Karigar Mela: Towards empowerment of rural communities

“Pakistan and EU friendship dates back to 40 years ago when the latter established its high commission in Pakistan. Currently there are projects of 653 million euros, which are being implemented in Pakistan in seven years. The Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support (SUCCESS) Programme is one the programmes which is based on the Rural Support Programmes’ (RSPs) social mobilisation approach to Community Driven Development (CDD).”

This was stated by Androulla Kaminara, ambassador of the European Union in Pakistan, on Wednesday. She was speaking at Karigar Mela at a local hotel where various traditional products made by Sindh’s artisans were showcased.

These skilled people were the beneficiaries of SUCCESS Programme, which is a six-year (2015-2021) programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN), National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO) and Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) in eight districts of Sindh, namely Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar and Tando Muhammad Khan.

Despite being here for only a few months since her appointment as ambassador, Kaminara has gone to Larkana and met people and communities there. She said the project is very important due to its poverty reduction vision, which is an important goal for EU.

Kaminara appreciated the Sindh government for adopting the poverty reduction strategy and working on it. “The beauty of SUCCESS programme is that people not only utilise EU fund but they also work towards self-help,” she added.

She said she was overwhelmed to talk to people who informed her that the programme had changed their lives for the better. “The women have learnt the skills through this programme, which helped them to share the economic burden with their husbands and send their children to schools.”

She said she also talked to some husbands in the pavilion, who were initially reluctant to allow their women to work, but later when the income changed the economic status of the family they convinced other husbands to allow their wives as well so that their woes could be addressed. She termed the programme a hope for the better future, saying that with a little support women in Pakistan could do wonders.

Syeda Shehla Raza, Sindh minister for women development, in her address, advised the skilled people, especially women, to bring novelty to their work and also make them available in different designs, sizes and also ranges so that people of all ages, tastes and choices could buy their products.

She said that the TRDP’s SUCCESS programme had benefitted 239,383 rural households in two districts and capacitated through community organisations of which at least 70 per cent would continue to function effectively at the end of the programme.

An average sustainable increase of poor household income by 30 per cent has been observed. She said the programme had a target of reaching 700,000 households. “But this is just a small number keeping in mind the lakhs of people around Pakistan who are waiting to be taken out of the poverty cycle through empowerment,” she maintained.

Allah Nawaz Sammo, CEO TRDP, said that in interior Sindh women had many skills but they lacked opportunities and connectivity to the outside world. The TRDP with the help of the SUCCESS programme had organised these skilled people in groups, where they not only acquired training in the skills they didn’t have but they valued their work and learned the bargaining power for selling their work in the price worth their work, without the involvement of any middlemen.

“People formed village organisations and community organisations, and received technical assistance and thus worked towards alleviating poverty. The programme has resulted in increased economic and social services and community benefits from upgraded community infrastructure, and productive assets operated and maintained with community involvement.”

He said that the lack of information about the market trends was augmented through the use of latest technology, and they would further make better use of technology for reaching the outside world and connecting these people and spreading their work at the international markets. He said that this programme besides empowering the skilled people of various districts was also helping with other programmes of the government, including polio eradication and plantation drives.

In Karigar Mela, people from various districts of Sindh displayed their products. Various chambers of commerce and industries also set up their stalls there. It was an occasion for the buyers and sellers to have meetings and partake future orders.

The event was attended by a large number of people from various walks of life, including ambassadors, government officers, political leaders, representatives of civil society organisations and media.