When: July 31 – Aug 02, 2023 (arrival at venue on 30th July 2023) Where: O’Spring, Murree Language: Urdu / English Interested: Click here to apply Last Date to Apply: July 10, 2023
Rationale:
The Sphere movement started in 1997 by a group of humanitarian professionals aiming to improve the quality of humanitarian work during disaster response. With this goal in mind, they framed a Humanitarian Charter and identified a set of humanitarian standards to be applied in humanitarian response. Sphere minimum standards emphasize a rights-based approach and a focus on the affected population. As a result, a more compassionate and empathetic response to humanitarian crises is promoted, with a primary focus on the needs and rights of affected individuals and communities. Overall, using Sphere minimum standards ensures a high level of quality, accountability, and effectiveness in humanitarian response. Adopting these standards can help to create a skilled and knowledgeable workforce capable of providing timely and appropriate assistance to those in need, thereby improving the outcomes and impact of humanitarian interventions.
Community World Service Asia is inviting applications for a 3 day workshop on “Sphere Minimum Standards” in Murree. The goal of this training is to strengthen the capacity of aid workers around Sphere Standards so that they can efficiently and effectively address most pressing needs in a humanitarian context by applying the Sphere Minimum Standards, which is a well-known Quality and accountability tool at the global-level.
Aims & Objectives:
This 3 day workshop aims to strengthen participants’ knowledge on the Sphere standards and to support them learn how to best apply these standards in their programmes.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Explain the philosophy and approach of Sphere
Understand and describe the relationship between Sphere, Humanitarian Charter and Rights Based Approach
Learn to describe the use of Sphere Handbook
Learn to apply Sphere in humanitarian projects/programme cycle Share experiences of applying Sphere Standards in Pakistan
Methodology:
The “Blended Learning” approach developed by CWSA over decades of experience will be used in this workshop. The approach will be participatory and needs based in nature. It shall include the selection of participants from various organisations at various levels, and the development of content and methodology will be based on the needs of the participants. Experienced and knowledgeable trainers/practitioners will be engaged and will help participants develop action plans, conduct follow-up refreshers and will provide coaching and mentoring support.
Number of Participants:
18 – 20 participants will be selected for the workshop. Women staff and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to participants from organisations based in underserved areas. Applicants will be informed by-July 15th, 2023 about their confirmation status.
Selection Criteria:
Mid or senior level managers in a civil society organisation, field staff of large CSOs or CSOs with main offices in small towns and cities.
Those having primary responsibility to design, assess, implement & monitor projects/programmes
Staff with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) responsibilities at the project and/ or organizational levels.
No previous experience/ participation in training on Sphere Minimum Standards
Commitment to apply learning in their work, including dissemination of learning within their organization.
Willingness to pay a Training Fees of PKR 10,000/-. Exemptions may be applied for CSOs with limited funding and those from marginalised groups. Discount of 10% on early registration by June 28th, 2023 and 20% discount will be awarded to women participants.
Community World Service Asia (CWSA) is a humanitarian and development organisation, registered in Pakistan, headquartered in Karachi and implementing initiatives throughout Asia. CWSA is a member of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Alliance, a member of Sphere and their regional partner in Asia and also manages the ADRRN Quality & Accountability Hub in Asia. For more details visit our website: www.communityworldservice.asia
In December 2022, thirty-five compassionate humanitarian professionals convened for a transformative Quality, Accountability, and Safeguarding (QAS) workshop. Their mission? To share and learn innovative, locally-driven approaches in implementing QAS standards and to explore the art and influence of the mentorship approach to promoting and mainstreaming QAS standards.
This gathering, titled, a Pool of Humanitarian Mentors Workshop, brought together an experienced array of global leaders and practitioners in the promotion and implementation of QAS, including Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH). As the workshop unfolded, attendees shared their diverse experiences, were introduced to new tools and approaches, while crafting a realistic and practical mentorship framework to be shared far and wide.
Six months later, on June 5, 2023, a regroup meeting of these mentors took centre stage. With eager hearts and minds, they reconvened to exchange experiences of how the mentorship approach garnered from the workshop had been applied and unfolded in their respective domains. Enthusiastic discussions ignited, seeking pathways for future collaboration and engagement, fuelled by the collective goal of putting people first and ensuring dignified response in every way possible.
As the mentors skilfully incorporated QAS learnings into their programming and organisational practices and policies, the workshop’s influence could be felt across the corridors of humanitarian action. Within the mentors’ own organisations, capacity-enhancing activities were launched, while relevant policies also underwent revisions, aligning with newfound QAS learnings. Yet, amid these noble endeavours, challenges emerged. Time management emerged as a common hurdle, as did the need to define broad concepts like Safeguarding and contextualising them for every region, locality and community participant.
To overcome these obstacles and amplify their impact, the mentors together mapped a path forward. Subgroups on key QAS themes will be formed, enabling a specialised focus and opportunities to engage in joint activities such as webinars and trainings. Additionally, a common resource library will be created, serving as a repository where mentors can share case stories, toolkits, approaches, and training materials.
Community World Service Asia (CWSA) remains steadfast in its commitment to act as a catalyst and connector on QAS within the humanitarian landscape. By linking like-minded individuals, fostering interaction, and facilitating mutual learning, CWSA aims to enhance accountability to affected populations. With the mentors serving as beacons of knowledge and change, the journey towards a more accountable and safeguarded humanitarian sector gains momentum.
As the regroup meeting concluded, a sense of renewed purpose filled the room. Armed with shared experiences and an unwavering commitment to accountability and people-centered aid and development, these mentors are motivated to transform communities, uplift lives, and uphold the principles of quality, accountability, and safeguarding. Through their collective efforts, they embody the true spirit of collaboration, steering the course towards a more inclusive and responsible future.
Vadhri is very proud of the little kiosk she has paid for and which her father in law manages. In early 2022, this store selling household items as well as children’s snacks was just a dream.
At that time, things looked bleak with the drought of 2021 having destroyed what she and her brother in law had sowed on their eight-acre holding. With no harvest, Vadhri had purchased food on loan for herself and her three boys and over the months accumulated a debt of PKR 30,000 (Approx. USD 104). She thought herself fortunate that the loan was interest-free. Else, it would have multiplied and gone well beyond her means to repay.
The food aid provided, under the Humanitarian, Early Recovery and Development (HERD) project, in those bleak months of 2022 were a great boon. It saved her the monthly food bill and enabled her to put together a respectable sum. With that coupled with her saving from sewing the traditional heavily embroidered Sindhi hats, she spent PKR 15,000 (Approx. USD 52) for the timber kiosk to serve as the store. To her father in law, Vadhri gave PKR 2000 (Approx. USD 7) to stock up, and they were in business. It speaks well for her and her father in law that in February 2023, the store had stocks of some PKR 10,000 (Approx. USD 35), five times up from the time it started out, and was making a daily net profit of PKR 400 (Approx. USD 1).
Investing all her saving in the store was some smart thinking. She reasons that had she used it to service her debt with the provisions store, she would have had to sell some of her ten goats to start her store. And goats being ready cash for the people of Thar to be brought into play only in the direst of situations that would have been a bad move.
Had the rains of 2022 let off after the initial shower or two, she would have collected a reasonable harvest of millets, guar beans and lentils from her four acres. But two months without any sun whatsoever and a deluge that just would not cease much of the sprouting crop died and the harvest yielded barely two months’ worth of millets. At the time of tilling, she had borrowed money on interest to pay for the tractor. With reduced yield, she was obliged to sell all of her guar beans and lentils as well as two of her goats to raise the cash.
“I had ten goats in the beginning of last year. Now I have eight. The debt I owe to the village provisions store will be paid off after the millet and guar harvest in November 2023.” This cycle of recurring loans is par for the course for Vadhri.
For the time being the profit from her store pays for the daily kitchen for herself, her three boys and her father in law with who she lives since the death of her husband. The monthly profit from her hat embroidery work amounting to PKR 4800 (Approx. USD 17) is kept aside to invest in her store.
“If we had not received food aid last year, I would have been under a debt of PKR 60,000 (Approx. USD 208). I don’t know how I could have repaid that,” observed Vadhri.
Her two older boys are in primary school and in another year the youngest will be ready to join them. Vadhri has every intention of maintaining them all in school so that they can be somebody playing a role in life that she and her late husband could not.
As a child Falak Sher dreamt of completing high school and joining the army. That was only natural for a child physically fit who from age ten was a kabaddi player. Though a contact sport, kabaddi is non-violent involving tagging and tackling and serious injuries are rare. However, that rarity struck Falak Sher when he was about twelve and in grade 4 of primary school.
During a match, he was tackled and brought down as had happened several times before. But this time the pang of shooting pain told him something had gone terribly wrong. Though his village Mehr Veesar lay some 50 kilometres southwest of Khairpur town, there were nearby hospitals as well. But Falak Sher was carried home rather than being taken to a proper medical centre.
His family called in the local bone-setter, an untrained potter who boasted knowledge passed down to him through several generations of bone-setters. Using splints and bandages, the man claimed to have set the bone right, but when two months later the dressing was removed, the leg was deformed. For the next five years, Falak Sher was bed-ridden because of persistent pain and inability to walk without support.
For the youngster the dream of being in military uniform faded away and even education seemed to have come to an end at grade 4. Time heals all, however, even badly set bones. After a break of five years, Falak Sher was able to walk back to school with the help of a staff. Though the military career was out of the question, yet the young man continued his schooling to complete matriculation. In a society where able-bodied men with degrees sometimes spend years seeking suitable jobs, there was no opening for a matriculate with a disability.
Already in his twenty-fourth year, Falak Sher apprenticed himself to a master weaver of the charpoy, the wooden bedstead. Within a year, he was sufficiently trained to independently turn an empty frame into a proper bed in under five hours. In 2023, at age thirty-eight, he was a highly proficient charpoy weaver who got calls on his cell phone when there was work.
“Life was getting along all right and I would get three to four charpoys every day,” said Falak Sher. That was enough work to keep him busy through the day and at Rs 400 per frame, he was a satisfied man.
Then came the floods of the summer of 2022. Whole communities lost everything they had and if Falak Sher’s house collapsed, he could hardly say Nature had singled him out for punishment. Flood-affected or not, people needed furniture to sleep on and if he thought that the broken charpoy frames would be repaired and he would be called to do the weaving, he was mistaken. No one had the money even to procure food for their families, and getting their bedsteads repaired was a very distant priority.
“For four months, it was a very difficult time because there was no work. In this village and a couple of other nearby ones, there are four other weavers like me, and we were all without anything to do,” reported Falak Sher.
Like many others, Falak Sher and his family lived by the generosity of a kind landlord who provided flood-affected families with one meal a day. Those were three months when he, the sole bread winner for his family, forewent meals so that his two year-old son was fed. His wife too needed to be fed as she was nursing an infant daughter. It was a very hard time.
Slowly work began to trickle in. However, because of his disability, Falak Sher had to hire a motorbike taxi to take him to the work site. That cost money. For short trips the fare was PKR 30, but longer ones set him back by PKR 100 (Approx. USD 0.3). Unlike the old days when he would get three to five pieces to work on in a day, now there was never more than one and subtracting the fare from his wage of PKR 400 (Approx., USD 1.4) hurt. But the man never gave up and assiduously kept at it.
In January 2023, Falak Sher received the first instalment of Cash for Food from Community World Service Asia (CWSA) with the support of Presbyterian World Service & Development(PWS&) and Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Falak Sher spent the entire sum of PKR 12,000 on the purchase of food rations. For the first time in four months, he had a square meal, said the man. The following three months were the same pattern.
Being a talented craftsman, Falak Sher had not lost hope. And that paid off for in February he worked on twelve charpoys netting PKR 4800 (Approx. USD 15). The Cash for Food aid bolstered his hope and his ability to provide for his family. With work slowly picking up pace, the man was thinking of beginning to rebuild his collapsed home.
Asked how he would have fared without the cash grant, he remained silent. He had no idea how he and his family would have survived the hard months when there was so little work to be had.
Legend has it that it was a Rajput chieftain, Amar by name, who established the fort of Umerkot at a very remote time in the past and for a long time it was known as Amarkot – Eternal Fort. History does not have much on that. It only tells us that one Parmar Sodha of Ujjain, moved into this part of the desert and having displaced the Soomra ruler of Umerkot, established himself in the castle.
It was his descendant Rana Vairsal who played host to Humayun in 1542 when the Mughal fled before Sher Shah Suri. Time passed, and in the eighteenth century the Kalhoras replaced the Sodha Rajputs in Umerkot. Thereafter, Umerkot suffered a plundering raid at the hands of the Madad Khan of Kandahar before it passed into the relative but short-lived peace of Talpur reign.
In 1843, the British had replaced the Talpurs in Sindh. Strangely, even though Umerkot lay on the trade highroad from Shikarpur in the north to Kutch by the sea, it was neglected while other parts of Thar received significant British attention. In the last two centuries, Umerkot was just another town of the district of ‘Thurr and Parkar’ as British officials knew it. The western part of the district gained some little from British-built irrigation off the Nara Canal, while on the east the desert sprawled virtually untouched by the march of time.
In 1993, Umerkot was established as a district. However, in 2000, this new district was abolished and re-merged with Mirpur Khas only to be established all over again in 2004. With four talukas (sub-divisions), the district of Umerkot is among the poorest in Sindh. While the western sub-divisions are somewhat better off being in the irrigated part, the eastern parts are as disadvantaged as any in the Thar Desert.
Centre for Social Development and Social Entrepreneurship University of the Punjab, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Training Institute, Department of Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal Government of the Punjab, and Community World Service Asia, is pleased to announce one-month short course on NGO Management.
When: 22nd May- 15th June 2023 (Classes are scheduled between Monday to Thursday in the second half of each day per week)
Last Date to Apply: 12th May 2023 (Applications will be selected on a first come, first serve basis)
Background and Objectives:
The last thirty years have witnessed an extraordinary growth in the NGO sector in many parts of the world, becoming a prominent part of the global civil society and are now significant players in promoting and protecting human rights, environment issues and social development causes at local, national and international levels. Consequently, there is an increasing need for building familiarity and skills on management of NGOs. Through this course, participants will:
Be familiarised with concepts of NGOs operations and their vision, civil society, volunteerism, charity, aid, social change and their intersection
Understand various development issues and how accountable NGO management and contextual strategy formulation can help resolve them
Gain knowledge about the nature, functions, formation and registration process of NGOs in Pakistan
Develop communication skills, financial management skills and resource mobilisation techniques for an NGO
Target Audience:
This course is designed for fresh graduates interested in joining the sector, Social Welfare Department staff, NGOs staff and other people interested in understanding the working of development sector organizations. Women and students are highly encouraged to apply; a special incentive may be given.
Teaching Methodology:
Interactive lectures/Discussions
Assignments for self-study
Presentation by the students
Workshop/Seminars/Exercises/Field Visits to develop social analytical skills
Instructors
Mr. Muddassir Riaz Malik has over 20 years of experience serving in the public sector in varying capacities. He received the Australia Awards Scholarship in 2015, through which he graduated with a Master of Public Policy from the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, specializing in policy impact evaluation, research and economic cost benefit analysis. He currently serves as the Director General Department of Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal Government of the Punjab. Previously, he has held the posts of Director General Punjab Food Authority, Deputy Commissioner Lahore, Commissioner DG Khan and Additional Secretary (Admin) Planning and Development Department.
Dr Tahira Jabeen with a doctorate in ‘Child Protection Policy’ from Australian National University, Dr. Tahira Jabeen has over 25 years of work experience as an academic, independent researcher, trainer and consultant with government, and national and international NGOs and multilateral organizations in the areas of child protection, children and human rights, qualitative research, social entrepreneurship, social development and civil society. In addition to her duties as Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Social Development and Social Entrepreneurship at University of the Punjab, she currently also serves on Board of Studies of Lahore College Women University and University of Home Economics, Lahore, as well as on the editorial board of the journal ‘Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice.’
Mr. Irshad Waheed has been associated with social development/community development in the public sector for the past 25 years in the domains of women protection and development, child protection, rehabilitation of disabled persons and senior citizens’ social policy formulation. He has been a part of various teams of the Department of Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal Government of the Punjab and currently serves as Director General of the Punjab Women Protection Authority where he oversees the execution, monitoring and coordination of the Women Protection System. Mr. Irshad is also part of the visiting faculty at Social Work Department, Punjab University.
Mr. Irfan Mufti, a well-known human rights defender and peace activist in Pakistan and South Asia, holds a Master’s Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and M.Phil in American History. Currently serving as Deputy Executive Director of a six-country development and advocacy consortium South Asia Partnership-Pakistan (SAP-PK), he has previously led Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) for three years. Mr. Irfan has worked extensively in the community development field through facilitation of community groups, NGOs and networks, organizational planning, humanitarian assistance and advocacy campaigns. He co-authored two books and remains a regular contributor to political economy pages of national English dailies and other research journals.
Dr. Izhar Hashmi a graduate of Kind Edward Medical College, Institute of Public Health and AMA, Dr. Izhar Hashmi is currently working as Director (Program & Operations) at Punjab Welfare Trust for the Disabled (PWTD). He has remained engaged in varying capacities with Akhuwat, Waseela Foundation, Al-Noor Umer Welfare Trust and Society for Education and Technology. In the public sector, he has been associated with SWD KPK and Punjab, Special Education Department Punjab and Punjab Youth Development Program. Dr. Izhar Hashmi has developed innovative models and solutions for the inclusive education, especially with learning difficulties and disabilities through different interventions. He has delivered trainings on soft skills, entrepreneurship, strategic negotiation skills, SDGs and community development.
Mr. Safdar Abbas is a sociologist and social development professional with more than 16 years of experience. He has contributed to more than fourteen national and international research projects from conception to execution. He has been actively involved in policy analysis, project management, capacity building and advocacy through communication various levels. On the academic side, he is a regular contributor to high impact HEC journals and has so far published fourteen articles on a wide range of topics including human rights, community development, violence against children, and women rights/empowerment. His professional experience coupled with the national and international level trainings on various themes have enabled him to develop viable public sector policies, programs, and projects.
Ms. Ayesha Hassan is the Associate Director at Community World Service Asia with a diverse experience project implementation on Quality and Accountability (including Safeguarding, PSEAH, Complaints Response Mechanism), Gender, Livelihoods (including food security with focus on DRR), Education, and Participation. She is a trainer, advisor and voice for Quality and Accountability standards including Core Humanitarian Standard, Do No Harm Approach, and Sphere Standards. Ayesha is hands on in fundraising and program growth, overseeing the development of proposals and donor compliance. She develops program strategies for various programs under implementation while she has also facilitated the process of developing a 10-year strategy for DRR, livelihood and democratization.
Mr. Sohail Muhammad Ali is a high-performing research and capacity-building specialist and trainer with expertise in research, training and development to maximize human resource outputs in social development and education sectors. He is an influential and inspirational leader with excellent human capital development skills. Mr. Sohail has the experience of working in South Asia, Africa and Europe. He has conducted professional development workshops and capacity building sessions. He has served as a national and international consultant for organizations including Leonard Cheshire (LC) UK, World Bank, USAID, Care International, UNICEF, Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), Academy for Educational Development (AED), Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Transparency International, Lead Pakistan, British Council Pakistan, Human Resource Development Network (HRDN), and others.
Ms. Tooba Siddiqi is an experienced Engagement Manager with over 10 years of experience in partnership management, advocacy, youth mobilization, community- led campaigning, fundraising, and resource development. A tech-savvy, human resource manager with a demonstrated history of remotely managing large teams from diverse geographical and ethnic backgrounds. She is a strong community and development professional trained in Management Sciences and Human Resources Management from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. In the past year with Community World Service Asia, she has played a significant role in pushing the Quality and Accountability standards with local NGOs as well as regional NGOs.
When: 19th- 21st June 2023 (arrival at venue on 18th June 2023 before 7 pm) Where: Murree, Punjab Language: Urdu and English Interested Applicants:CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Last Date to Apply: 25th May 2023 (incomplete applications will not be entertained)
Leading in Complexity and Ambiguity training will be directed at the senior staff of NGOs. It will use the ‘Authentic Leader’ model and provide opportunities to the participants to reflect on their leadership style and its relevance and effectiveness. It will give them knowledge on leadership competencies based on research with contemporary leaders. They will also have opportunities for practicing and sharpening their personal leadership skills and competencies. Methodology of this training includes self-reflection and analysis, working with buddies, exercises. These will be interspersed with lectures by the external trainer and experience sharing by prominent leaders from the development and corporate sectors. Coaching and mentoring support will be provided to 30% of participant organisations to help them apply their learning.
Training Objectives
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
Understand the different leadership styles and competencies.
Reflect on their leadership style based on their self-assessment and others’ perceptions/feedback.
Sharpen/strengthen their leadership competencies.
Develop action plans for peer support and coaching/mentoring.
Methodology
The approach used in this training is the ‘Blended Learning’ approach developed by CWSA’s Capacity Enhancement Project (CEP) in its previous phases. The approach is participatory and needs-based in nature. It consists of selection of participants from diverse organisations at different levels, content and methodology designed with and based on the needs of the training participants, use of experienced and knowledgeable trainers, flexible content and methodology during the training, development of action plans and follow up refreshers and coaching and mentoring support.
Number of Participants
18-22 participants will be selected for the training. Female staff and those with disabilities and from ethnic/religious minorities are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to participants from organisations based in underserved areas.
Selection Criteria
No previous exposure/participation in leadership training
Mid or senior level manager in a civil society organisation, preferably field staff of large CSOs or CSOs with main office in small towns and cities
Participants from women led organisations, those of persons with disabilities, religious/ethnic minorities will be preferred
Commitment to apply learning in their work, including dissemination of learning within their organisation.
Fee Details
Training fee for each participant is PKR 15,000. Fee concessions and scholarships are available for participants belonging to marginalised groups and NGOs with limited funding.
No TA/DA will be given to participants and travel expenses will be incurred by participants themselves.
Trainer
Mr. Arif Jabbar is the Country Director of Water Aid Pakistan. Mr. Arif is a leadership Coach and is currently coaching a number of staff members in public and private institutions. Mr. Khan holds an M.Phil. degree in Public Policy from the National Defence University Islamabad and was awarded with the President’s Gold Medal. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering (Water Resource Development) from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. Mr. Arif is an Eisenhower Fellow wherein he studied the “Americans with Disabilities Act” during his Fellowship. He was the Chief of Party of USAID Ambassador’s Fund Grant Programme and has served Oxfam International as the Global Head of Humanitarian Campaigns, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Africa and East Asia, Country Director in Pakistan and South Africa, in addition to holding other portfolios. He also served as the Country Director, Pakistan with Voluntary Service Overseas –VSO, Regional Grants Manager, Asia with Child fund International, Director Programme Operations, Sri Lanka with Save the Children and Director Operations, Market Development Facility with The Palladium Group.
Community World Service Asia (CWSA) is a humanitarian and development organization, registered in Pakistan, head-quartered in Karachi and implementing initiatives throughout Asia. CWSA is member of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Alliance, a member of Sphere and their regional partner in Asia and also manages the ADRRN Quality & Accountability Hub in Asia.
Written and Contributed by Samina Jamshaid, CWSA Staff, Professional Art Therapist, and Visual Artist
What springs to mind when we see a pair of hands?
For me, a hand is that magic that constantly creates miracles, and turns dreams into reality. During my visit to Umerkot, I came across multiple pairs of such fascinating hands, young and old. Every wrinkle and mark on those hands had a story to tell about the journey it ventured – some of their own and others of the hands used to accomplish someone’s dream. Yes! You read that right. Someone’s dream living far away, whom they have never seen or met but with the artistry of their hands and a smile on their face, made their dreams into reality; a momento for them to cherish for the rest of their life.
These are the women of rural interior Sindh; no matter which small or remote village in the Province they live in, these women work tirelessly to create miracles with threads and needles and their skillful hands.
A beautiful, warm smile greeted me in a remote village on my first ever visit to Umerkot. While I was waiting in the courtyard of a far-away village, with hundreds of eyes fixated on me and astonished smiles of a handful of children, I saw a lady walking towards us, dressed in mustard yellow traditional Sindhi attire. She had the most mesmerising smile, and a sparkle of contentment in her eyes. The pride of being a bread earner for her family and a supporting hand for her husband, was clearly evident in her walk. She is Kalawanti from Kharoro Charan. Her name means “Talent”, making her a walking definition of her name.
Kalawanti’s talent and skill was identified by Community World Service Asia’s (CWSA) livelihoods team that leads the organisation’s skill enhancement and social enterprise programs which are envisioned to empower women and strengthen their roles as key household decision makers and sustainable livelihoods sources. CWSA also launched a social enterprise brand, Taanka1 meaning “Stitch” of which Kalawanti is a part of as an active member of its Women Enterprise Groups (WEG).
My day with the community and the villages that are supported through Taanka showed me the relevance of the name as it was not only about the literal craftsmanship of the community but the idea is to stitch the communities together with acceptance, love, care for each other and promoting each other’s good work. CWSA’s Livelihoods program binds the communities together in a way that they become inseparable.
Many of us in Pakistan wear reputed clothing brands and designer fashion wear but do we stop to think twice about the intricate, delicate embroidery and embellishments on our apparel and fashion accessories and whose craftsmanship this is. Many times, it is the creation of women like Kalawanti living in remote villages.
As it is said behind every successful woman there is a man, but I would say behind every progressive community there is a group of dedicated humans and in this case, it is the group of artisans working together under the umbrella of Taanka. Taanka has faced its challenges and took risks but always tried to make things work so that the livelihoods of the artisans behind it don’t stop. This is true perseverance.
Artisans like Kalawanti are hard working and resilient. They are not only artisans but housewives as well. They take care of their families, leading all household chores, ensuring everyone is fed, in good health, children going to school. Their everyday struggles are endless but the output of their work as artisans makes all their hard work worth it. The support they get from CWSA through linkages with markets, quality control, and product development ensures their hard work is paid off and valued.
This visit to villages in Umerkot made my heart and soul smile with pride! And i couldn’t help but share about it with the world.
Taanka is a social enterprise launched by Community World Service Asia in 2016, to develop sustainable market linkages for rural women artisans in Sindh. The brand promotes the finest handcrafted amalgamation of contemporary designs with traditional stitches, produced by rural women artisans from interior Sindh, Pakistan and facilitate collaboration between the women artisans and urban designers, design students, commercial textile companies and fashion brands, to reflect consumers’ demands in ethnic designs.
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