Sarhad Rural Support Programme

Sarhad Rural Support Programme mission is to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable means of livelihood in North West Frontier Province. As the programme is focused on reducing poverty, the most important questions for SRSP are:

1. whether the poor are reached and
2. Extent of changes brought about in lives of poor members of the community as a result of SRSP interventions.

The questions mentioned above are complex in nature and required rigorous analysis. To be able to respond to above, SRSP in different time periods have adopted different methodologies to assess the poverty situation/condition in programme areas.

Recently, Poverty Score Card method has gained popularity at all levels; government, donors and RSPs. The method is simple,concise, quick and cost effective to help determine poverty situation in an area. The Poverty Score Card is a simple quantitative tool designed by Mark Schreiner1 to assess poverty likelihood of an individual household. The score card initially designed by Mark Schreiner comprised of 10 simple and easy questions which have been assigned weight-age. The households’ poverty likelihood is assessed by calculating the weight-age of the answers.

Features of Poverty Score Card

• It is a simple, objective and easy to use tool for targeting the poor and determining poverty status of any community members.
• The score card is useful in areas where the programme or project has not been initiated and can help identify the potential target group. In areas where the programme or projects have already been initiated the score card can help assess the level of mainstreaming of poor households in programme packages.
• The scorecard also makes it possible to track CO members’ poverty levels over time, to determine whether programme interventions are making any measurable contribution to alleviating poverty.
• It is applicable all over Pakistan and that it requires a minimal amount of time to complete, besides its acceptability at all levels.
• The thirteen question mentioned in the score card have a strong correlation with poverty.
• The figures can be aggregated across districts, regions and provinces.
• The figures on poverty through poverty score card can channelize the resource to real target group. Among other things, the score card helps determine in a day which village residents qualify for, say, microfinance membership, work-for-food programs, or subsidized packages etc.
• The simple, low-tech design of the score card is meant to help the field staff understand and trust the scorecard so that they can use it without any major difficulty. While accuracy is important, it is also balanced against ease-of-use and ace validity.

The Poverty Score Card Survey was conducted 

The Following Union Councils in District Battgram, Karak, Dir Urban and Mardan

District Battagram

• Ajmera, Kuza Banda, Trand, Peshora, Sakargah, Bana

District Karak

• Jandri, Mitha Khel, Sabirabad, Latamber, Dheri, Chokara

Dir Urban

• Chukiatan, Bibiour, Warai, Akhagram, Darora, Jabbar

District Mardan

• Bagh-e-irum, Bazar, Dheri Likhpani, Ghala-dher, Kandar, Katti Garhi, Kot Daulatzai, Madi Baba, Maho Dheri, Mangah, Pallo Dheri, Chargulli, Parkho Dheri, Mian Essa, Qasimi, Takkar, Baghicha Dheri, Katlang II, Hathian, Makori

Total of 60,329 Participants in 20 Union Councils of District Mardan were interviewed.

• 5,069 (8%) of the households belonged to the extremely poor category.
• 12,724 (12%) belonged to the Chronically poor category
• 11,978 (20%) belonged to the Poor category
• 30,558 (51%) belonged to the Non-Poor category.

District Dir Urban

Total of 29,320 Participants in 8 Union Councils of District Dir Urban were interviewed.

• 2,331 (8%) of the households belonged to the extremely poor category.
• 6,044 (21%) belonged to the Chronically poor category
• 5,370 (18%) belonged to the Poor category.
• 15,575 (53%) belonged to the Non-Poor category.

District Karak

Total of 18,835 Participants in 6 Union Councils of District Karak were interviewed.

• 295 (2%) of the households belonged to the extremely poor category.
• 1,534 (8%) belonged to the Chronically poor category.
• 1,997 (11%) belonged to the Poor category.
• 15,009 (79%) belonged to the Non-Poor category.

District Battagram

Total of 24,623 Participants in 6 Union Councils of District Karak were interviewed.

• 1,644 (7%) of the households belonged to the extremely poor category.
• 4,485 (19%) belonged to the Chronically poor category.
• 4,615 (19%) belonged to the Poor category.
• 13,879 (55%) belonged to the Non-Poor category.