BACK TO PARTICIPATORY VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

ANNUAL REPORT 2004-2005

FOREWORD

Participatory Village Development Programme (PVDP) has completed about eight years of its existence. I have seen PVDP grow over these years. From a mere five villages, one or two staff members, no vehicle and no proper office in 1997, it has now established itself with almost 45 staff members, five project vehicles, one main office at Hyderabad, two field offices in Tharparkar and a host of donors who are supporting PVDP's various development activities. All this has come about due to a clear vision of work, dedicated efforts of Mr. Dominic Stephen and his team of staff and a good performance aimed at improving the lives of the poor and disadvantaged communities in Thar Desert. The journey is on towards better and excellent performance to benefit more and more poor households particularly the women and children in the desert area of Thar. I am confident that PVDP has the required expertise, know how and the structures to become an exemplary NGO not only of Thar Desert but of Sindh as well.
PVDP must work on two important models that it has developed, firstly the Poverty Reduction Model and the Community Empowerment Model ( Goth Sujag Markaz Model). These two models have sufficient capacity to reduce poverty of the poor and lead the target communities towards self reliance and empowerment, particularly the women. It is important that these models are properly documented and its results are shared with all stakeholders including the planners and decision makers in the public and private sectors with a view to replicate these models at a larger scale.
I wish PVDP all the best for the future. I also congratulate the Executive Director, Mr. Dominic Stephen and his dedicated staff members for the work well done so far.

Ashraf W. Mall
President, PVDP

Progress Report 2004-2005

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
By Dominic Stephen, Executive Director, PVDP.

Participatory Village Development Programme (PVDP) measures its success by the demand coming from the surrounding villages to work in their areas. More than 200 such demands and requests have poured in from the Islamkot area and a similar number from Nagar Parkar area only in the last six months. The important reason behind these requests is that PVDP work is very visible to people. If you visit PVDP villages you will note a real change taking place. You can see trees planted and looked after by the beneficiaries. You can see on the ground thousands of rainwater tanks built and in use to provide sweet drinking water in brackish water zones. You can witness hundreds of households using fuel efficient stoves, cutting down on firewood use and contributing towards improvement in the natural environment. Additionally these smokeless stoves are preventing the eyes of women from thick smoke which inevitably emits from the use of traditional stoves. One can glaringly see small scale livestock units which provide milk to the family members of beneficiaries and generate income for the households through the sale of male goat kids. To reduce dependency on rainfall for livelihood, you will see hundreds of women engaged in producing different kinds of handicraft for sale in the market and earning for themselves a reasonably good income. The successes of PVDP's Poverty Reduction Model are being recorded and shared with all stakeholders. It is believed that this model will equally be replicable not just in Thar Desert, but in the entire arid areas of Pakistan.
PVDP works to address the basic needs of livelihoods, education and health in the 60 remotest villages of Tharparkar. Health Outreach Teams reach out to all 60 villages to provide the basic health facilities to the community at their door steps. At Islamkot town, a Mother and Child Health Care facility has been established to facilitate safe deliveries and provide assistance to the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) who refer their difficult and complicated cases to the Islamkot Mother and Child Health (MCH).

Six primary schools are established for girls in the remote areas of the Thar Desert. These schools strive to provide quality education and vocational training to the girls coming from poor families cannot afford the cost of quality education elsewhere. PVDP hopes to increase its Primary Education facilities for girls in more of its villages in the coming years.
PVDP is also committed to strengthening the Goth Sujag Markaz Committees through regular trainings and technical assistance to lead them towards self reliance in the future. PVDP believes in the empowerment of people and for this purpose it has designed an exit strategy which aims to transfer powers and responsibilities to the local community working though Goth Sujag Markaz Committees.

Based on the successful results of its two models, Poverty Reduction and Community Empowerment models, PVDP wishes to expand to new areas in the coming years.

A. SECTORAL PERFORMANCE

1. FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION

All independent sources agree that poverty in Pakistan is a serious problem. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have already shown their concerns recently and have urged for serious efforts to reduce poverty. Political will and justifiable resource allocation with committed efforts are required to make a positive difference in the reduction of poverty in Pakistan. In the water shortage zones and rain dependent arid lands, severe food shortages have been recorded over the last five years. In droughts and other natural disasters the prices of essential commodities doubly increase and become out of reach of the poor. These situations create problems of food security.

On a micro level, PVDP has successfully tried and tested a model of poverty reduction in the Thar Desert of Sindh, Pakistan. This model is based on improving the natural resource base for the purpose of reducing poverty of the poor and ensuring food security. The six step poverty model aims to improve the natural environment which is very quickly degrading, helps to empower women in family and society and reduce the poverty of the households implementing this model. At present 1700 households in Tharparkar are being supported with six activity based poverty model. This model is being supported by PAGE-CIDA, Future in Our Hands Education and Development Fund UK, Community Fund UK, Church World Service and ICCO Holland.
All the aspects of this model are being documented properly and base line information of beneficiary households and the villages are established in order to measure the change that takes place as a result of this poverty model.
The challenges are many to make this model fully successful. The area where this model is implemented is drought prone. Serious droughts have occurred in the last fifty years making the community vulnerable due to food shortages, unemployment and forced migration. As the area is rain dependent, the failure of the monsoon brings devastation in their lives. The crops fail; the livestock prices fall and the purchasing power of people reduces substantially. All these factors contribute to increase the poverty and vulnerability of the poor in the Thar Desert.

Progress in quantitative terms:

S.N. Activity 2003-2004 2004-2005
1 Fodder Trees 20500 50,500
2 Bair grafted Trees 8500 49,500
3 Fuel Efficient Stoves 638 1250
4 Rainwater harvesting tanks 420 900
5 Small Flock Units 00 450
6 Livestock management training 02 05
7 Embroidery Support to women 00 600
8 Water ponds rehabilitated 22 20
9 No. of repaired wells 46 58
10 New dug wells 02 06
11 No. of Latrines 125 637
12 No. of Experimental Farms 20 37
13 No. of vocational centers 12 20
14 No. of sewing machines provided 50 20

2. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

The status of health care in Thar is very poor. The government health services in the remote villages of Thar are not sufficiently available. More than 95% of the deliveries in rural areas are conducted by untrained TBAs with a probability of high infant and maternal mortality rates. The immunization coverage in rural areas is much below the expected level. HIV/Aids poses a potential threat as a large population of the area who frequently migrate to towns and cities for their livelihood and make themselves at risk of this deadly disease due to lack of information. Re-migration of these people could be a potential threat to the spouses again due to lack of information of its disastrous effects.
PVDP staff are planning to provide basic knowledge of HIV/Aids to its community in 60 villages.

PVDP works in the remote villages of the Thar Desert to improve the health situation of the community, particularly the women and children. A Mother and Child Health facility is established at Islamkot to provide support to the working TBAs in remote villages. This facility is serving as a referral point for the trained and untrained TBAs who refer their difficult cases to the MCH Center. PVDP staff comprising of a General Nurse and qualified Midwife provide necessary support to the TBAs who bring their difficult delivery cases to the Center. There is also a facility for onward referral to major hospitals if required.

Outreach Health Care is conducted by PVDP health team in all 60 villages of Thar. Monthly visits are made to these villages to help the sick people in need. Men, women and children patients are examined and prescribed necessary medicine by the health team. The women in pregnancy are also examined and given instructions for safe delivery.

Population growth is still high in Thar. Whereas the national growth rate is estimated at 2.4% the growth rate in Thar will be about 3%. The family size at present is around 6.5 per household. PVDP is working with the community and motivating them to reduce the family size for better socio economic status of households.

Progress in quantitative terms:

S.N. Activity 2003-2004 2004-2005
1 No. of MCH Center attendants 125 600
2 No. of Outreach attendants - female 342 1284
3 No. of Outreach attendants - male 238 456
4 No. of Outreach attendants - children 102 196
5 Health & Hygiene trainings 239 350
6 HIV/Aids Trainings 02 03
7 Family planning sessions with couples 25 200
8 No. Deliveries 06 31
9 No. of D & Cs 00 05
10 Snakebite cases treated 00 08
11 Scorpion sting cases treated 00 50
12 No. of referral cases 02 10
13 No. of TB Patients 48 174
14 No. of Polio drops 366 736

3. EDUCATION PROMOTION

On the national level more than 60% women and girls are still illiterate. In Thar the literacy rate is not beyond 6% among women and girls. In some of the remotest villages, hardly 1-2% of women and girls are literate. Despite the government slogan "free education for all" the scenario in education has not changed much. The loopholes in education are many. First of all there is no quality of education provided in government schools. Parents are unwilling to send their children to schools when they see no value of the education imparted. Secondly there are no facilities of water and toilet provided for children at schools. Particularly girl students either do not enroll or drop out soon due to lack of facilities and domestic pressure to help out in their homes. One of the most pressing problems is of the teachers. The teachers are not qualified for teaching. They are not trained nor do they have proper knowledge and attitude for teaching. Most teachers absent themselves from schools, remain at home and collect their salaries, bribing the education authorities.

PVDP has committed to providing quality education to girls. At the moment six girls schools are established in Nagar Parkar and Islamkot where more than 260 girls are studying. Most of these girls belong to minority communities. Each school established has water and a latrine close to the school. Besides the government recognized curriculum, the girls are given training to improve their vocational skills. Five sewing machines in each school have been provided, where a qualified teacher is assigned to train these girls in making clothes and handicraft products which they will sell in the market. PVDP aims to prepare these girls to become small entrepreneurs when they grow older. This is important because most likely very few girls will pass their middle or matriculation. The early marriage system in the area will force them to get married. What they will take with them as a treasure is a knowledge they received in schools. They will be able to read and write and will have skills to generate income in their own households. This will help to reduce their poverty and vulnerability in their later life.

Progress in quantitative terms:

S.N. Activity 2003-2004 2004-2005
1 No. of Adult Literacy Centers 10 10
2 Adult Literacy Center attendants 230 300
3 No. of Primary Schools 000 06
2 Primary education attendants 000 270
3 Primary teachers trainings 000 1
4 Adult Literacy trainings 1 1
5 No. of School Management Committees formed 000 05
6 Sindh Political Education Programme participants 0 12

4. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

High emphasis is placed on building the capacities of the communities for self reliance. For this purpose PVDP has established Goth Sujag Markaz (Village Awareness Centers) in all the 60 villages where it is working. These GSM are symbolic of an existence of a village institution and an active Village Committee comprising men and women in each village. The Goth Sujag Markaz Committees in each village enter into Partnership with PVDP for joint undertaking of projects leading to poverty reduction, improvement in education and the health status of people and building peoples capacities for self reliance.

The aim of PVDP is to develop local human resources and reduce dependency on outside support. Local technicians are prepared through trainings to build their skills and knowledge for helping their own village fellows. Trainings to TBAs (Traditional Birth Attendance) are a step in this direction. Local people are also trained as animal health workers, bair fruit tree grafters, water filter makers and vaccinators etc. When these resources are not available at village level, people largely depend on outsiders for support.

PVDP's Community Mobilization process starts from day one by informing the community of its exit strategy. Joint efforts are made with community involvement to prepare the community for eventual take over of the project work. For this purpose it becomes essential to build the capacities of the community and empower them to take on this responsibility in most befitting manner.

PVDP is working with communities in 60 villages to organize GSM Committees and form sub committees to address various issues faced by the villagers. The sub committees formed out of GSMC are directly responsible to the mainstream Goth Sujag Markaz Committee. The sub committees will be formed on Drought Response and Mitigation, Village Health, Primary Education and Adult Literacy, Livelihood and Food Security and Resource Development and Management.

The Goth Sujag Markaz Committees will be transformed into Citizen Community Boards (CCBs) at a later stage to benefit from district government rural benefit schemes and social services. The GSMC/CCBs will further establish their own linkages with other national organizations such as TVO, SPO, OPP and others for further financial and technical support.

Progress in quantitative terms:

S.N. Activities 2003-2004 2004-2005
1 No. of Village Profiles completed 00 40
2 No. of Beneficiary Profiles completed 00 1100
3 No of GSM formed 25 40
4 No. of GSM Committees formed 50 80
5 No. of GSM Committee members 1250 1600
6 No. of Partnership agreements made with GSMC 30 40
7 No. of male members of GSMC 800 1000
8 No. of female members of GSMC 450 600
9 No. of GSMC meetings held 136 248
10 No. of CCBs formed 000 08
11 No. of participants of Project Management training 125 340
12 Fuel Efficient Stoves making training participants 45 138
13 Handicraft Marketing and management training participants 232 300
14 Civil & Political Rights Trainings participants 000 536
15 Interactive Theatre Performance 3 2
16 Water Management Training Participants 135 236
17 Construction of Bio-Sand Filter participants 00 100
Staff trainings:
18 Women Reproductive Rights 2 0
19 Domestic Violence 2 0
20 Implementation & Construction of Bio-Sand Filter. 0 10
21 Advocacy and Networking 0 3
22 Human Rights 2 4
23 Public Private Partnerships 0 1
24 Information Technology 0 2
25 Monitoring and Evaluation 0 1
26 HIV/Aids 0 3
27 Project Cycle Management 0 2
28 Fundraising 1 2
29 Human Resource Development 1 2
30 Project Design with focus on Monitoring and Evaluation 1 1

5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAMME

Frequent droughts have been incurring in Thar. The area is also susceptible to earth quakes. Several major droughts have been recorded in the last fifty years in the Thar Desert in which 50-60 % migration of community outside of Thar has been witnessed. Due to scanty rainfall in the monsoon, there have been crop failures resulting in food and fodder shortages. The net effect of these natural calamities has been severe for the local communities. There are serious health problems for women and children, the students drop out from schools in large number to work as child labourers or migrate with their parents to Barrage Areas. The livestock, which is the backbone of Thar economy, has drastically suffered during drought times. The herders suffer most as they are either forced to migrate with their cattle and livestock to Barrage Areas or to sell their animals at throw away prices in the local markets.

As food and fodder shortages are serious problems during severe droughts, PVDP with support from its partner organizations, has been helping people in need. To provide resiliency against the drought, PVDP has responded by supporting communities with water storage tanks, community water ponds, well repairs and digging of new wells. To improve the natural environment, PVDP has been supporting with tree plantation and fuel efficient stove making and its use.
The year 2004 was a drought year in which a large part of the community had migrated to Barrage Areas and returned before the monsoon of 2005. However, rainfall in 2005 was also insufficient and created a drought-like situation again for the second consecutive year.

Progress in quantitative terms:

S.N. Activities 2003-2004 2004-2005
1 Disaster Management Committees formed 00 10
2 Disaster Management training attendants 00 150
3 Thar Drought Alert 03 04
4 Drought Report on Thar 00 01
5 Drought Resilience Project beneficiaries 00 400

B. CROSS CUTTING THEMES

1. Gender promotion

In all its work PVDP ensures that there is no discrimination on the basis of gender. Despite cultural and religious constraints, PVDP has always made the visibility of women in all its programmes a priority. At staff level, PVDP has preferred women if they meet with employment criteria. In the work with the community, the important role of women in socio economic development has been highlighted and promoted. At present more than 1500 women are directly involved with project work in the Thar Desert and about 1/3rd of PVDP staff are women.

2. Participation

PVDP believes in participatory approaches in all its work. Men, women and children are involved in improving the standard of living through organized efforts of all stakeholders including PVDP staff personnel. This participation is ensured through Goth Sujag Markaz Committees of men and women in all the villages PVDP is working in. Monthly meetings of GSMCs are held to review progress of community development activities. The GSMC members fully participate in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects in their respective villages. At capacity building level, men and women, including children, participate in the training sessions to improve their skills, knowledge and practice. These trainings are instrumental in shaping the community through changes of attitude and old practices and removing misconceptions which hinder their development over time.

3. Human Rights

Human Rights issues are so vital that no organization can remain aloof. On the national and international front human rights violations are increasing day by day and becoming a potential threat to humanity. PVDP is doing its best on a micro level to help restore the rights of women and children to basic education, basic health, basic livelihood and basic know how of life. All PVDP programmes are geared towards facilitating the achievement of basic human rights. PVDP has joined hands with KESSA DIMITRA and 40 national NGOs of Pakistan (called NGOs Net) to work towards promoting the rights of women and children in Pakistan. There are some success stories to tell in PVDP - like giving the remote tribal girls in Nagar Parkar the right of getting educated, giving rights to women to improve their lives through bringing improvement in their income earning sources. Additionally, making drinking water accessible to families in remote villages of Thar Desert is giving the community their right of safe drinking water.

4. Lobbying and Networking

One of PVDP 's regular tasks is to keep all its stakeholders informed of its activities and programmes. The purpose is to share PVDP's successes and constraints with wider civil society in Pakistan and abroad. PVDP also sees it as an influencing role in which the planners and decision makers are informed of practical work experiences and success stories of change, transformation as well as constraints in achieving the desired goals. Quarterly Newsletters, Brochure, Posters and Annual Reports are prepared and circulated among the target community of stakeholders. Valuable feedback is received which helps to improve the information dissemination system of PVDP.
PVDP is presently networking with the Indus Institute for Research & Education, Sindh, Marooara Coordination Council Tharparkar and Future In Our Hands (FIOH) International Network- UK.

5. Transparency

PVDP believes in a transparent ways of working. Therefore, the organization strives to establish systems and procedures which ensure transparency at all levels of functioning. PVDP wishes and aspires to make its financial management, operation in the field, dealing with the community and stockholders more transparent and considers this vital for providing strengths and solidarity at all levels. PVDP is looking forward to its External Evaluation which will be shortly held, to assess its present level of transparency and opaqueness and propose to the management and ways and means to bring considerable improvement in its systems and procedures to ensure transparent functioning of all units of PVDP.

6. Good Governance

No organization can acquire excellence if its governing is not right. Believing in this notion, PVDP aspires to improve its governing system. It wishes to see an active Board which regularly meets and fully takes up the ownership of the organization. Again we look forward to the External Evaluation in the near future and its recommendations for improvement of governance systems of PVDP. The eight years of PVDP life has taught many lessons and identified loopholes in the governing system. PVDP is sincerely striving towards a well established and transparent governing system. It is believed that in the year 2005-2006 much change is expected towards good governance system of PVDP.

C. NEW DEVELOPMENT

1. Local Leadership Development Programme

Empowerment of local community is the ultimate aim of PVDP. A local leadership development programme has been initiated in Islamkot where one of the community leaders has been supported to take over part of the work started by PVDP in 10 project villages. This initiative of PVDP has culminated in the birth of a local NGO which is being supported by PVDP to hand over 10 villages with all the projects and infrastructures to this NGO who will directly work with Goth Sujag Markaz Committees of men and women to manage the community development work themselves. This is one of the proud projects of PVDP in which the community empowerment will be visible and the initiative will set an emulating example for other Civil Society Organizations to follow. PVDP wishes to sponsor such community leaders in all the villages it is working. Concerted efforts will be made to organize communities and empower the local leaders for eventual take over of the PVDP work by the local leadership. PVDP is also supporting the formation of CCBs and transferring of powers to the local leaders who will have the capacities to coordinate with the local government for social services. Such leadership will also be capacitated to explore other possibilities of collaboration with organizations working in and outside of the Thar Region.

2. PVDP as National partner in Primary Health Care for Women for Kessa Dimitra

For the first time in life of PVDP, it has assumed a role of national leader in a Primary Health Care project to be submitted to KESSA DIMITRA a Greek organization. Two NGOs of Sindh and one of NWFP has joined hands with PVDP for development of a project proposal on Primary Health Care for Women to be submitted to the EU by Dimitra at the end of 2005. The plan is to train 100 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates in the respective project areas of the NGOs who are partners in this project.

3. External Evaluation of PVDP

PVDP believes that after eight years of its existence, the time has come to look at its work from an external eye. Three member evaluation mission will be assigned the responsibility to conduct External Evaluation of PVDP and independently assess the strengths and areas of improvement. PVDP also wishes the Evaluation Team to look at the opportunities that are available to it to help more people in need and to determine the threats if any which would affect its work if not countered adequately through effective organizational strategy. The External Evaluation is scheduled to start by Mid September 2005. The TOR for the evaluation team has been prepared. ICCO Holland has been contacted for support in conducting this evaluation.

4. Drought Assessment Report 2005-2006

By end of June 2005 monsoon rainfall had not occurred. People were hoping that rain will fall in July and August months. PVDP also made a contingency plan in which a Drought Assessment Survey was planned if rain did not occur by end of August 2005.
The Drought Assessment will present report on the extent of drought and its effects on the Thar community. It would also suggest resiliency measures to mitigate the sufferings of people during and after drought.
Additionally, if drought did occur, PVDP would apply to ICCO for emergency relief for about 1000 school going children whose parents would be badly affected by the drought. The objective of this support would be to prevent these students from dropping out of schools to work as laborers to support their families or migrate with their parents to Barrage Areas in search of food, fodder and work.

5. Website of PVDP to be activated

PVDP is redesigning its website. A website designer has been engaged who is doing work to redesign it. PVDP feels that it has a lot of valuable information, case studies, events, reports and visual material to be shared with its stakeholders nationally and internationally. It is hoped that the website will soon be constructed and start operating on a regular basis.

6. Strengthening of documentation system

PVDP's documentation system is still not up to the desired standard. Efforts are being made to improve the system. The improvement in the documentation system will also improve PVDP's Management Information System (MIS). PVDP is a learning organization and all that is learned is applied to its work for improving the quality of performance.

7. Policies and Procedures to be streamlined

Draft policies of PVDP are being made by a volunteer worker who has the ambition to develop organizational policies. Presently, Gender, Finance, Management, Staff and Community Mobilization policies are designed. These draft policies will be reviewed by PVDP and experts will finalize them. The final draft will be studied by the Board members and approved if found according to the desired purpose of these policies. PVDP wishes that all important policies should be in place by the end of 2005.

8. Community Mobilization through Interactive Theatre Performance

PVDP staff are preparing to receive Interactive Theatre Performance training from IRC Lahore. PVDP plans to have its own interactive theatre group who would regularly perform on various issues in all the 60 villages PVDP is working in. Both Islamkot and Nagar Parkar staff and community people will be in this group. It has been proved beyond doubt that interactive theatre is the most powerful means for community mobilization. The LSRDA theatre group has made a remarkable impression on community attitudes and thinking as a result of interactive theatre performances. PVDP believes that most of the misconceptions which cannot be removed through dialogues and meetings can be addressed effectively through interactive theatre.

9. Public Private Partnership with local governments

It is now becoming highly important to work with local government under the Devolution Plan. The empowering process at the grass root level is essential to ensure continuity of the community development initiatives through NGOs. The community should be organized to form Citizens Community Boards (CCBs) and work with local government to implement projects in favor of the local community. As government is the only possible source of long term support, all efforts should be made to link the community organizations with the local government structures. PVDP plans to initiate the formation of CCBs and its sub-committees in all 60 villages where it is presently working. The CCBs at a later stage will be linked to the government support system.

D. FUTURE HORIZON (Geographical and Programmatic)

1. Extension to New Areas outside of Thar

PVDP is looking forward to extending its successful experiments, particularly relating to Poverty Reduction and Community Empowerment through Goth Sujag Markaz Committees, to new areas outside of the Thar Desert. Possible areas include districts of Thatta and Dadu. PVDP representatives have visited these areas and have found them to be socio economically very backward and deserving for work. PVDP is also awaiting a report of the External Evaluation which is expected to describe PVDP's present strengths and expertise for carrying out work in the proposed districts.

2. Handicraft production and marketing

PVDP and community highly believe that the survival of the community should not depend on one single factor of rain in the Thar Desert. The frequent occurrence of droughts has shown that alternate ways of eking out livelihood for the poor is vital for the survival of the people. It is also experienced that migration in drought time to barrage areas is no longer a desirable coping mechanism for the poor. The changed socio economic situation arising from acute shortage of irrigation water in the Barrage Areas has forced Thari people to adopt a home grown survival mechanism. An innovative handicraft with cultural touch will definitely ensure a reasonably good market if the desired quality and attractive designs for the work can be ensured. PVDP and the community have embarked upon this new challenge. Recently women are being trained in Nagar Parkar and Islamkot to produce items in less time and can fetch a good price. The products presently produced include greeting cards, small purses, embroidery work on clothes, jute bags etc.

3. More work on HIV/Aids

HIV/Aids is a potential threat for the Thari people. People lack knowledge regarding its contact, spread and precautionary measures. As the droughts occur frequently, many people become migratory workers in big cities and towns of Sindh and other provinces of Pakistan. These workers would be a potential disease carrier and could easily spread HIV/Aids in their families and villages. There is a potential danger with dire consequences if nothing is done about it. PVDP aims to make people aware about this deadly disease and suggest precautionary measures for the safety of their health.

4. Drought Preparedness and Mitigation

For the purpose of providing resiliency against future droughts, PVDP is planning to implement a Drought Prepared and Mitigation Programme in all 60 villages in the coming years. Activities which would help to improve the natural environment such as tree plantation and smokeless fuel efficient stoves, stall feeding of animals and water conservation will be efficiently organized with the Goth Sujag Markaz Committees. This is important as the poor have few options to cope with their situation, particularly in drought times. PVDP plans to establish an emergency unit at Islamkot to deal with drought related situations in Thar Desert.

5. Promotion of Cultural Heritage for Peace

It is believed by PVDP and the community that peace in the world cannot be established without holding on to the universal values of peace, justice, equality and harmony. The culture of tolerance, brother/sisterhood, care for neighbors and hospitality are possible when universal values are adhered to. The world can be a peaceful place for everyone to live only if social norms and cultural values and heritage are respected by all human beings on this globe. PVDP plans to make more efforts to promote cultural values and preserve cultural heritage together with the project community.

E. PVDP PARTNERS AND COMMITMENTS.

S.N. Development Partner Project Title Commitment
1 ICCO- Holland Integrated Community Development in Thar 2003-2006
2 PAGE-CIDA Poverty Reduction in Thar 2004-2007
3 Community Fund- UK Poverty Alleviation in the Thar Desert 2004-2008
4 Church World Service P/A Food Security and Poverty Reduction in Thar 2004-2006
5 Caritas Japan Primary Health Care 2004-2005
6 Protestant Church in the Netherlands Mother and Children Health Care/Referral Facility for TBAs 2003-2006
7 UN World Food Programme Food Security through Food for Work 2004-2005
8 Catholic Relief Service Improved livelihood security of poor and vulnerable households in Thar 2005-2007
9 Black Board Foundation-Holland Primary Education for Girls in Nagar Parkar 2004-2008
10 KESSA Dimitra Capacity Building 2004-2005
11 CED Technical Support 2004-2005
12 District Government- Tharparkar Polio Eradication Programme 2003-2006
13 Future in Our Hands Education and Development Fund UK - Poverty Alleviation in the Thar Desert - 2004 - 2008