PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) has inaugurated 17 community infrastructure schemes in North and South Waziristan districts under its European Union-funded and KfW financed “Aid to uprooted people in Pakistan” project.
The projects, including four irrigation, five sanitation and six clean drinking water supply schemes, will be completed at a total cost of Rs66.59 million and would benefit over 1,800 households in its target villages. All these schemes are being constructed in the areas where the displaced families have returned recently. These communities have been organised by the SRSP under the umbrella of the project not only to identify their own infrastructure needs but also to implement them in the village with the technical assistance of the project team.
This development work is unprecedented in the most of the villages targetted under the project. Moreover, the community-based approach of development, which was previously not acceptable to the people is gaining wide acceptance through close collaboration between the government and the SRSP in the field. Speaking to the community gathering at the cheques distribution ceremony, North Waziristan Additional Deputy Commissioner Daulat Khan lauded the efforts of SRSP and the communities in rebuilding the region. He added the participatory approach to development had not only proved to be cost-effective but also developed a sense of ownership among the communities. “This is the first time that we are being asked to identify and prioritize our infrastructure needs. This is quite unprecedented and a new concept that our new generations will grow up with,” he said.
Inayatullah, a resident of the Kachkai village and president of the community organisation from the Ladha tehsil of South Waziristan said that SRSP was not only the spearheading the community-based model of development in the merged districts but also laying the foundations of women inclusion in the participatory approach to development. The SRSP under its different projects has constituted over 100 female community organisations in the merged districts since its inception and over 30 community physical infrastructure schemes have been realised through them. Over 1500 females have been trained in several livelihood enhancement trades, which has significantly enhanced the income levels of these families. Moreover, the women community leaders in Orakzai district visited the female local support organisation in other intervention areas of the SRSP. “Aid to Uprooted People in Pakistan” project is being implemented under the funding of European Union, financed through the KfW and being executed on the ground by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme. The cooperation aims to support and uplift the recently returned families of Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, South and North Waziristan districts of KP to ameliorate their socio-economic status.
