WB approves $114m for militancy-affected families of Fata

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has approved $114 million to significantly expand support for families affected by militancy-related violence, improve child healthcare and establish systems for emergency response safety net delivery in the affected areas of Fata.

In the aftermath of unveiling of Donald Trump’s policy in case of Pakistan, it was the first project loan approved by the WB’s Board of Executive Directors. According to statement issued by the WB here on Friday, the World Bank approved a $75 million credit for the original Fata Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDP) Emergency Recovery Project in August 2015. Beneficiaries of the project are the families from five Fata agencies, namely North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber. The additional financing will help expand the support to 326,000 eligible temporarily displaced families, up from 120,000 under the original project.

It will raise the number of participating families with children under two years of age to 300,000, up from 64,000 families benefiting from the Child Wellness Grant under the original project. The new financing will also expand the child health services to all 15 one stop shops in these Fata agencies. The one stop shops reduce travel time and costs for parents by providing all related services at one point.

“Displaced people in fragile or conflict situations need livelihood support when they leave their homes, and upon their return as well,” said Illango Patchamuthu, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. 

“The additional financing will ensure that the returning families have the means to start their lives anew,” he said. The early recovery package, which is at the centre of the project, consists of two cash grants: (i) a one-time early recovery grant of Rs35,000 per family; and (ii) a livelihood support grant of Rs16,000 per family in four monthly instalments of Rs4,000. These two cash grants provide complementary incomes to help the displaced families cover the initial expenses needed to restart their lives and revive their livelihoods upon voluntary return to their region of origin. The child wellness grant offered to both TDP and non         TDP families is pr vided in three equal instalments of Rs2,500 each, conditional on families attending periodic health awareness sessions on nutrition, hygiene and immunisation.

“Despite many constraints including security challenges in Fata, successful implementation of the project has presented an opportunity to significantly increase the number of people benefitting from the project,” said Amjad Zafar Khan, World Bank Task Team Leader of the project.

“The project’s emphasis on service delivery and inclusion will go a long way in restoring Fata citizens’ confidence in government systems,” he said. The credit is financed by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s fund for the poor, with a maturity of 25 years, including a grace period of five years.