Tree plantation helps improve women’s economy

Islamabad:A tree plantation campaign initiated under Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project in Hingol National Park has helped improve socio-economic conditions of 2,000 female green workers.

According to the details provided by the climate change ministry, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the ministry to also provide green jobs to women that could also play an effective role in tree plantation campaigns all over the country.

An official said “As a pilot project we coordinated with local non-government organizations and talked to the local communities for the hiring of women as green workers.” “Some 2,000 women came up and vowed to work for the success of tree plantation campaign. These women planted 30,000 juniper trees and became ‘neghaibans’ to ensure their safety and protection against all odds,” he said.

The official said “These women diligently perform their duties and never allow goats, camels and other animals to enter into the the area where juniper trees have been planted.” He said: “As part of the project these women have been provided with sewing machines and financial support and now all of them stitch clothes and earn a livelihood.”

The official said “The green jobs are not only helping in increasing tree cover but also improving socio-economic conditions of the local communities.” He said that the Juniper forest in Balochistan is considered ‘Living Fossils’ and is the second-largest forest in the world and one of the oldest slow-growing Juniper trees in the world.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said Balochistan covers half of the country in the area needs special attention and the government would plant 10,000,00,00 trees in the province till 2023.

“The green jobs being provided in Balochistan like elsewhere in the country are improving socio-economic conditions of the local communities especially the womenfolk of the area,” he said.

‘Charities helping fight food insecurity’: Hunger, the distress associated with a lack of food, and food insecurity are strongly interconnected with poverty and are caused by an array of social, political, demographic, and societal factors, show statistics.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2018-19 reveals that 16% of Pakistan’s population is experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity with the incidence of being twice as high in rural areas than urban areas: 20% and 9.2% respectively.

Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement surveyed Pakistani households in 2019-2020 and has apprised that 16.4 out of every 100 households face moderate-to-severe food insecurity. In 2020, factors like high food prices, locust outbreaks, climate events such as rains, flooding, droughts, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic all exacerbated these numbers. While the issue is being handled well at both national and local levels by the government and the non-profit charity organisations, the challenges surrounding food security are still prevalent. Although hunger is not the only major issue, it’s a major problem faced by Pakistanis on daily basis, said Lieutenant Colonel (r) Shahzad Kiani of the Yusaeid Foundation.

He said hunger alleviation and increasing food security were core elements of the organsiation's mission. "I strongly believe that a concerted volunteer effort, coupled with empathy and volunteer action will go a long way towards making our dream of a hunger-free Pakistan come true,” he said. He said established in 2014, the foundation regularly distributes rations to those in dire need. Ration and Iftar drive along with free healthcare are just two of their initiatives aimed to provide relief to the needy and destitute population of the twin cities," he said.