate. Within a couple of days, it became a habit and they started conducting their daily 10:30 a.m. meeting virtually on Teams. In barely over a week, more than 300 employees moved to Teams and began to rapidly expand how they used the platform from basic communication to collaborating and co-working remotely.
One of the crucial outcomes was moving the Vadvai platform to Teams and conducting online trainings for new employees.
“Even though it was a new platform, I found Teams to be very intuitive to use,” says Rajvanshi, who manages trainings. “However, we had to improvise. Instead of training large groups, we broke them down into smaller groups and even individuals. But now we can do trainings on demand and don’t have to wait for a group of employees.”
More...
https://news.microsoft.com/en-in/featur ... 0trainings
Bridging the Divide
Youth unemployment—particularly among rural youth—is a hot political issue in India, where more than 56 percent of secondary school students in India lack basic digital skills. The economy has been growing fast, but only about 30 percent of young adults can operate a computer—the figure is lower for women—and while more young people are studying beyond secondary school, many are still finishing with few marketable skills. Every year, while nearly eight million young people in India take short-term job skills training programs, those programs produce a job for only about one in three of them.
Because the demographics of development is shifting, with countries becoming more urban and rural communities depending more on remittances, some nonprofits are shifting their focus from addressing rural livelihoods to supporting urban transplants and their ties to home. For this reason, while “rural” is baked into the name of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP)—an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network—the agency has seen demand for new services, in India and elsewhere, where young people are moving to the cities for work. In addition to job skills, they look for support finding employment and the life skills around adapting to city life.
More...
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/bridging_the_divide
Youth unemployment—particularly among rural youth—is a hot political issue in India, where more than 56 percent of secondary school students in India lack basic digital skills. The economy has been growing fast, but only about 30 percent of young adults can operate a computer—the figure is lower for women—and while more young people are studying beyond secondary school, many are still finishing with few marketable skills. Every year, while nearly eight million young people in India take short-term job skills training programs, those programs produce a job for only about one in three of them.
Because the demographics of development is shifting, with countries becoming more urban and rural communities depending more on remittances, some nonprofits are shifting their focus from addressing rural livelihoods to supporting urban transplants and their ties to home. For this reason, while “rural” is baked into the name of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP)—an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network—the agency has seen demand for new services, in India and elsewhere, where young people are moving to the cities for work. In addition to job skills, they look for support finding employment and the life skills around adapting to city life.
More...
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/bridging_the_divide
Mittal Vasava: Connecting rural youth to 21st-century jobs in India
Mittal Vasava, age 20, was living in rural Gujarat when she learned from a friend about Yuva Junction. Mittal’s family belongs to India’s semi-nomadic “scheduled tribes”, amongst the country’s most marginalised groups. With no business connections or high school education, Mittal had dim prospects for a 21st-century job. But she was eager to learn and try.
In India, over half of the country’s population is under age 25 and faces high unemployment. Job prospects amongst rural youth – like Mittal – are especially limited. According to the World Bank, over half of India’s secondary school students lack the basic digital skills needed for 21st-century work. Even worse, opportunities to gain skills to prepare for jobs beyond traditional farming are slim.
When her parents asked around about the job classes at Yuva Junction, an innovative training programme preparing rural youth for 21st-century careers, they heard the programme had a solid track record – including eight years of training young people and placing two-thirds of them in meaningful jobs. They also knew the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, the Aga Khan Foundation’s implementing arm in India, had a good reputation. Mittal’s parents are farmers. They didn’t have much to spare but they agreed to pay her tuition of 1,600 rupees (about US$ 22).
akf-india-mmidha-142-2048x1365.jpg
Mittal Vasava, 20, a graduate from the Yuva Junction programme in Narmada, Gujarat, poses for a photograph in her family home with a sewing machine she purchased from the earnings of working at a pizza chain.
AKDN / Mansi Midha
Every day Mittal made the half-hour trip to the training centre in the nearby town of Dediapada. For Mittal, who had never used a computer before, the lessons were challenging at first. “I was hesitant and scared,” she said. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to learn. But my friends encouraged me.” With the course, she became more comfortable using a computer and developed both her skills and her confidence. The best part was the life skills classes. “They taught me how to interact with customers,” she says, as well as how to deal with city life elements like commuting and apartment rental.
Mittal’s instructors understood her because they had once been in her shoes. They had come from small villages and struggled to find work. Now, as teachers, they helped her learn and get excited for her future. One instructor named Kusum had her own tale of a first job’s broken promises and lacking the skills for navigating the work world before participating in Yuva Junction. The experience showed her the value of Yuva Junction-style training and support. Kusum took interest in Mittal’s growth and her plan to get a job in the city. After finishing the course, Mittal had help from Yuva Junction to find work.
“Kusum told me about the job” with a pizza company, Mittal says. “She went with me to the place. There were three of us girls.” She was thrilled to start the job in Ahmedabad.
Mittal had never tasted pizza before. “It was strange, but it was nice.”
Mittal’s parents remained supportive. Her mother reassured her in phone calls while she adjusted to the bustle of city life. “I’d tell her, ‘You can stay a bit more there, try doing the job.’”
Mittal’s starting salary allowed her to save and even helped her buy a scooter that her brother used in his work. “I bought the scooter for the family,” she says proudly.
Mittal gets three days off a month, so she regularly returns home to visit. Her father and brother pick her up from the bus at the main road, on her scooter.
“Before, I was scared. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to cope with city life. Now I feel I can deal with it easily. At first, I relied on the Yuva Junction staff. Now I feel I can switch jobs easily.”
Recently, Mittal got a promotion. She still feels connected to her family. Her new job is helping with the costs of new irrigation equipment for the farm, and with an addition to the family home.
Instead of creating a divide between a rural youth and her parents, Yuva Junction helped Mittal and her family strengthen their ability to face the future confidently together.
“Whenever she comes home, it gives us great joy,” says her mother.
Launched in 2007, Yuva Junction – with the support of Microsoft, Nokia, Quest Alliance, Axis Bank Foundation, Government of Gujarat and Tata Trust – has trained over 30,000 young people (40% female). In 2019, the programme was selected as a promising solution for youth employment within the World Bank Group’s Solutions for Youth Employment initiative.
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/mittal ... jobs-india