AKRSP’s intervention helped reduce poverty

Any Institutional activities in the world
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Survey starts in parts of GB

GILGIT: The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) has started its survey for the Benazir Income Support Program in parts of Gilgit, sources said on Tuesday.

They said that Nadar-1 is the first place where survey teams have started collecting data as per the requirements of the data forms.

“The survey will be launched in the rest of Gilgit-Balitistan (G-B) shortly,” an official of the foundation added.

Earlier this month the government had sublet the task of conducting the survey in G-B to AKRSP because of its credibility in the field of community development and their role in poverty reduction.

The other reason for assigning the task to AKRSP, a government official said, was because of the organisation’s reach in the area. The organisation had been working in this part of the world since the early 80s.

“Even though this is a huge task, we will complete it within two months,” an official of the AKRSP said.

“We have prepared teams to do the task accurately and within the stipulated time,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2010.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/68142/surve ... rts-of-gb/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP distributed Agricultural Units among Flood Affected
by G. H. Farooqui November 13, 2010


Agriculture inputs distributed under Emergency Assistance to support Flood Affected Vulnerable Farmers of Chitral.


CHITRAL: Agriculture inputs were distributed free of cost among the flood affected farmers of the entire district. These items containing on DAP, Urea (fertilization), certified seed of Wheat and vegetable seed were provided free of cost to flood affected farmers by Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) UN. Some 3161 items in 2841 bags were distributed among the flood affected people at Chitral, Ayun, Karimabad and Mulkoh (upper Chitral). A simple but prompt function was held at the office of Local Support Organization of Mulkho area where Chairman of Mulkoh LSO Qadir Shah along with AKRP staff distributed these items among the flood affected farmers. Talking to this scribe former UC Nazim and Chairman of LSO Maulana Qadir Shah said that the area were badly affected by recent flood as a result standing crops of the people as well as seed were also totally damaged and the people of the area were plunged in a very tough time and were facing numerous problems. But we thankful to AKRSP who distributed these agriculture inputs consisting on fertile and certified seed of wheat and these people would be able to stand on their own feet after sowing these wheat and vegetable seed. He thanked high ups of AKRSP as well as USAID for supporting these vulnerable people who have nothing to earn livelihood except of farming and their cultivable land as well as standing crops were totally ruined by recent devastated flood.

A flood affected farmer Haji Zardana Khan of the area said that we have lost our land and crops and having nothing for sowing in our land but now we thankful to AKRSP for providing us these items free of cost and will definitely bring positive changes in our lives. A spokesman of AKRSP Muhammad Younus said that we providing these items to flood affected farmers with the support of USAID. He said that AKRSP distributing these items very transparently among the affected people and try of its best to support these people for earning their livelihood with a honor way. A large number of people were present on th occasion they were providing these items with the help of LSO volunteers group who provide these things according to the prevailing criteria. Besides it AKRSP also rendering meritorious service for uplifting life of common people at the area.

G.H. Farooqi PO Box No. 50 GPO Chitral Pakistan phone No. 03025989602, 0943-302295, 414418

Email: gulhamad@gmail.com

http://www.groundreport.com/World/AKRSP ... -A/2930966
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

2 Micro Hydro Power houses completed by AKRSP
by G. H. Farooqui December 04, 2010


2 Micro hydro power stations completed by AKRSP inaugurated at Garamchishma.


CHITRAL: Poverty can only be eradicated by continue struggle, commitment with your jobs, participating in volunteer activities and rendering free services to the community. As well as we can success in poverty alleviation only by adopting positive steps and combined struggle for uplifting. These views were expressed by Kamal Hayat Chief Executive/Managing Director of Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) on the occasion of inauguration ceremony of two micro hydro power houses of 100 KV each at Garamchishma completed by Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) with financial support of PPAF in collaboration with local community. Kamal Hayat was chief guest on the occasion. He said that people of Chitral are so committed and having rich spirit of volunteerism that we wan to kick more and more developmental schemes in the area. He stressed upon that local community to participate in developmental schemes overwhelmingly and to play positive role in development of the country and uplifting of your locality. He said that PPAF will always support local community through civil society’s organization to uplift life standard of these people and to bring positive changes in the area. He was addressing to a crowed gathering of men and women folk on the occasion of inauguration ceremony of two hydro power stations at Garamchishma where there was no electricity by government as well as private sector.

The first micro hydro power house of 100 KV capacity of Jother was completed with a cost of 4.329 million by AKRSP where 20% share was put by the local community. It will benefit some 280 house holds in the area that were totally deprived from electricity supply while the second power house also existing of 100 KV power generating of Waht Power house which was completed with a cost of 5.6 million and total beneficiaries of the power house are 130 house holds. Some 1.2 million was extra spent by local community for Jothar power house from their maintenance fund. Elites of the area presented traditional gifts to distinguished guests on their arrival as well as they also presented traditional music and folk dance in their honor. General Manger of AKRSP Izhar Ali Hunzai, Chief Technical Officer of PPAF Zafar Sabri, Regional Program Manger of AKRSP Engineer Sardar Ayub, Munazir Elahi General Manager of media & Communication of PPAF and other were present on the occasion. Bahawuddin, Muhammad Wali and other spoke on the occasion they thanked to high ups of PPAF and AKRSP for their financial support for these two projects and optimistically said that they will continue their patronizing and support in development of this backward and remote area. Mr. Kamal Hayat Chief Executive of PPAF in an exclusive interview with this scribe disclosed that we supporting some 50 projects in this region and also planning for launching of mega projects to utilize plentiful resources of water for improving of hydro power generating and to eradicate poverty by this ways from the area. A large number of women and men participated in the inauguration ceremony of these two hydro power houses.



G.H. Farooqi PO Box No. 50 GPO Chitral Pakistan phone No. 03025989602, 0943-302295, 414418
Email: gulhamad@gmail.com

http://www.groundreport.com/Business/2- ... SP/2931736
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

ROAD REPAIRED: A 15-kilometer-long road leading to the isolated valley of Golen near Chitral city has been repaired and opened to traffic after it was damaged by floods in July. Dawn

The villagers told on Monday it was not the government but the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), which rehabilitated the damaged infrastructure in the area.

The chairman of Koh Integrated Development Programme (KIDP) Abdul Ghaffar said that after being disappointed by the government, the locals approached the AKRSP for the restoration of the flood-hit infrastructure.

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/14/chitral- ... rests.html
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Japan to give Rs 17 million for Hunza projects

Post by Admin »

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDe ... =2/20/2011

The News

Japan to give Rs 17 million for Hunza projects

By our correspondent
Sunday, February 20, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The government of Japan has decided to grant financial support of $203,671 (Rs17 million) to the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) for two projects in Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan.

The agreements for the projects were signed on Thursday by Chihiro Atsumi, the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, and Akbarali Pesnani, Chairman of the AKCSP, at Atsumi’s residence.

The Environmental Sanitation Project is meant for the improvement of community-based environmental sanitation in Altit, Hunza. Around 237 households (1,820 individuals) including IDPs, who migrated after Attaabad landslide disaster, will benefit from this project.

Local labour will be trained and employed during the execution of the project which will help them to get new jobs in future to support their families.

The Water Supply Project is aimed at the improvement of water supply scheme in Karimabad, Hunza. The grant will be utilised for the repair of pipelines and water tanks, which were previously funded by Japan in 2004 and were damaged due to landslides in the following years.
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Post by Admin »

http://tribune.com.pk/story/120081/japa ... vironment/

The Express Tribune

Japan, AKCSP join hands: Improving Hunza environment

Published: February 18, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The Japanese government has pledged $203,671 (approx. Rs17 million) grant for the environmental sanitation and water supply projects in Hunza-Nagar District of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Agreements for the two projects were signed by Japanese Ambassador Chihiro Atsumi and Chairperson of the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan Akbarali Pesnani at the envoy’s residence in Islamabad on Thursday, said a press release issued by the Japanese embassy.

Under the environmental sanitation project, the community-based environmental sanitation system will be improved in Altit, Hunza.

Around 237 households (1,820 individuals) including displaced persons affected by Attabad landslide last year, will benefit from the project.

Local labour will be trained and employed during the execution of the project which, helping them get new jobs and support their families.

Under the water supply project, water supply scheme will be repaired in Karimabad. The grant will be used for the renovation of pipelines and water tanks, which were previously funded by Japan in 2004 and damaged due to landslides.

It would help preserve the existing facility and benefit 450 households (around 3,600 individuals) in the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2011.

Some comments:

Javed
Feb 18, 2011 - 12:38PM

We the Huzokutz (Inhabitants of Hunza) acknowledge and are really grateful to the Japan Government for always support to uplift the life standard of Huzokutz.

In past Japan Movement’s has funded several projects in Hunza; like Karimabad Sanitation System, Hasegawa Memorial Public School etc.

Again thanks to Japan for endorsements.
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

GIZ introduce Solar Energy at Chitral

by G. H. Farooqui April 13, 2011

Solar Systems introduced at Chitral.


CHITRAL: To overcome energy crises at Chitral and to save forest from mercilessly (ruthless) cutting solar water heaters(SWH) were introduced first time in Chitral. German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) in collaboration with Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) started dissemination of solar water heating systems in Chitral Region. Firstly entrepreneurs were developed and then they have been given on job installation trainings of the systems. To attract the locals, GIZ provided the 30% subsidy on the SWHs cost for the first five solar water heater pilot projects. Solar water heating systems were installed for the domestic use as well as commercial installations were also the part of dissemination of the SWHs in different hotels of Chitral. The dissemination events been conducted at the local hotels where people from every walk of life were present. Technical personal Muhammad Saeed of GIZ briefed the people about the technology and solar water heater users shared their experience with the audience. Secondly an event for the hotel industry conducted where the consultant responded different questions of participants. Shahzada Mudasirul Mulk chief executive of Creative Approaches for Development (CAD) also highlighted benefits of solar energy system in Chitral. He said that by adopting solar appliances our forest can be saved from ruthless cutting. Responding to a question he said that during winter season when snowfall cover the area this solar water heater will provide hot water through electric backup. He said that this device is very cheap and by adopting of equipments running by solar energy we can overcome on energy crises in the country. He said that we are also introducing alternate energy equipments like bio briquette moulds and bio briquette machines for briquette manufacturing which will be alternate of fuel wood as well as CAD will introduce bio gas plants for local gas production for household

http://www.groundreport.com/World/GIZ-i ... al/2938264
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Warm blessings for Chitralis
By Shahbaz Rana
Published: April 21, 2011

CHITRAL:

Drudgery to make both ends meet reduced one chilly morning for Khanza Begum, 31, mother of four, as she found hot water to wash clothes at zero degrees centigrade and electricity in the evening for knitting and sewing.

The hardships of villagers in Wahat, District Chitral, started lessening when a micro hydel generation plant became operational in December last year. It generates cheap electricity besides providing hot water.

When the demand for energy drops, water is shifted to a large barrel through an electronic load-control device. “Before December 2010, I used to collect wood from the jungle, make a fire and boil water to wash clothes,” said Khanza Begum.

The clean energy generation is also earning dollars for the area, as against each unit produced, the project wins $1.3 dollar under the Clean Development Mechanism initiative to reduce carbon omissions.

The villagers are planning to convert the washing barrel into a Small and Medium Enterprise aimed at sustaining progress that has made life easier for poor women.

“The time saved from collecting wood is now being used for other productive activities like knitting and sewing, which has improved our lifestyle”, said Bibi Zar.

The project is funded by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, but is being maintained by the villagers. The Wahat micro power plant is one of 63 micro hydel projects that have been installed on the banks of the Chitral River, enabling at least 24,000 households in the district to have access to electricity, said Fazl-e-Rabi, Manager Renewable Energy of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme – the organisation executing the project. This figure is double the number of households linked with the national grid. The hydel electricity costs Rs2 per unit to domestic consumers against the Water and Power Development Authority’s Rs8 per unit.

These small achievements may make the communities proud, but a lot more needs to be done. The area is gifted with hot springs. An official from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme said a local prince, who owns the mountain from where the water flows, does not let water be used for commercial purposes. He said the prince has rejected a proposal to use the water for a central heating system that will promote tourism in the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2011.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/153526/warm ... chitralis/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

LSO Network

http://lson.org.pk/

LSO is an alliance or federation of village and women organizations (V/WOs) and other civil society organizations at valley or union council level, formed by dedicated volunteers, both men and women and run by a slim professional management. Fostered by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), the LSOs are non-profit organizations registered under the companies Ordinance 1984 in Pakistan, limited by guarantee and not having a share capital.
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Forgotten heroes of Pakistan
by Siddique Humayun on November 28th, 2011 | Comments (9)
Forgotten heroes of Pakistan

The power of community participation in development was highlighted by Akhtar Hameed Khan through his famous Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi in the 1980s. Due to the fact that Orangi was a squatter settlement, it did not qualify for government aid. As a result, Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan organised and mobilised the local squatter community to identify their need, collect funds and through the technical expertise of Dr. Khan and his team, solve their own sanitation problems. Similarly, in the same period another social development project was being initiated on the lines of community participation in what is now Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme was started by Shoaib Sultan Khan in the early 1980s and instead of making the choices for the villagers of these remote and harsh terrains, the programme focused on a “partnership with communities” and learning-by-doing. It was the villagers who were to decide what they need, how they will go about it, and how will they manage and utilise the funding provided by the Aga Khan Foundation. This participatory approach to development has since then led to countless achievements in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.

From the construction of countless bridges to significant increases in the income of the residents, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme spearheaded development in these remote regions of Pakistan. Over 90,000 hectares of land was reclaimed while more than 30 million trees have been planted. Irrigation channels have been made the programme has mobilised over 4000 community organisations on a small to medium scale, along with groups that manage over 8 million US dollars of savings.

While these are the tangible achievements of this initiative, the intangible change in lives and attitude that the people of these remote areas have gone through is perhaps worth much more. Micro projects of hydro-electricity now supply electricity to over 50 per cent of Chitral, and what makes these projects successful is that all are thought out, implemented, managed and maintained by the communities that benefit from them.

Aga Khan Rural Support Programme changed the lives of over 1.3 million villagers in the northern parts of Pakistan and it did not end there. The network spread its wings to villages all over the country; Shoaib Sultan Khan’s pioneering model was replicated in at least 11 countries and has over the course of time, changed the lives of millions of poor for the better. Although such heroes are content with just that single smile of a hardworking villager in the face of poverty, we must honour them.

There are countless such men in this country that are giving of themselves towards the betterment of the lives of people they do not know and perhaps will never see again. These are the real heroes of Pakistan, and if we must erect monuments of public figures, it should be of such stars of our country rather politicians buried in corruption.

It is said, and I quote “the true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit”. There may be very few men and women who come to the spotlight such as Akhtar Hameed Khan and Shoaib Sultan Khan, but we must not forget them, for they not only serve Pakistan, but also humanity. It is people like them that prove Pakistan has hope and that it takes courage to change lives. Not everything that happens in this country is wrong, even though it is difficult to sometimes acknowledge that glimmer of hope shining through all the chaos that surrounds us, but there has always been and there will always be… hope.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/28/forgotte ... istan.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Dushkal Ne Pele Paar Dushkal Ne Pele Paar is a documentary on how a few villages in Kutch have made collective effort to establish fodder banks and rainwater harvesting system in their villages to address the issue of food and water scarcity during a drought. This has reduced their vulnerability during natural disasters. The film, made with support of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, Bhuj, was used to take the message from these villages to different corners of the district. The trilingual film made in Kutchi, Gujarati and Hindi was funded by the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme used this film to motivate the youth in villages to form a mandala (group) to keep an eye on the expenses being made on the social occasions. All the section of people joined this movement to stop unnecessary expenses.

http://www.madhyam.org/films.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP participates in an authoritative report...

Excerpt:

An authoritative report, prepared by the Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, a joint initiative of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, Ambuja Cement Foundation, Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Gujarat government, has estimated that Gujarat accounts for 1.2 million hectares (ha) of saline soil, which is about 15 per cent of the country as a whole. Pointing out that the “soil salinity and sodicity is an important factor affecting the soil health and crop productivity”, the report says, “The total salt affected soils in India is approximately 8.1 million ha out of which 3.2 m ha is coastal saline soil and 2.8 m ha is sodic soil, and the rest 2.2 m ha is inland saline soil.

http://counterview.org/2011/07/02/gujar ... ry-report/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP conducts a study on the trafficking of poor Chitrali girls

Study reveals trafficking of poor Chitrali girlsZahiruddin | Peshawar | From the Newspaper

24th March, 2012 CHITRAL: Trafficking of Chitrali girls in the garb of marriage goes on unchecked for last many years by professional human traffickers who take advantage of the poverty, ignorance and weaker social fabric of the area.

A study recently conducted by Regional Women Empowerment Project of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) reveals that 74 per cent of marriages of Chitrali girls with people from other districts, specially in Punjab, turn out to be fake.

It says that the trafficking of girls is done for exploitative domestic servitude, while there has been ample evidence of using such girls in the abhorrent prostitution trade. The study reveals the regrettable fact that if a woman becomes victim of trafficking, she compromises with the situation due to the fact that her family would not accept her back due to the stigma.

About grooms from other districts, it says that majority of them are above age 50 and already married, and introduce themselves as high government officers or land and business owners.

Unveiling the trafficking mechanism, the study puts the local ‘middlemen’ in centre of the dirty business, who introduce the groom to the girl’s family and provide accommodation and transportation to him till the marriage is solemnised. The middlemen mostly target the households with poor financial condition and lure the parents by presenting a bright future for their daughters.

“The poor victims have no exposure and hold a wrong perception that all the people in central districts of the country are affluent and noble,” the study goes and adds that these gullible people have no source of information to verify the claims of the prospective grooms.

About payment made to the parents or guardians, the report says that it ranges from Rs50,000 to Rs500,000 depending on the age and complexion of a girl, but over 50 per cent of the amount goes to the middleman.

About the factors responsible for unchecked women trafficking, the field study pointed out poverty, attraction of city life, negative customs and traditions, and lack of verification mechanism of the grooms and legal framework etc.

According to the study, the unfortunate victims are rejected both by their own families and the society in case of divorce, making them more vulnerable to the abuse on their return to native areas.

The study suggests that a proper mechanism should urgently be devised to check the information claimed by the prospective grooms and in case of any fraud they should be duly punished along with the middlemen, which is essential to saving future of Chitrali women.

Economic empowerment of womenfolk must be ensured by the government and non-government agencies so that they could not be a burden on others and contribute to the prosperity of their families, recommends the study.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/24/study-re ... girls.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP activities cited as an example of an effective US aid channel

Excerpt:

So while USAID is very good at quickly mobilizing assistance to disaster-afflicted communities, it carries a lot of political baggage -- so much so in places like Pakistan that the U.S might be better off in the long run by downsizing USAID's direct activities there and working through alternative programs.

One good model might be the Rural Support Programmes Network. A sprawling collection of local NGOs, the RSPN was founded by the Agha Khan Network in 1982, and has since become its own, separate program. While the stats about its reach are impressive -- reaching millions of the poorest homes across a vast swath of Pakistan -- what's especially fascinating about RSPN are its methods.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... an/256459/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Interview with Apoorva Oza

On February 28, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) welcomed Apoorva Oza, CEO of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in India. In this exclusive interview marking World Water Day on March 22, Mr. Oza shared AKRSP’s approach to water sustainability in India.

The following interview has been edited and condensed.

Q: What is the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme?

Apoorva Oza: The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India is a non-denominational, non-governmental organization which was established in the year 1984. It works in the area of rural development, partnering with rural communities to improve the quality of their lives.

Q: March 22nd is the UN’s World Water Day and the theme this year is “water and food security”. How do water scarcity issues affect India?

AO: India houses a substantial part of the world’s poor population and therefore food insecurity is a major issue. There are many millions of children who do not get enough to eat on a daily basis. AKRSP works in many regions which have water scarcity. In these regions, because there is water scarcity there is not enough irrigation. Because of lack of irrigation, food production is much less, and because of lack of food production people end up eating less because farmers usually depend on food they grow for their consumption.

Q: How is AKRSP addressing water issues in India?

AO: AKRSP believes that the core to agricultural development is what we call “irrigation supply.” With climate change you can’t predict how much rainfall is going to come and when it’s going to come. This is affecting agriculture productivity substantially. In different contexts – whether it’s a coastal saline area, or a semi-arid area, or a flood-prone area – these are all areas where the management of the water for irrigation is critical to food productivity. One of the key interventions that AKRSP focuses on is increasing the irrigation options for farmers. AKRSP helps farmers [build] water-harvesting structures, helps them repair existing canal irrigation systems which have become defunct, and helps them recharge groundwater systems.

Q: What is the idea behind measuring “drops per crop”?

AO: To enhance the efficiency of use of water, we promote micro-irrigation devices. These devices are largely drip irrigation systems or sprinkler irrigation systems. We monitor how many drops [of water] are required per crop. If you reduce the “drops per crop” what you do is improve the water productivity of agriculture. There has been a substantial emphasis on land productivity, but the constraining resource is now not only land, the constraining resource is actually water. So you need to start measuring tonnes [of crops produced] per litre of water. By focusing on this we have improved the water productivity of many crops substantially, and that has helped address the food crisis in many of these areas. Once you enhance water productivity, then you help small farmers – who have limited land and limited water – to meet their food demands.

http://www.akfc.ca/component/content/article/292.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Survey: Poverty assessment to support more households
The origin­al survey report along with a briefi­ng is availa­ble with the govern­ment.
By Our Correspondent
Published: May 25, 2012

GILGIT:
A survey conducted last year to assess the level of poverty in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has been re-launched to include those who were missed.

Ajmal Baig, an official in the Benazir Income Support Programme, told The Express Tribune on Thursday that the responsibility of the survey has been given to Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that had assisted in the earlier survey.

The decision to re-launch the survey was taken in the light of complaints that the government left out many households earlier. The survey has been formally launched in Skardu and will be conducted in all those areas of G-B where there were complaints, he official said. He reasoned that given the difficult terrain of the mountainous region, the possibility of missing out on some households cannot be ruled out.

The original survey report along with a briefing is available with the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2012.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/383915/surv ... ouseholds/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP provides analysed data on fuoride content in ground water

Fluoride level too high in 18 Gujarat districts’ ground water
DNA / Smitha R / Monday, May 14, 2012 19:26 IST

Nearly 70% of the districts in the state have fluoride contents beyond the permissible limit in ground water. Data available from the ministry of water resources, concerning ground water quality scenario, reveals that 18 of Gujarat's 26 districts have fluoride content above the permissible limit. Gujarat ranks 5th among the 19 states in high fluoride content in ground water. If that isn't enough, the nitrate content in ground water is also quite high in various districts of the state.

The districts that have such excessive fluoride content include Ahmedabad, Amreli, Anand, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dahod, Junagadh, Kutch, Mehsana, Narmada, Panchmahals, Patan, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar and Vadodara.

Those with excess nitrate include Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Mehsanan, Narmada, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar and Vadodara.

Data about high nitrate content was derived from samples collected and analysed by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.

It should be noted that the permissible limit of fluoride and nitrate in ground water is 1.5 mg per litre.

Anything in excess of the permissible limit poses several health problems. The fluoride content in ground water in these districts was analysed on basis of water samples collected from groundwater observation wells of the ministry.

Pankaj Dave, who works with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Saurashtra region, said that high fluoride content is a natural phenomenon. "Industrial pollution and other such things have rarely anything to do with it. The regions where the support programme functions, hardly has a concentration of industries," said Dave.

He stated that high fluoride content often results in weak bones and joint pain. "In certain areas of Amreli district the problem is more severe," said Dave. According to him the best solution is to make use of surface water and also recharge the ground water level.

"Rain water conservation for drinking purpose can also help," said Dave.He said through the programme, they have helped build lakes in Surendranagar district to address this issue.

As for nitrate content, data collected as part of the Centre for Development Alternatives showed that several districts of the state had high nitrate content in ground water. Of the samples tested in Ahmedabad, 43% had nitrate content above the permissible limit.

More than 70% of samples collected from ground water in Gandhinagar, Anand, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Sabarkantha also had nitrate contents above the permissible limit.

Those working in the field attributed the high nitrate content to industrial pollution. "Industrial waste, particularly from fertiliser and urea manufacturers, finds its way to water sources and even ground water leading to contamination of the water. Excessive use of fertiliser in farms also leads to such a situation," said an analyst on condition of anonymity.

http://www.dnaindia.com/print710.php?cid=1688565
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The rural poor welcomed me with open arms

Shoaib Sultan Khan
Wednesday, June 06, 2012 From Print Edition

The poverty reduction model launched by Shoaib Sultan Khan, a pioneer of rural development in Pakistan, has been replicated on a huge scale over the decades in India. Khan’s expertise has always been available to India, no matter how adversarial relations between the two states were. Khan is the honorary chairperson of the board of directors of Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) comprising 11 RSPs, including Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP). His “magical power” to mobilise communities for their development has led to numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award 1992 and Pakistan’s Sitara-e-Eisaar and Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2006. He was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. He recently visited India at the invitation of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which has adopted and implemented the rural support programme model. Back in Pakistan, he spoke to Aman Ki Asha on the need for the two countries to cooperate in reducing poverty and benefit from each other’s experiences. Excerpts:

By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed

Aman Ki Asha: When did India replicate the RSP model for the first time? How did you feel when you went there to execute the plan during PM Narasimha Rao’s tenure? What was it like being a Pakistani in India, delivering to the Indian poor?

Shoaib Sultan Khan: It was in late 1994 that United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched their regional programme, South Asia Poverty Alleviation Programme (SAPAP) and asked me to be the Senior Adviser to SAPAP. The origin of SAPAP was in the recommendations of the independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA), set up by SAARC heads of state in 1991. The Pakistan Prime Minister nominated me on the commission, which deliberated for over a year, visiting all the South Asian countries except Bhutan. Venugopal, the Secretary to the Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, was also a member of the Commission.

More.....

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1 ... -open-arms
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Ramazan diaries: Artistic depictions of thoughts and rituals

By Our Correspondent

Published: August 29, 2012

ISLAMABAD:
This year’s “Ramazan Diaries”, set to open at Nomad Gallery on September 1, will focus on the difference the advent of technology has made in the lives of fourteen women from Chitral. Much like last year’s exhibition, the textile collection will feature artistic recordings of events, thoughts and rituals during Ramazan.

“Around six of the hand-embroidered textiles in this collection will focus on text messages these women sent each other around Ramazan. The narratives offered in the works are novel and insightful,” Ange Braid of Polly & Me told The Express Tribune.

In March 2008, Polly & Me — a social enterprise working with the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) — invited women from Chitral’s embroidery collectives to participate in a series of creative workshops. Using inspiration from their daily lives, the women produced a collection of 23 hand-embroidered textiles for the exhibition.

Mogh was set up in 2006 as a public company to create income and employment opportunities for the women of Chitral. Over the years, Mogh has trained more than 3,000 female artisans in a variety of skills, including hand-woven woolen fabrics, embroidery, knitting and crocheting. “This is a continuing, great aesthetic initiative to empower women through their own experiences and thought processes. The artisans are given artistic freedom, which shows in all the works,” commented Nageen Hyat, the curator of Nomad Gallery.

Braid says that those planning to attend the exhibition can look forward to hand embroidered cushions, bed covers, wall hangings, and crockery. Though the exhibition at Nomad Gallery will be more intimate than the one held at the Serena in May, Braid states that the artwork will definitely be worth seeing as they will be aesthetically pleasing and thought-provoking at the same time.

One of the most pivotal and unique element of the collection is quirkiness, which shows how these women have thoroughly enjoyed their time producing the work and being a part of the programme. A sneak-peek at pictures of a wall hanging shows a collection of phones and clocks, illustrating how “technology has changed the way these women perceive time, keep time and manage their lives”, according to Braid.

The concept of time is especially important during Ramazan, when ‘Sehri’ and ‘Iftari’ have to be kept in check as well as how time seems to run at a slower pace than usual. Therefore the title ‘Ramazan Diaries’ is further qualified as these women artistically represent sentiments so universally Pakistani, but in their unique style.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2012.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/427530/rama ... d-rituals/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP launches project to enhance the livelihoods of fisherman in partnership with Tata Power

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/com ... 907346.ece

Tata Power’s Mundra UMPP launches project for fishermen

Ahmedabad, Sept. 17: Tata Power, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Coastal Gujarat Project Ltd (CGPL), has launched the ‘Sagarbandhu’ project in partnership with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program - India, to increase the livelihood opportunities of the coastal community, especially fishermen.

The company said here on Monday the project would benefit the fishermen in village Modva of Mandvi taluka through institution building, value chain analysis and scaling up of existing livelihood practices.

The project also emphasises on convergence with the State Government-sponsored programme for the fishermen, for implementation of these schemes with the support of the Village Development Society.

Under this programme, the Gujarat Government has started training on seaweed, a first of its kind programme in the area, exclusively for the fisherwomen. This will create awareness about seaweed and help them gain knowledge on various techniques of collection, processing and trading of seaweed.

For the project implementation, the company has chalked out a community development plan involving the feedback of the Modava community and formed the ‘Modhva Machhimar Gram Vikas Samiti’, registered under the Societies Registration Act.

The 10-day training programme will be conducted by experts giving hands-on experience to fisherwomen. The State Fisheries Department is also extending Rs 125 per day to each of the 30 women beneficiaries as a motivational amount, said K. K. Sharma, Chief, Mundra.

CGPL is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed for setting up and operating the 4,000 MW Mundra project, India’s first UMPP, whose first unit is about to be commissioned. CGPL had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with seven procurers (distribution licensees) from five States, namely, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab for the sale of contracted capacity.

Keywords: Tata Power, Tata Power's UMPP, Mundra, Tata Power training programme for Gujarat fishermen, Coastal Gujarat Project Ltd, CGPL, Aga Khan Rural Support Program - India,
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP supports training for mountaineering instructors during the summer of 2013

World body to train instructors

Our Correspondent
Friday, October 19, 2012
From Print Edition

LAHORE
Mountain Wilderness International (MWI) would organize first training course for the mountaineering instructors during the summer of 2013.

In this regard, the local leaders of the AKRSP (Agha Khan organization) and Qamar Zaman, Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Training, assured their full support to the initiative, acknowledging its educational, professional and sustainable significance, said Prof. Carlo Alberto Pinelli, Chief of the Asian Desk (MWI).

He said that, after many years of absence, the MWI had come back to Pakistan to offer, once more, to their Pakistani friends their technical expertise and their philosophical vision of the relationship between civilized man and the mountains. “We were here to take up again a common and shared path based on a positive exchange of ideas and experiences. In truth it is not quite correct to say that we have been absent: Pakistan is the only Asian Nation where a Chapter of Mountain Wilderness has been operating efficiently for years.”

He said the project also aimed at connecting these well-trained Pakistani instructors’ groups to the people living in the Afghan corridor.

These Pakistani instructors who speak Wakhi can be sent to Afghanistan by the Aga Khan organizations to help the local youth willing to acquire the basic skills needed to offer their services to foreign visitors as mountain guides, altitude porters and trekking organizes. In fact, at present, many tourists interested in outdoor activities reach the Wakhan mountains, coming directly from Tajikistan.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-5 ... nstructors
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP promotes Microsoft’s project ‘Jyoti’ that train people with computer skills on nominal fee

Microsoft Project helps Indian Youth help generate income through computer training reports Online Training Direct
Microsoft’s Project “Jyoti” helping young people
(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 20, 2012 ) San Francisco, CA- Microsoft’s Project “Jyoti is bring help and needed income to youth across India. For Hina Rahi, eldest child of her seven-member family, it has made all the difference for her family.

“My father has a small shop in Delhi. He used to send us Rs 3,000 every month which was not enough for us. I always wanted to economically support my family but I was not educated enough. Last year, during a door-to-door advertising of Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), India-’computerji jode duniya se’, I got to know about Microsoft’s project ‘Jyoti’ that train people with computer skills on nominal fee,” according to Hina.

‘Jyoti’ is a skills training program created by the Microsoft Corporation Private Limited (Microsoft India) that provides training to people that are 18-35 years old. The program trains participants in computer skills, which can then help them get a job. Microsoft introduced the program in 2009 in collaboration with various NGO’s and opened community technology centers in remote areas to provide residents with access and support.

“ I enrolled myself at the center after paying Rs 850 for a six month course and learnt various computer programs. It changed my life. I now work as an assistant at a school and also teach students and earn Rs 2,500 a month,” said Hina. This has also inspired her to open her own training center for girls who were just like her. Hina is just one of many stories of success that the program has seen over the years.

According to Manju Dhasmana, community affairs managers for Microsoft India, over 8,000 youth have been trained through the program to date. The program has also placed “over 5,200 people” after the completion of the program. The program is truly helping an area of India that has been hit hard by tough economic times and a scarce number of jobs in the region.


About OnlineTrainingDirect.com:
OnlineTrainingDirect.com (http://www.onlinetrainingdirect.com) provides self-study online training programs to help people get the training they need to be successful. Online Training Direct offers 24 hour access to learning opportunities to help you reach your goals quickly.

Contact Information:
Online Training Direct
Jack Tanks
Tel: 971234586
Email us

http://www.emailwire.com/release/101034 ... irect.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Islamabad: A three-day workshop on ‘Training of Trainers’, organised by the YES Network Pakistan and Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) concluded here, says a press release.

The training was attended by the representatives of Hashoo Foundation and Abdul Wali Khan University. The major goals of the training were to provide participants with the opportunity to acquire and practice skills in facilitating social entrepreneurship training programmes and to enhance their abilities to design training session plans. The purpose of the workshop was to establish a core team of trainers in Chitral, who have relevant skills in planning, designing, supporting and organising social entrepreneurship courses and trainings for the positive development and engagement of young people.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-139788-Workshop
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The Aga Khan Rural Support Program and the Role of Civil Society in Pakistan
November 08, 2012 // 9:00am — 10:15am
Event Co-sponsors:
Environmental Change and Security Program

For nearly 30 years, the Aga Khan Rural Support Program of Pakistan (AKRSP) has helped improve the lives of more than 1.3 million Pakistanis living in the remote northern regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral through its community-based approach to development. This participatory method has enabled AKRSP and its beneficiaries to achieve major successes in raising rural incomes; mobilizing savings; developing natural resources in sustainable, adaptive ways; and building the capacity of civil society and government institutions. Abdul Malik, general manager of AKRSP, will discuss his organization and the role of Pakistani civil society in Pakistan’s future social and economic growth.

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-a ... y-pakistan
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP recipient of Microsoft grant

Microsoft to award $350,000 grant to NGOs
November 28, 2012 16:37 IST

Microsoft said on Wednesday it will award cash grants worth $350,000 in 2012-13 to non-government organisations in the country which work for the empowerment of youth.

Launching the first centre in Delhi [ Images ] as part of its global YouthSpark initiative, the company allocated $250,000 to two local NGOs Aide ét Action and Aga Khan Rural Support Program, in support of their work with youth.

Microsoft [ Images ] is aiming to create opportunities for 300 million youth in more than 100 countries over the next three years.

http://www.rediff.com/business/report/t ... 121128.htm
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

RSPs mark 30th anniversary with renewed pledges

ISLAMABAD - The Rural Support Programme (RSPs), the largest development network in Pakistan, mark their 30th anniversary on Thursday across Pakistan.

On 7th December 1982, the Nobel Peace Prize nominated development guru Shoaib Sultan Khan initiated the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in northern Pakistan as a project of the Aga Khan Foundation. Since then, the RSP movement has grown across Pakistan, touching the lives of 32 million people.

This model has been replicated in development programmes of India, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The RSPs will kick off their 30th anniversary celebration in January 2013 with renewed commitments and organizing series of events of which the most significant will be a large community convention and Book launch event of Shoaib Sultan Khan.

In Pakistan, there are now 12 RSPs nationwide, which have fostered almost 300,000 community organisations. These have demonstrated that poor Pakistanis are willing and able to improve their own lives. These 12 RSPs come together at the RSP Network (RSPN), a national level network of which they are all members.

The approach of the AKRSP has led successive governments to replicate this approach across Pakistan. The commitment of government and donors has enabled the RSPs to reach so many people who are engaged in the largest self help movement in Pakistan.

This news was published in print paper. Access complete paper of this day.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... ed-pledges
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKRSP a channel for US aid

US to help 45000 small farmers of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: US government announced on Wednesday that it will help 45,000 farmers in the fruit, vegetable, dairy, and livestock sectors increase their profits.

Farmers will work with US-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to form over 3,000 small farmers’ groups and will receive specialized training to improve their products and sales.

Twelve Pakistani NGOs signed cooperative agreements with the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Agribusiness Project today in Islamabad to provide training to farmers.

Pakistan’s fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat farmers have great potential, but many small agriculture-based businesses lack the tools to deliver the quality, variety, and quantity of goods that local and international markets demand.

Training and modernization supported by USAID will enable small farmers to deliver higher quality products and increase their profits.

“These programs will increase incomes and create jobs for farmers, agricultural sector processors, and exporters,” said Alex Thier, Assistant to the USAID Administrator, at a meeting of NGOs working with USAID on this initiative.

The twelve Pakistani NGOs helping rural farm communities include the Aga Khan Rural Support Program, the National Rural Support Program, the Sarhad Rural Support Program, the Society for Human and Natural Resources Development (Lasoona), the Hashoo Foundation, the Punjab Rural Support Program, the Rural Community Development Society, the Jinnah Welfare Society, the Roshni Development Organization, the Sindh Agricultural Forestry Workers Coordinating Organization, the Taraqee Foundation, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The Agribusiness Project is one of the many initiatives that the United States and Pakistan are carrying out together to create jobs and increase incomes.

The United States and Pakistan are expanding irrigation by 200,000 acres to spur agricultural activity near the Gomal Zam and Satpara dams; constructing more than 1,000 km of roads to connect communities and facilitate trade; modernizing dairy farms in Punjab; and launching investment funds that will provide capital to help small and medium businesses grow.

Copyright PPI (Pakistan Press International), 2012

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/108-p ... istan.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

A Radically Different Way of Bringing U.S. Aid to Pakistan
Joshua Foust
Apr 30 2012, 1:05 PM ET MoreEmail
Print Traditional aid programs are struggling in the country. But a less conventional program with less conventional goals seems to show a better model.

Excerpt:

So while USAID is very good at quickly mobilizing assistance to disaster-afflicted communities, it carries a lot of political baggage -- so much so in places like Pakistan that the U.S might be better off in the long run by downsizing USAID's direct activities there and working through alternative programs.

One good model might be the Rural Support Programmes Network. A sprawling collection of local NGOs, the RSPN was founded by the Agha Khan Network in 1982, and has since become its own, separate program. While the stats about its reach are impressive -- reaching millions of the poorest homes across a vast swath of Pakistan -- what's especially fascinating about RSPN are its methods.

Put simply, RSPN has a different focus than normal aid programs. They emphasize the development of institutions first, and only after that institution is established do they worry about its output or performance. The NGO also heavily invests in the smallest scale of the community, from conceptualization to execution, hiring mostly locals to administer projects. Lastly, they have extraordinarily long project timelines -- sometimes as long as 15 years from start to finish.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... an/256459/
kmaherali
Posts: 25107
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Small-scale tech can transform women’s lives in a big way

Western development agencies’ lukewarm attitude to the role technology can play in poverty reduction does not serve women well.

NGOs like Practical Action specialise in community-owned technology that is small-scale, labour-saving and cost-effective and often most benefits poor women. More support for such technology projects could transform women’s lives.

Practical Action is not alone.

The electrification of remote villages in the north of Pakistan, introduced by another NGO, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), shows how three simple ingredients — running water, community organisation and some technical know-how — can help women.

The district of Chitral and the northern areas of Pakistan lie where the Karakoram, the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges meet.
When AKRSP first arrived in this isolated area in the 1980s, it found villages scattered up mountainsides with erratic or no connection to the national grid, and local people demanding electricity. Until then, light came from pinewood torches and expensive kerosene lights.

Villagers build, maintain the systems

AKRSP introduced micro-hydroelectric technology using water from the region’s fast-flowing rivers to generate energy. In Chitral alone, 209 “micro-hydel” systems had been established by 2012, bringing electricity to more than half of the population. Villagers themselves build and maintain the systems.

Community ownership is central to making this technology work. Village organisations, in which women are active, contribute towards installation costs and decide on connection fees, energy charges and subsidies for the poorest households.

Some committees charge more for electricity-hungry appliances such as washing machines, and restrict their use in the evenings when lights and televisions are on to prevent system overload.

For women, gone is the drudgery of time-consuming household chores such as washing clothes and churning butter by hand. Eye and respiratory diseases from smoke produced by kerosene and pinewood torches have declined, especially among women who spend much of their time at home.

Electric light enables women to spend more time turning the local wool, shu, into products that form their largest source of income.

Television – for example through the Allama Iqbal Open University, in Pakistan – has opened up education for women where a strict culture of purdah (the practice of concealing women from men) confines them to their village boundary.

NGOs such as Practical Action and AKRSP show that small-scale technology can benefit women in a number of ways.

Henrietta Miers has worked across Africa and Asia as a gender and social development consultant for 15 years, specialising in gender policy

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/ ... index.html
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Hunza Valley: Pakistan's 'real Shangri-La'

Post by Admin »

independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hunza-valley-pakistans-real-shangrila-is-a-world-free-from-militant-islamists-poverty-pollution-and-a-lacklustre-education-system-10411618.html

Friday 24 July 2015

Hunza Valley: Pakistan's 'real Shangri-La' is a world free from militant Islamists, poverty, pollution and a lacklustre education system

The region is beautiful, prosperous, and - thanks to charity funding - a bulwark against extremism

Tim Craig

Karimbad

Visitors to the stunningly beautiful valley, towered over by five snowcapped mountains, sometimes feel as if they are standing at the edge of the Earth — or, maybe, at the centre of it.

Either way, they often don’t feel as if they are in Pakistan, a country that struggles with poverty, pollution, Islamist militancy and a lacklustre education system, especially for women.

Once a hardscrabble Himalayan town where residents barely had enough to eat, Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley, is now one of Pakistan’s most idyllic spots – an oasis of tolerance, security and good schools. That standard of living can be traced to residents’ moderate interpretation of Islam as well as considerable support from one of the world’s largest charities.

Boys play soccer on the grounds at F.G. Boys Model High School in Karimabad, Pakistan. Boys play soccer on the grounds at F.G. Boys Model High School in Karimabad, Pakistan.

Many parents in the valley say that if they had to choose, they would send their daughters to school over their sons. Nearly all families own at least a small plot of land. Residents say they cannot remember the last murder in the valley. And unlike in other parts of Pakistan, streams are not polluted with plastic bags, human waste and decaying appliances.

Such views – and protection of the surroundings – have allowed the Hunza Valley’s population to become a bulwark against Islamist extremism, despite its relative proximity to militant strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt and Kashmir, a disputed region that Pakistan and India have fought wars over. “Here, we have facilities, we study and there is no terrorism,” said Haider Ali, 18, watching classmates play soccer as the sun set behind Mount Rakaposhi, elevation 25,551ft.
Read more: Welcome to Chitral: Where Pakistan’s elite goes to play

Not everything is perfect, of course. Electricity deficits can keep the lights out for days at a time. A once-vibrant tourism industry collapsed after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Deforestation has led to a shortage of firewood, so families must huddle in one room to stay warm when winter temperatures plunge toward zero.

A view of Pakistanís Hunza Valley from a mountain in Hunza A view of Pakistanís Hunza Valley from a mountain in Hunza

And some local leaders worry the community has become too dependent on charitable groups, leaving it vulnerable to a sudden reduction in aid. Such concerns are growing more pronounced as the Pakistani government, which temporarily expelled Save the Children last month, implements strict new licensing requirements for international aid groups.

But for now, Karimabad is an example of what’s possible in rural Pakistan when residents accept support from international charities and stand firm against the threats posed by militancy.

“This is the real Shangri-La,” Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the former EU ambassador to Pakistan, said after seeing the Hunza Valley for the first time last year.

More than 90 per cent of the residents of Karimabad are Shia Ismaili Muslims, among the most moderate sects of Islam. They are followers of the Aga Khan family, viewing it as directly descended from the prophet Mohamed’s son-in-law. Prince Karim Al Husseini, a billionaire philanthropist who lives in France and goes by the title of Aga Khan IV, is the Ismailis’ spiritual leader – and a major benefactor of the Hunza Valley.

Prince Husseini’s Aga Khan Development Network has an annual budget of $600m and operates in more than 30 countries. Over the past four decades, it has worked with other charities to invest hundreds of millions in the valley, paving roads, opening schools and establishing health clinics and water treatment centres for the 65,000 residents. During the 1980s, in a bid to expand the local economy, the Aga Khan network helped persuade farmers to grow cherries and peaches along with the traditional cash crops of wheat and potatoes. Now, much of Karimabad is an orchard.

Prince Husseini is also a proponent of education. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the Hunza Valley’s literacy rate is 77 per cent, although Karimabad residents say nearly everyone younger than 30 can read and write. The national literacy rate is about 58 per cent, with a sharp disparity between men and women.

A World Bank study published last year concluded that female literacy in parts of the Hunza Valley had reached 90 per cent, compared with 5 per cent in another mountainous district, Diamer, about five hours away by road.

Students attend the morning assembly at Hasegawa Memorial Public School and College in Karimabad, Pakistan. Students attend the morning assembly at Hasegawa Memorial Public School and College in Karimabad, Pakistan.

“When I was in school, few could even speak English,” said Javed Ali, 41, manager of Karimabad’s Hill Top Hotel. “Now, everyone speaks it fluently.” From settlements at an elevation as high as 9,000ft, children walk up to three miles into the valley to get to school each morning.

After middle school, some female students enroll in the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School for Girls, which teaches only maths and science. Nearly all graduates go on to college, according to Zahra Alidad, the principal and a graduate of the school.

Iqbal Walji, president of the Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, said the Hunza Valley had been sheltered from the extremist ideology that has taken root in other parts of the country.

“When you have communities improving their own lives and obtaining education, it prevents easy manipulation of communities and allows them to be resilient against external forces,” Mr Walji said.

Some local leaders complain that residents have become too passive and reliant on the Aga Khan charities. “Ismailis have become absentee stakeholders,” said Izhar Ali Hunzia, a local political leader. “All decisions are centralised and made in France, and people are just waiting for others to solve their problems.”

But Ali Murad, 66, said he is grateful for financial support that helped free his and other families from the isolating grip of mountain life. When Mr Murad was a child, his family struggled to make money and ate mostly food made from wheat. Now he owns eight cherry trees, 35 apple trees and 40 apricot trees. Two of his three sons have graduated from college. One works as a chef in Dubai and the other as a Chinese interpreter.

© The Washington Post
Post Reply