The SS&GI section of SRSP started its operations in 1996 under the social development programme, and learning from past experiences that development can only be broad based if equal opportunities are provided to the community to actively participate in the process. SS&GI works on a three tier - Education, Health and Gender - and has specialized programs in each sector.
SRSP initiated its education programme in December 1995 through establishing adult literacy centers on a pilot basis in Charssada district. The communities realizing the benefit of education asked for support from SRSP in planning a programme to directly address their need for education of their children. Consequently in 1996 a survey was carried out to assess the need for education services. Out of 200 community organizations from two of SRSP regions there was a need for 129 schools. Keeping in view the availability of funds 30 schools were established with the financial assistance of SAP I in District Mansehra and Kohat.
Keeping in view the increasing demand of education from the rural communities and scope and nature of work, SRSP formulated an education strategy in March 2002 which promises the maximum participation of girl child and strengthening the existing structure of the government education system.
SRSP has a multi-prong strategy for qualitative and quantitative expansion of its education program.
In July 2002, SRSP and the United Nation's Children Education fund (UNICEF) also signed an Agreement for the Implementation of the Project titled as "All Children in School (ACIS)". The objective was to increase enrollment of children at primary level with a prime focus on girl child through the involvement of both the government and communities.
Based on the experience gained through community based schools and in the light of education strategy, SRSP has engaged devolved structure of district government in developing district education plan. SRSP so far has assisted district government of Mansehra, Kohat and Abbottabad in developing DEPs.
With the assistance of Education Sector Reform Assistance-USAID SRSP has been able to implement DEP in district Upper Dir with the project title as "District Education Plan". The project period is two years commencing September 2003. The project goal and objectives are designed in the light of targets set by the Government of Pakistan in Dakar convention 2002 for Education For All EFA. Under the project interventions 200 PTAs have been mobilized and trained. As per the advocacy and communication strategy developed by SRSP, EFA forums at District, tehsil and Union Council
level have been notified and established to address education related issues in an effective manner. Adult literacy centers (3 women and 2 men) have been established. SRSP has published six monthly newsletter tilted "Ranra" (pushto word means light) depicting education related issues and problems of the district.
Tilldate SRSP has established 111 community based schools in district Kohat, Mansehra, Chitral, Abbottabad, Peshawar and Upper Dir with the assistance of UNICEF and Learning For Life (UK based Organization) benefiting 6647, where gender comparison stands at 70%. SRSP has developed a cadre of trained teachers; more than 400 teachers have been trained in teaching methodologies and subject-specific training. About 127 teachers have been recruited in community based schools of SRSP.
In future SRSP is looking forward to be more focused on the performance issue of the schools. In this regard linkages with other organization working in education sector have been established. Training manuals will be developed keeping in view the need of the teachers. Implementation of school development plans will be carried out with the assistance of PTAs, local government and the communities.
The general objective of health programme of SRSP is "to decrease the preventive health problems of the communities".
SRSP's health strategy is essentially a three-pronged one i.e.
1) Creating health awareness among the rural community;
2) Training of women and men health workers;
3) Establishing linkages with existing health services, mainly government.
The Health Focus Programme works within the social organization framework of the SRSP, i.e. MCOs and WCOs are actively involved in selection of community health workers and these work through the village forums in disseminating health messages, delivering health services and linking up communities to health service agencies (government and non-government).
The health awareness component largely concentrates on educating women about basic health and hygiene practices. This is done by the SRSP health assistants in the regions as well as through trained health motivators and community health workers i.e. both women and men (F/MHWs).
Community health awareness includes discussions and observations regarding community health issues in order to enhance the capacity of MCOs/WCOs to respond to their problems. Health messages are disseminated in MCOs/WCOs meetings by the health workers, as well as by SRSP staff in the Managers' Conference, Health Workers' Conferences and Health field days.
The training component of the health programme concentrates on developing community health workers and health motivators in MCOs and WCOs. This component is largely executed through the staff of government Health Department as resource persons. The SRSP health staff are instrumental in curriculum design for the training, they are also responsible for contacting government and other resource persons who take training sessions, e.g. the Dost Welfare Foundation delivering lectures on problems of drug addiction, a serious issue in the NWFP and Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) supporting SRSP health component in bringing about awareness on reproductive health issues. The health workers also establish linkages with government health infrastructure and other NGOs.
The role of the female health workers includes clean and safe deliveries, general health education, and facilitation of linkages with health and family planning outlets. MCO/WCO members according to specified criteria, ensuring the confidence of the community and their willingness to serve the community at large, nominate trainees. After receiving training, the health workers are paid for their services by the community, either in cash or kind.
An important objective of SRSP's Health programme is to establish and strengthen linkages between the MCOs/WCOs and government health/ NGO health facilities. In this regard, the government is extremely co-operative and has highlighted the need to work through these grassroots forums.
In the family planning sectors, the SRSP links up WCOs to the Government Population Welfare Department (PWD) and Family Planning Association of Pakistan by undertaking joint visits to WCOs with their staff.
The linkage component of the programme also includes facilitating the work of government EPI teams at the village level as well as holding field days during which various resource persons deliver lectures on health issues to MCOs and WCOs.
Uptill January 2005 more than 900 Traditional Birth Attendants TBAs have been trained in the communities through a 15-days UNICEF training module for TBAs training. Additionally, over 97 Male Health Workers (MHWs) have also been trained.
Similarly Health Field days have been carried out in all the Five Regions i.e Peshawar, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Kohat and Charssada. WCOs have been linked with the Family Planning Association of Pakistan FPAP and PWD. Expanded Immunization Campaigns have been carried out in the selected programme areas. Medical Camps have also been arranged for the benefit of rural poor. |
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