SRSP opened a Coordination Office at Chitral on 1st January 2002 to execute and manage developmental activities being carried out in the project area. The regional Coordination Office headed by a Regional Programme Coordinator implemented and supervised the activities in collaboration with the field staff and Community Organizations. The field staff always remained functional. They interacted with the community intensively for jointly undertaking the developmental activities. They also invited the communities to participate in development by identifying their felt needs. A knowledge base of local resources and potential for making optimum use of them to increase productivity and income of the community was developed on sustainable basis. The field staff formed Male Community Organizations and motivated them for adopting innovative participatory development approach. The communities were then familiarized with modern development techniques through field visits and dialogues. The field staff furnished monthly reports on regular basis, which were assessed and thoroughly studied by the concerned section in the Coordination Office to formulate a comprehensive strategy and provide with financial and technical support to resolve the problems. Following sections assisted the Regional Programme Coordinator in undertaking office functions and field activities during the project life.
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$2,230 was given to Noor Ajab Khan and the Sarhad Rural Support Programme to train traditional birth attendants in the northwest Pakistani region of Chitral. Our donation will train twenty local women in a six-day midwifery training session including transportation, housing, food, and training materials; fund two doctor trainers; and provide each of the women with a basic medical kit including vitamins, medicines, rehydration tablets, and appropriate medical instruments to facilitate childbirth. Leftover funds will supplement the kits when vitamins or medicines run out. In rural Pakistan, the conservative culture keeps women shielded from public view. Some men refuse to let their wives or other female relatives go outside the home for medical care, including during pregnancy and childbirth. As a result, one in 38 Pakistani women dies from pregnancy-related causes; almost one half of women there are anemic throughout their pregnancies; and 83 babies die per thousand births in Pakistan.
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It was an important section, which advised the Programme Coordinator about delicate financial matters. It built linkages with other financial institutions besides submitting quarterly financial progress reports. It dealt with receipts and vouchers of payments which included pay bills of staff, contingency bills, medical bills, TA/DA bills, pol bills of the vehicles and kept records of them. It also prepared payment cheques to the MCOs/WCOs in accordance to the cost estimates being submitted by the Engineering section. This section handled all other businesses related to finance.
Engineering Section undertook feasibility study of the area where schemes were to be launched. Designing of the schemes and cost estimation were the initial works being undertaken by this section. This section held dialogues with the community and ensured completion of the schemes within the estimated cost and given time period. It also conducted frequent follow up visits to the work site. The works done by the community were measured in accordance to the design and specification before payments were made.
It was pivot around which all other section revolved. This section established control and command over all other sections during the project life. Besides internal control it took care of the external matters. It kept records of all the administrative matters. This section made procurement of all items. It supervised the activities in fields with the help of the regional team of professionals.
The Planning/Monitoring and Evaluation section was a support section lending assistance to all other sections. This section during the period of six months monitored the activities being carried out in fields and evaluated them in terms of economic benefits. Social and economic survey and case studies were conducted besides formulation of physical and financial progress reports. This section also developed database and generates results through computer.
Headed by a senior Lady Coordinator this section played a crucial role and provided a forum for the village women folk to collectively define and prioritize their various needs. About 16 WCOs were formed with a capital base of Rs.208014. The basic reason for WCOs’ formation was to give a vision and to provide an opportunity to the women folk to pool their resources for their own development. For this purpose one lady Coordinator and one Lady Village Supervisor were appointed.
HRD component organized training /courses for improving the professional and managerial skills of the staff and office bearers. The objective of the training was to enhance abilities of the community members and sharper their skills so that they easily know how to plan, implement and maintain the activities. This section also offered training to activists or office bearers to increase their book keeping skills so that they may become better leader of the community organizations. The community members were also given intensive training on health/hygiene education by this section in a very low cost.
The central of the development process was constructing an institutional infrastructure at all level of organization that can effectively manage and coordinate the process of social change. SRSP specifically geared itself to meet this challenge in Chitral. To create permanent development institution SRSP appointed two social organizers. The social organizers remained in field and held dialogues to offer a vision to the communities of the neglected areas. Within a shortest period of 6 months the social organization section provided an enabling environment in which the people could work themselves to improve their lives. |
