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2877

Mehnaz, 35, was born in Dhenda, a village in district Haripur. In the 1980s, her parents moved to Pakistan after the Afghan jihad following which her father was unable to earn a decent livelihood. The few small jobs that he did only helped bring a very small income home. As a result, Mehnaz and her family suffered from poverty and hardship. As per family tradition, Mehnaz was married to a man from her clan but despite making compromises, her marriage fell apart. Back at her parents’ home with her now year-old son, Mehnaz felt that she had added to the existing financial worries of her family. Without a place to turn to for help, she found herself falling into depression. It was during this low that she found out about the Community World Service Asia’s training in the Dhenda area. In just her second month in the dress designing trade, she was getting orders from people; she now earns about PKR 300/ per day.

Mehnaz’s determination to raise her son independently as well as contribute to household expenses led her to successfully establish a tailoring center for women in Dhenda. Currently, she is an instructor at the center with 20 women under her training. Her story is one of resilience to overwhelming circumstances and her passion to work despite tremendous challenges truly inspirational.

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Heavy rain lashing for last several days have wreaked havoc in different areas of Baluchistan as houses collapsed and roads washed away causing deaths in many areas. The rain also continued to lash on the provincial capital, Quetta.

Heavy rains with thunderstorm were also reported in Zhob, Loralai, Musa Khel, Harnai, Dukki, Pishin, Khanozai, Kalat, Mastung, Sibi, Bolan, Awaran, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Dera Bugti and other areas of Baluchistan province which caused damages to mud houses and roads.

Two children were reportedly washed away in the flash flood and a man was killed while another eight people have sustained injuries due to lightning in the border area of Chaman.

Several roads were washed away due to hill torrents in Chaman, Toba Achakzai, Toba Kakari, Gwadar, Turbat and Khuzdar districts.

Power supply was also suspended in several areas due to heavy raining.

As per Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD), heavy rains are also expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the next 4 days with High Risk of flash flooding in surrounding areas and very likely to intensify on Friday evening/night. The KP Government has already requested KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority and FATA Disaster Management Authority to be on alert and ready to respond should the situation worsen.

Community World Service Asia is currently monitoring the situation. Its emergency response teams are ready and will start emergency response activities if required.

Contacts:
Allan A. Calma
Deputy Director
Disaster Management Program
Email: allan.calma@communityworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 301 5801621

Muhammad Fazal
Associate Director
Emergencies/DRR/Climate Change
Email: fazil.sardar@communitryworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 332 5586134

Alison Sneddon
Senior Communications Officer
Email: alison.sneddon@communityworldservice.asia

Sources:
www.samaa.tv
www.ndma.gov.pk
www.nation.com.pk

2908

Greetings from Community World Service Asia!

Community World Service Asia is organizing a regional learning event, a 6-day Training of Trainers on Sphere and Companions from 3rd – 9th April 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This event is a unique opportunity for all agencies, as it is focusing on learning as well as practically implementing the Joint Q&A Standards which is being promoted for the first time in the region. This event aims to gather professional humanitarian workers from INGOs, NGOs, UN, donors, universities and government agencies from around the world who are leaders in promoting and implementing approaches for enhanced quality and accountability (Q&A).

The attached brochure provides detailed information. If you wish to nominate any person(s) from your organization for this event, kindly fill the online application form using the following web link: http://goo.gl/forms/xEGER7En7b OR you can also register by completing the enclosed application form. Please ensure to send filled form to qa.support@communityworldservice.asia by 4th March 2016.

If the applicant(s) meets the selection criteria, he/she will be informed via confirmation letter latest by 7th March 2016.

Download Invitation Package and Brochure.

Should you require any further information, please feel free to contact us at our Karachi Office in Pakistan.

Thanking you and assuring you of our best cooperation and services at all times.

Regards,
Ms. Shama Mall
Deputy Director – Development and Capacity Enhancement Program
Community World Service Asia,
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel no: +92 (21) 34390541-4 | Fax: +92 (21) 34390922
Email: qa.support@communityworldservice.asia
Website: www.communityworldservice.asia

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Students and artisans look through design ideas together 01
Students and artisans look through design ideas together
Students and artisans look through design ideas together
Students share new creative patterns for embroidery 02
Students share new creative patterns for embroidery
Students share new creative patterns for embroidery
Students examine embroidery samples 03
Students examine embroidery samples
Students examine embroidery samples
The artisans and students had fun getting know one another 04
The artisans and students had fun getting know one another
The artisans and students had fun getting know one another
The artisans demonstrate their embroidery skills 05
The artisans demonstrate their embroidery skills
The artisans demonstrate their embroidery skills
Artisans were enthusiastic about learning new designs from the students 06
Artisans were enthusiastic about learning new designs from the students
Artisans were enthusiastic about learning new designs from the students
The artisans impressed the students with their traditional skills, including this appliqué work 07
The artisans impressed the students with their traditional skills, including this appliqué work
The artisans impressed the students with their traditional skills, including this appliqué work
The workshop provides a space for women to come together 08
The workshop provides a space for women to come together
The workshop provides a space for women to come together
The students and artisans worked productively together to produce samples 09
The students and artisans worked productively together to produce samples
The students and artisans worked productively together to produce samples
Handicraft skills have the potential to be a reliable source of income for these women 10
Handicraft skills have the potential to be a reliable source of income for these women
Handicraft skills have the potential to be a reliable source of income for these women

 

With support from the Danish Center for Culture and Development, Community World Service Asia is bringing together rural artisans from Thatta and Umerkot in Sindh, and design students from Karachi.  Through their collaboration, traditional skills will be combined with marketable designs, enabling these women to connect to the urban market and earn a sustainable income from their craft.  This month, students from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) and the Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP) visited Umerkot and Thatta respectively, in order to meet the artisans with whom they will be working, and gain some insight into their way of life and conditions of work.

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Ameer khan, 39, migrated from Kalam to Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, around three years ago where he was living in a rented house of two rooms, a kitchen and bathroom. To support his family of ten including his mother, wife, six daughters, a son and a disabled father-in-law, Ameer khan sold peanuts on a cart in the market during winter. In the warmer months, he used the same cart to sell local cold drinks. Although with a daily wage of PKR 400/, Khan was not making enough to cover all of his household expenses, he was still able to manage somehow.

Khan’s struggles were amplified in the aftermath of an earthquake that hit Swat along with other areas of Northern Pakistan on October 26, 2015. While one room and a boundary wall were completely damaged, the other room was partially broken thus becoming unlivable. Khan was left with no choice but to shift his family to a neighbor’s home for a few days. Due to limited space, however, he had to bring them back to his own house where the only undamaged space, to live in, was the kitchen. To accommodate everyone in a single room, Khan had to sleep under the open sky during freezing winter nights.

“Ameer and his family have suffered a lot due to this earthquake and despite the damage to his house, he has not been included in the government’s earthquake survivor’s compensation list for reconstruction,”

says Jamil Ahmad, Kisan councilor, local government representative of district Swat.

“We tried our best to include him but unfortunately our efforts were futile as the list had been finalized and could not accommodate more people,” he added.

Among the more urgent needs of the communities, winterization support tops the list of most prioritized needs. Having identified the urgency of providing relief to earthquake-affected communities, Community World Service Asia, has thus far, provided support to 504 families through the funding support of UMCOR in the area.

Ameer Khan was also among the selected right holders for the winterization support assistance.

“I am very thankful to Community World Service Asia for helping me in catering to the most urgent needs of my family. With this support, at least we have something to cover ourselves with during this extreme weather”,

he said.

 

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One of the students giving a presentation during a session 2
One of the students giving a presentation during a session
One of the students giving a presentation during a session
Student during a group exercise during the three-day training on “Introduction to NGOs” 3
Student during a group exercise during the three-day training on “Introduction to NGOs”
Student during a group exercise during the three-day training on “Introduction to NGOs”
Mr. Sufyan Sultan (Lead trainer) conducting a session during the training 4
Mr. Sufyan Sultan (Lead trainer) conducting a session during the training
Mr. Sufyan Sultan (Lead trainer) conducting a session during the training
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Project Coordinator – CIP) presenting a certificate to one of the participants of the training at the University of Peshawar 5
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Project Coordinator – CIP) presenting a certificate to one of the participants of the training at the University of Peshawar
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Project Coordinator – CIP) presenting a certificate to one of the participants of the training at the University of Peshawar
Mr. Rizwan Qazi (one of the facilitator for training) with the participant of training during an energizer exercise 6
Mr. Rizwan Qazi (one of the facilitator for training) with the participant of training during an energizer exercise
Mr. Rizwan Qazi (one of the facilitator for training) with the participant of training during an energizer exercise
Students of BS Social Work briefing other participants about through presentation on the outcome of group exercise during 3-days training on Introduction to NGOs 7
Students of BS Social Work briefing other participants about through presentation on the outcome of group exercise during 3-days training on Introduction to NGOs
Students of BS Social Work briefing other participants about through presentation on the outcome of group exercise during 3-days training on Introduction to NGOs
Mr. Moazzam Ali (Lead trainer for the training) during the opening ceremony, describing the overall purpose of the training to the participants 8
Mr. Moazzam Ali (Lead trainer for the training) during the opening ceremony, describing the overall purpose of the training to the participants
Mr. Moazzam Ali (Lead trainer for the training) during the opening ceremony, describing the overall purpose of the training to the participants
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Lead trainer for the training) during a session with the participants 9
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Lead trainer for the training) during a session with the participants
Mr. Rizwan Iqbal (Lead trainer for the training) during a session with the participants
Group Photo: Students of M. Sc. Social Work Program with Ms. Bushra Naheed Incharge Social Work Department and Mr. Arshad Abbasi (Lecturer) along with the facilitator Mr. Sufyan Sultan during 3-days training on “Introduction to NGOs” for the student of University of the Punjab 1
Group Photo: Students of M. Sc. Social Work Program with Ms. Bushra Naheed Incharge Social Work Department and Mr. Arshad Abbasi (Lecturer) along with the facilitator Mr. Sufyan Sultan during 3-days training on “Introduction to NGOs” for the student of University of the Punjab
Group Photo: Students of M. Sc. Social Work Program with Ms. Bushra Naheed Incharge Social Work Department and Mr. Arshad Abbasi (Lecturer) along with the facilitator Mr. Sufyan Sultan during 3-days training on “Introduction to NGOs” for the student of University of the Punjab

 

Community World Service Asia organized a three-day training for University of Peshawar from January 26 – 28, 2016 and for University of Punjab on 5- 7 February 2016 on “Introduction to NGOs”. 23 students from the BS Social Work program participated in the event in Peshawar and 28 students from the M. SC Social Work participated in the event in Lahore.

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A sister holding her baby brother while waiting to see the doctor at the BHU in Kuzkhana

In response to the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the Hindukish mountain range on October 26th this year, affecting thousands of people in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, Community World Service Asia set up a mobile health unit in district Shangla.  The Mobile unit started its activities on October 30th and continued operation as a static Basic Health Unit in Kuzkana, Shangla, after two weeks and still operational.

In its thirty two days of activities till December 10th, the Health Unit days catered to 4090 earthquake affected community members in its Outpatient Department (OPD),of which 2271 patients were women and infants, and 1820 men and children.  A total of 1033 laboratory tests were conducted to diagnose illnesses among affected communities in the mobile Laboratory and BHU.

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Community World Service Asia conducted a six week residential training course on Proposal Writing in collaboration with Indus Consortium (IC). This course aimed to give participants the knowledge, techniques and tools used for writing winning project proposals, allowing participants to gain analytical and practical skills on project proposal writing. It was conducted at the locations Murree and Islamabad from September to November 2015.

The first part of the Proposal Writing course was held in Murree, and was attended by seventeen participants (13 Men & 4 Women). It entailed a variety of learning methodologies to address different learning styles through various interactive discussions, group work, case studies, quiet reflection and detailed lectures.  The course enhanced the knowledge of the staff members of IC partner organization on the topic of Project proposal writing and its implications on the effectiveness of project. At the start of the training a pre-test was conducted to gauge participants understanding upon the topic.

During the course the participants were divided into sub groups, which remained intact till the end of the training. However, temporary groups were made for completion of the given assignments. This combination of temporary and permanent groups allowed the participants to have more interaction and learn from each other to the maximum. Review of the previous day was an essential component of the training.

A salient feature of the training was that it demanded active participation of all participants, making the learning a two way process. All the participants were lead through proposal writing stages practically and made to play vital role in success of projects.

Essential and regular feature of the training was trainer’s evaluation by the participants. These exercises were aimed to judge the understanding level of participants and their needs, monitoring the sessions, maintaining a regular feedback and to gauge the level of learning taking place. A special effort was made to introduce new methods and tools of evaluation and warm up exercises (ice breakers and energizers) to keep the interest of the participants alive and to familiarize them to the maximum number of methods and tools.

The second part of this course was provision of technical support to all training participants.  In the first part four groups were formed to develop their proposals. In the second part they were provided with an opportunity to seek technical support from Resource Person Mr. Waqar Haider Awan. All groups finalized their proposals with the technical on-line consultation

A lessons learned event was conducted in Islamabad in 4th November 2015 to share their Proposal Writing experiences. Participants shared that gathering correct information for the proposals was a great challenge; however they relied upon data / information provided by the state department/s and authentic sources.  Developing LFA was another challenge which they overcome through online consultation and group coordination. The biggest lesson learned was working in groups as a team. The participants were able to identify five proposals which if submitted could land them further projects upon approval.

 

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Mir Hussain, a twelve year old resident of village Sher Muhammad Hallo in Thatta distirct encountered a foot injury while working in the agricultural fields. He accidently injured himself with his crop cutting spade while at work.  Mir Hussain’s injured foot bled heavily and the pain he was suffering was excruciating.

“I could not see my son in pain and bleeding that much. I was very worried as my husband was at work at the time and there is no hospital near our village”, expressed the worried mother of Mir Hussain. The mother was soon told about a Mobile health team that was present in the area, upon advice from fellow villagers and members of the Village Health committee, she immediately took her son to the Community World Service Asia Mobile Health team where Dr. Mujahid Ali Shah examined  Mir Hussain’s injury. Dr. Mujahid attended to his wounds immediately, first cleaning the wound and then stopping the bleeding by pressing it with a gauze bandage. When the bleeding ceased, the injury was properly dressed and Mir Hussain was given an antibiotic and pain killer for further relief. Mir Hussain’s mother was instantly relieved of her worry and expressed gratitude to the doctor and the mobile health team.

Belonging to an underprivileged family, Mir Hussain shares a home with his eight siblings and parents. His father is a fisherman who goes fishing to the nearby lake on a daily basis.  In the summer of 2015, their house and village was severely affected by the floods that hit parts of Sindh.  “All the residents of our village were moved to safer areas when the flood was approaching. We were moved to embankments as well. No one has assisted the flood affected villages with medical aid since the floods hit us. Community World Service Asia is the only organization that came to our medical assistance. It will take us two to three months more to further settle back into our normal lives”, narrated Mir Hussain’s mother.

The Health unit established by Community World Service Asia in Thatta, has so far conducted 5,745 medical consultations. Two hundred and seventy Ante-Post Natal consultations have been delivered, while 148 hygiene sessions have been conducted. Two village health committees consisting of twenty four members have also been formed under the current project.

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After completing training, participants receive an emergency kit, including a radio, a torch, a safe documents bag and a battery cell

This month, Community World Service Asia has conducted disaster risk reduction sessions for 150 men and women from six Community Organizations in the hazard-prone area of Thatta, Sindh province.  Community Based Disaster Risk Management trainings are conducted through our innovative Mobile Knowledge Resource Center, which engages community members in disaster preparedness skills.  These trainings are bringing vital knowledge to vulnerable communities, and empowering them to build their resilience:

“It was great and fruitful training for us because we never received any training about DRR by presenting simulation models, we never knew about our village’s vulnerabilities, historical hazards, evacuation and emergency equipment.”

  • Gul Hassan, member of Rahim Dino Thaheem Community Organization

“The early warning system is a very informative method to mitigate any future disaster.  It will help us with updates of natural disaster.  The phone number provided to us it will help us to remain in contact with government body and NGO. We never know before where we get updates.”

  • Yar Muhammad, member of Haji Talib Bijoro Community Organization

“I would like to thanks Community World Service Asia for coming here and conducted training especially for women, because we are neglected at any walk of life.  I learnt how to take safety measure in a fire disaster; I know about the reason of fire and how to keep away unused grass from kitchen surroundings.”

  • Ms Meemi Member, member of Basar Charan Community Organization
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