Social Sector And Gender Issues

Social Sector And Gender Issues: SS&Gi is a section of SRSP. In Social Sector component, gender and education are the emerging expertise of SRSP, which are expanding with very promising results. Since its inception, SRSP had separate section, which focuses on the women specific issues from gender perspective. The Partnership with Novib was an opportunity for SRSP to initiate the process of gender mainstreaming at the institutional and field level. Gender Focus programme of Novib also helped in building capacity of the staff of SRSP and engender the organisational culture and programme for greater. 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 cwaommunity to actively participate in the process. SS&GI works on a three tier - Education, Health and Gender - and has specialized programs in each sector.

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Three Components of Social Sector

Education

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. SRSP Education Program Community Based School Reconstruction

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.

Till date 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.

Health

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).

Gender And Development

SRSP's mandate is to work for the ustainability and equitable development, which addresses the marginalized. It was felt that the gender programme would be helpful in focusing on the vulnerable, the need for integrating women issues into the programme was realized and a shift from WID to GAD took place. This was initiated during Novib's eight years programme. The objective of the gender programme was to create gender sensitive environment within the organisation, and to facilitate the process of gender mainstreaming. Gender and development is an integral part of SRSP's operational strategy. The organisation has been working on gender sensitivity and mainstreaming since mid 1996.The shift from WID to GAD promises a departure from symbolic involvement of women in development as beneficiaries to their meaningful participation in mainstream development as change agents alongside men. The SRSP's strategy was of three levels--- organizational, programme and externally through networking in order to promote learning and cooperation. It shifts the programmes focus from women to gender relations making the power relations between women and men the point of convergence. Based on the strategy, a gender policy was formulated in consultation with the staff members in November 2001. In order to implement the gender policy in a proper and effective manner, gender groups are established both at Regional and Head Office level to act as gender movers to facilitate the process of gender sensitivity and provide continuing momentum for strengthening of women's programme. The purpose of forming these groups is to internalize the gender concept and programme within the organization and to create ownership of the gender policy both at organizational and programme level. Gender Policy works at three levels i.e organizational, programme and external level.

For more information on SRSP Social Sector and Gender Issues contact srsc@brain.net.pk