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Overview

Severe heatwave conditions are currently affecting Sindh, with particularly heightened risks for vulnerable communities in Umerkot district during the late April–May 2026 pre peak and peak summer period. According to the Multi Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (MHVRA), Umerkot’s hot, semi arid climate records mean maximum temperatures of around 45°C across April, May, and June. For this district, the intensity of heatwave hazards has been assessed as “Severe to Extreme,” underscoring the urgent need for protective measures and community preparedness.

Umerkot district has an estimated population of 1.16 million people, including 0.90 million rural and 0.26 million urban residents1. The wider at-risk population includes outdoor workers, pedestrians, daily wage labourers, agricultural workers, women, children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and low-income households. These populations have limited access to safe drinking water, shaded spaces, cooling facilities, and timely health referral support.

The heatwave situation in Umerkot is not limited to health exposure alone. Higher temperatures increase dehydration risk, reduce water availability, disrupt outdoor labour, and affect agriculture and livestock-dependent livelihoods. This is particularly relevant in Umerkot due to its rural spread, low rainfall, hot semi-arid conditions, and dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods.

Heatwaves are forecastable hazards, and the Umerkot District Disaster Management Plan states that actions can be taken before occurrence through warnings, alerts, public precautions, awareness campaigns, water arrangements, heatstroke facilitation camps, mobile medical teams, and mobilisation of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and volunteers. Investing in early action is therefore both life-saving and cost-effective. Evidence from anticipatory action shows that every USD 1 invested in anticipatory action can yield up to USD 7 in avoided losses and added benefits, reinforcing the importance of supporting cooling centers, hydration points, awareness outreach, and referral linkages before heatwave impacts escalate 2.

Impact Snapshot

Community World Service Asia’s (CWSA) current field observations have identified multiple cases of extreme dehydration and fatigue among heat-exposed individuals, indicating increasing health risks at community level. Heatwave alerts circulated by local government/district sources further underline the need for early action before heat-related illnesses escalate into severe cases or avoidable loss of life.

Moreover prolonged heat places pressure on essential elements such as water supply points, health facilities, shaded public spaces, and electricity dependent cooling arrangements.

Heatwave risk is also closely linked with livelihoods, agriculture, livestock, and food security in Umerkot, where many people depend on rural livelihoods, daily wage labour, and outdoor work. Higher temperatures can reduce working capacity, increase dehydration risk, affect crops and livestock, and worsen water stress. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh’s heatwave guidance identifies water scarcity, agricultural disruption, and economic/livelihood disruption as key heatwave impacts.

Women, children, including those engaged in child labour, elderly persons, pregnant and lactating women, persons with disabilities, outdoor workers, daily wage earners, agricultural labourers, pedestrians, and low income households face heightened risks during extreme heat. Direct exposure, limited access to cooling, and reduced coping capacity compound their vulnerability. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the PDMA Sindh both underscore the urgent need for targeted protection measures to safeguard these groups throughout the heatwave period.

Emerging Humanitarian Needs

Water SecurityWater distribution points ensuring the supply of safe drinking water
Medical Assistance First aid, Oral Dehydration Salts (ORS) supply and urgent medical care
Emergency ShelterHeat camps, shaded resting spaces, cooling centres
Public Awareness & Coordination with District Authorities Dissemination of key messages such as avoiding outdoor exposure during peak heat hours, drinking safe water regularly, using ORS when needed, recognising symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and seeking timely medical support.

Community World Service Asia’s Proposed Relief & Response

CWSA has initiated voluntary heatwave response measures in coordination with the District Administration/DDMA Umerkot by establishing basic heatwave camps for heat-exposed populations pedestrians, outdoor workers, daily wage labourers including minors, and vulnerable groups. These camps are equipped with essential medicines, first aid support, oral rehydration solutions (ORS), cold drinking water, resting seats for heat exposed individuals. Awareness sessions are also being conducted at intervention locations on heatstroke prevention, signs and symptoms, precautionary measures during heatwaves, the use of ORS, first aid and timely cooling during heat related illness.These heatwave camps are set up at three locations including Umerkot city/Deputy Commissioner’s Office area, Village Ramser in Union Council Kaplore, and Government Dispensary Xheelband in Union Council Faqeer Abdullah.

These initial measures have reached approximately 2800 people so far, while the high daily turnout indicates continued need among heat-exposed groups in these and nearby high-footfall areas.

Call to Action

Community World Service Asia (CWSA) urges the international community and humanitarian partners to support an immediate, coordinated heatwave response in Umerkot, Sindh. Current heatwave alerts and field observations indicate that communities with limited access to safe water, shade, cooling spaces, and timely health support are at high exposure risk. Immediate support is required to strengthen existing camps and establish additional cooling spaces in priority locations identified with the District Administration/DDMA Umerkot.

Based on latest needs assessments, CWSA proposes establishing well equipped cooling spaces in priority locations, ensuring the availability of drinking water and oral rehydration solutions (ORS), and providing shaded resting areas with basic first aid support. Trained mobilisers will be deployed to raise awareness through local language materials, strengthen referral linkages, and maintain responsive feedback mechanisms. All interventions will be closely coordinated with district authorities and aligned with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh’s Heatwave Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Contacts

Shama Mall
Deputy Regional Director
Programs & Organisational Development
Email: shama.mall@communityworldservice.asia
Tele: 92-21-34390541-4

Tooba Siddiqi
Associate Regional Director
Emergencies & Quality and Accountability
Email: tooba.siddiqi@communityworldservice.asia
Tele: 92-21-34390541-4

Palwashay Arbab
Associate Regional Director
Visibility, Stakeholder Engagement & Inclusive Protection
Email: palwashay.arbab@communityworldservice.asia
Tele: 92-21-34390541-4

References

  1. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Census 2023 ↩︎
  2. https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/saving-lives-time-and-money-evidence-anticipatory-action-may-2025 ↩︎

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To bridge this gap, Community World Service Asia (CWSA), in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), Government of Sindh, and networks SCAN, NHN, HRCN ,Wash First Alliance, Wide Vision Civil Society Network , FANSA, hosted an Advisory Session on Regulatory Compliances at the CSO Club in Hyderabad, April 2, 2026

Hyderabad, April 2, 2026 — Navigating the complexities of compliance shouldn’t stand in the way of impactful community work. To bridge this gap, Community World Service Asia (CWSA), in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), Government of Sindh, hosted an Advisory Session on Regulatory Compliances at the CSO Club in Hyderabad.

This session was designed to be more than just a presentation; it was a practical space to demystify the regulatory compliances and financial hurdles, opening bank account per se, that many local organizations face daily.

Mr. Joseph Masih is giving an orientation on advisory session to the CSOs.

What we achieved:

Responding directly to the needs of CSOs, CWSA took the regulatory authority to the doorstep of the CSOs to facilitate them at the specific request of the networks. By engaging with the experts from the relevant departments, CWSA implemented a strategy designed to minimize administrative friction and address concerns in real-time. This session mobilized 67 members from five key networks:

  • Sindh Climate Action Network (SCAN)
  • National Humanitarian Network Pakistan (NHN)
  • Hyderabad Rural CSO Network (HRCN)
  • Wide Vision Civil Society Network
  • Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA)
  • Wash First Alliance

The participating networks formally acknowledged and appreciated CWSA for arranging this session, recognizing it as a significant platform for direct engagement.

Mr. Joseph Masih is giving an orientation on the advisory session to the CSOs.

Banking Regulations

A major highlight of the day was the direct involvement of the commercial bank (Askari Bank) and national bank. Recognizing the banking hurdles like opening bank account that CSOs face with financial access, both banks:

  • Shared a comprehensive compliance checklist for CSOs.
  • Offered active facilitation, inviting all participating CSOs to approach them directly for assistance with banking regulations.
Mr. Muhammad Rafique Jamali (Director SWD) is giving an orientation on the NGOs registration and renewal to the CSOs.

A Technical Roadmap for Growth

Led by Mr. Muhammad Rafique Jamali (Director SWD) and Mr. Joseph Masih (Program Coordinator, CWSA), the session provided a deep dive into:

  • EAD Procedures: Guidance on signing of the MOU with the EAD for the receiving of the foreign contribution and guidance on the process and procedure to enable CSOs to upload their applications on the EAD portal.
  • Registration & Renewal: Practical steps for navigating the SWD-Sindh processes.
  • Institutional Support: A briefing on the upcoming NGO Helpdesk to be established at the SWD Office in Karachi.
  • Mr. Majid, Technical Advisor for the e-portal, participated in the session to directly engage with CSOs, ensuring their specific concerns and feedback are effectively integrated into the portal’s technical design.
Mr. Muhammad Rafique Jamali (Director SWD) receiving ajrak from the CSO.

The Way Forward

CWSA aims to expand this “doorstep facilitation” model by engaging other key authorities, including Joint Stock Companies, the Home Department, SECP, and the Charity Commission. By creating these direct lines of communication, CWSA is ensuring that CSOs can focus on what they do best, serving their communities.

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Jami, a resident of Village Bandi, Union Council Kaplor in Sindh, grew up in a family where early marriage was a deeply rooted tradition. “In my family, marrying young was what everyone did. My parents believed it would secure our daughters’ future,” she recalled. Married at a very young age, Jami experienced early pregnancy, which affected her health and exposed her to the hidden risks of child marriage. She also witnessed the pressures within her own family, as her children’s engagements were arranged early in line with community norms.

Jami is the mother of eight children. The youngest child is six months old, while the eldest son is 16 years old. The other children are between six and 14 years of age. Jami had her first child at a young age, around 17 years old, soon after her marriage. Three of the children were born at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant, while five births took place in a government hospital.

During some of her pregnancies, Jami suffered from tuberculosis, weakness, and other health problems. She often felt very tired and experienced bleeding issues due to repeated pregnancies, short gaps between births, and limited access to proper nutrition and medical care. Having eight children in a short time span has had serious effects on her health. She has become physically weak, experiences body pain, and often feels exhausted. Repeated pregnancies without enough recovery time have negatively affected her overall well-being.

Her husband works as a daily wage labourer. During the rainy season, he is engaged in seasonal agricultural activities such as land preparation, sowing, weeding, and harvesting. Jami also supports her husband by working alongside him. Before and after the rainy season, he works as a labourer in road construction.

The family’s average monthly income is approximately PKR 24,000 (approx. USD 86), depending on the availability of work. Their average monthly expenses are around PKR 30,000 (approx. USD 107). Jami manages the shortfall and other household expenses through Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) installments.

Poverty, social pressure, and traditional norms often drive families toward early marriage in her community. “We didn’t have much money, and relatives suggested marriage as a solution,” she explained. “For many families, marrying daughters early feels like reducing one burden.”

When her daughter Khetu turned 14, similar pressure began mounting for her marriage. Jami was determined not to repeat the cycle that had shaped her own life. “I didn’t want my daughter to suffer the way I did,” she said.

Recognising the harmful effects of these practices, interventions under the Humanitarian Early Recovery & Development (HERD) and Agriculture, Gender & Livelihood (AGL) projects, implemented by Community World Service Asia (CWSA) and supported by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) and Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D), introduced gender awareness sessions and community theatre performances in Village Bandi. These activities were designed to educate families, encourage dialogue, and challenge traditional norms. The sessions provided practical information, helped families reflect on their own experiences, and enabled them to make informed decisions to protect the rights of their children.

The project began with community consultations and collaboration with village management committees to develop a curriculum on gender roles, rights, leadership, and decision-making. A total of 20 training sessions were conducted, reaching approximately 600 participants including 425 women and 175 men. These aimed to strengthen their role in household and community decision-making.

Jami and her family actively participated in the first open air theatre performance and gender awareness session held on 24 October 2025. Jami convinced her husband through persistent discussions at home, with the support of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, about the benefits of women’s empowerment and the importance of participating in training sessions. Her husband became supportive and agreed to her attendance once he understood that the sessions would help improve the family’s decision-making, income opportunities, and overall well-being.

Although he also attended the sessions, he was initially not fully convinced due to concerns about what people in the village might say. However, he received informal counseling from project staff during community outreach and household visits, which helped him better understand the value of women’s participation in capacity-building activities.

Through engagement with the sessions and performances, the family gained knowledge about the harms of child marriage, early pregnancy, and gender discrimination. They were prompted to reflect on their own life experiences and decisions. As a result, Jami and her husband made a firm commitment to delay the marriages of all their children until adulthood.

Despite pressure from relatives, they successfully refused to arrange the marriage of Khetu at age 14, ensuring her right to a safe and healthy adolescence. This decision brought great happiness to Khetu and marked a significant shift in family and community norms. At home, Khetu wakes up early in the morning and helps her mother with household chores such as cleaning, washing dishes, fetching water, preparing tea or breakfast, and taking care of her younger siblings. As the family has livestock, she also helps with feeding the animals. During the day, she continues to carry out domestic responsibilities. In the evening, she again supports her family with cooking and other household tasks.

Jami has enrolled four of her children in primary school, including her younger daughter. This means that only four out of the six school-age children are currently attending school due to financial challenges and household responsibilities. The others help their parents at home. The couple never went to school because, at that time, there were no schools in their area and girls’ education was also not given much importance. This further reflects the family’s commitment to education and empowerment, as they want their children to have better opportunities than they had.

While Khetu is currently not in school, Jami is actively seeking education and skills-development opportunities to secure her future.

Jami shared, “I want my children to make informed choices, not just follow old traditions. Knowing what’s at stake gave me the courage to protect them.”

Her story highlights how community-based awareness initiatives can empower families, encourage dialogue, and challenge harmful practices such as child marriage and early pregnancy. The project enabled Jami’s family to prioritise health, education, and rights. It highlights how sustained community engagement can bring meaningful behavioural change and promote gender equality.

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In its fresh whitewash and with its newly painted doors, the dispensary of village Jumo Nohri looks as if it was built recently. But it first opened in 2003 with staff, including a doctor (man), Lady Health Visitor (LHV) and dispenser. Riaz Ahmed, of the same village, says that the arrangement worked well for only about three years. At that time, though the dispenser attended daily, the doctor was assigned for only two days a week. “Even when he was here, he hardly ever worked in the dispensary. Instead, he went around the village to see patients who called him. That was not free; we paid what we could afford,” alleges the man.

Though there is no data of health issues in the area, Noor Muhammad of Community World Service Asia (CWSA) says that at the time of rehabilitating the dispensary they heard of cases of diphtheria and measles because of lack of immunisation. Allah Dad, the government dispenser who has served at the facility since June 2025, explained that past immunisation efforts were poorly managed and ultimately ineffective.

In the brief years when the dispensary functioned in the early 2000s, the absence of a lady doctor meant that women, particularly expectant mothers, had no access to proper care. Families relied entirely on the village midwife, often untrained. For serious complications, patients had to travel nearly forty kilometres to hospitals in Umerkot or Chhachro. While public transport was affordable, emergencies required hiring a private vehicle, an expense of around PKR 10,000 (USD 36), far beyond the reach of most families. Those unable to bear the cost were left without options, often resigning themselves to fate.

By 2006, the dispensary had fallen into disuse. For nearly two decades, it remained largely defunct, staffed only by a part-time dispenser and offering no meaningful services to the community.

In mid-2025, the District Health Officer at Umerkot requested CWSA to revitalise the Jumo Nohri dispensary. CWSA taking charge meant a full staff headed by Dr Misbah Marri, two LHVs, namely Musarat who also doubles as counsellor and social mobiliser and Farkhanda, with medical technician Waqas Ahmed. This staff divides their week in two-day shifts between this dispensary and two others in nearby villages. However, before operations could begin in August, the building being almost ramshackle required a facelift. New doors and a fresh coat of whitewash changed the aura of the facility.

Dr Misbah Marri says that she treats some 40 to 50 patients a day on her two days in this dispensary. The most common complaints she has to deal with are skin and gastro-intestinal problems which she attributes to contaminated water. Then there are respiratory tract infections, especially during the colder months of the year. Her patients come from about a dozen nearby villages whose collective population is between 10,000 to 12,000. Since this catchment is covered by the three dispensaries that CWSA manages, patients are within range of medical assistance six days a week. According to the doctor, she and her staff focus on mother and child health, ante and post-natal care, women in general and elderly and special persons.

“We have many antenatal cases of severely malnourished women,” says Dr Marri. “Deficiencies such as in B complex and folic acid result in malformed babies. As well as that, for the same reason, we hear of so many miscarriages.” The doctor who has been with CWSA since 2023, is of the view that Thar is particularly affected by these disorders. Between the months of August 2025, when the CWSA team began work here and November, she noticed a marked improvement in general health of women, especially pregnant individuals, because of the supplements they are being administered on a regular basis. However, she says there are still cases that have to be referred to the government’s Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative.

Waqas Ahmed, a medical technician with Community World Service Asia (CWSA), explains that poverty has long prevented local families from accessing even basic health supplements. Many relied on traditional home remedies, which offered little relief. Under previous government arrangements, essential medicines such as the antibiotic syrup Augmentin were available only at a cost of PKR 800 (approximately USD 3) per pack, far beyond the reach of most villagers, who endured their illnesses in silence. Today, with these medicines provided free of charge, the community has seen a marked decline in respiratory tract infections.

Lady Health Visitor (LHV) Musarat, who also serves as a social mobiliser, has been conducting regular health awareness sessions in the area. In her four months of service, she has observed a troubling pattern.

She narrates the case of a woman brought in on a camel cart because she was unable to walk even if assisted, leave alone walking on her own. She was bleeding heavily when Dr Marri and LHV Farkhanda provided her first aid for high blood pressure. During treatment the patient fainted but was soon stabilised and referred to Civil Hospital, Umerkot. In November, the woman was in the pink of health, according to Musarat.

Farkhanda relates the case of a woman named Zainab who was so weak from under nourishment that she could not even speak. She was severely anaemic and the doctor suspected heavy intestinal helminth infection. She was administered a drip and given necessary anti-helminth drugs as well as vitamin supplements. She too visits the health facility on her own now along with her two children.

Riaz Ahmed of the village says that since the CWSA intervention, the Jumo Nohri dispensary has been a boon for local women. He says it is a first-class facility right at their doorsteps. Earlier, the nearest facility for them was the Umerkot hospital, almost 45kilometres and a considerable expense away. But that does not mean that men are not benefitting, he adds. “We too get quality medication and for which we pay nothing.”

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Though Kumbhar Bhada lies only 45 kilometres east of Umerkot town, its setting among vast sand dunes gives it the feel of a remote desert settlement. Home to around a hundred families, all of whom are Muslim, the village has long struggled with limited educational facilities. Two government schools exist, one co-educational and another for boys, but opportunities for girls have remained scarce. In the early years of this century, the government allocated a single room to function as a girls’ school. For a community where families often have ten or more children, this provision was far from sufficient, leaving many girls without access to meaningful education.

No official teacher was appointed, however. In this vacuum, an NGO sent a woman teacher to work in the village. This private project lasted some five years and with its end the school closed down in 2007. Though some rare girl students joined the boys school, most simply dropped out and became their family’s help in household chores or in the fields. In a nutshell, since about 2007 there was no girls’ school in the village. For parents, themselves generally uneducated, this was no significant setback. Girls at home meant they could be gainfully employed with the parents to help at home and in the fields. However, there were also those rare parents who wanted their daughters to be educated.

In January 2024, community elders appealed to Community World Service Asia (CWSA) to revive the abandoned girls’ school and bring it back to life with a dedicated teacher. Responding to this call, CWSA appointed a qualified woman teacher and equipped the school with resources to make learning both meaningful and enjoyable. Children were introduced to sports equipment such as hoops and balls, and delighted in the novelty of a steel frame fitted with two swings. Classrooms were enriched with colourful teaching aids, foam blocks marked with alphabets and numbers, along with picture books, transforming lessons into engaging experiences.

Another highlight, under a sister project also implemented by CWSA, was the introduction of a school feeding programme, ensuring that every child received a nutritious lunch. The menu varied daily, with vegetables and lentils forming the staple, and chicken biryani served once a week, a meal that not only nourished but also brought joy to the students. This initiative helped safeguard children from malnutrition and encouraged regular school attendance.

As the single classroom could not accommodate cooking and serving, the community rallied together to expand the facilities. A hut was built beside the classroom to serve as a dining area, while a small shed became the cookhouse. The village community centre was also handed over to the school, repurposed as a pantry. These collective efforts created a welcoming environment where children could learn, play, and thrive.

Rather tentatively the attendance register listed some 35 students in the first week. Numbers slowly ticked upward and soon there were 80 until the rolls now stand at 120. As the students take their classes in the single room, two local women in the hut adjacent to it prepare lunch. During the break, the students take turns, 20 at a time, to be fed.

Gulshan, third among five sisters and seven brothers, is in Grade 2 and says she is eight years old. She started classes some years ago in the coeducation school, but soon dropped out. She has no idea if her parents thought it improper to her, a grown girl even at the age of eight, to be studying with boys, but she says she was put to work helping her mother with household chores. During the farming season, she went with her parents to their small holding where she minded her younger brother while the parents worked.

Though one of her older brothers takes local transport to Kaplor, six kilometres away, to attend school in Grade 5, none of her other sisters are in school. Some of her younger siblings do attend the local mosque for religious lessons, however. Quite clearly her family is not one that lays any great merit on girls’ education.

Gulshan has been in school since it restarted in January 2024 and in almost two years has worked her way to Grade 2. In between, her attendance became irregular and she relates that her parents would take her to work in the fields. Outside of farming season, when her father goes to work in a confectionery shop in Karachi, her mother insists she stays home to help with housework. She says she wanted to be in school and it was only after much pleading with the elders that she was able to resume classes. She affirms that she will continue to attend school even if the lunch programme comes to an end when the CWSA project ends in 2026. She has to fulfil her dream of being a doctor one day.

Eleven-year-old Ayaza, the third among three sisters and six brothers, carries a story marked by resilience. Living with a polio-affected leg that causes her to walk with a limp, she refuses to let this challenge define her. In fact, she considers herself fortunate compared to one of her brothers, who suffers from polio in both legs and can only crawl. When her parents are busy tending their small plot of land , where Ayaza also lends a hand, her father supplements the family’s income by working as a labourer on construction sites. For the family, however, education has never been a priority. Only one of her brothers attends the local boys’ school, leaving Ayaza and most of her siblings without access to formal learning.

When asked about her future, eleven-year-old Ayaza speaks with quiet conviction. After completing Grade 7, she dreams of becoming a teacher. Her heart is firmly set on this path, and she insists she will do whatever it takes to achieve it. For Ayaza, the daily school lunch is not the only motivation to attend classes; she carries with her higher ambitions and the hope of shaping young minds one day.

For Grade 2 students, both girls read surprisingly well from their primers. Even random pages are read fluently. This surely is a reflection on the efficiency of the teacher and her teaching methods.

In the two years since CWSA rehabilitated the school, a Children’s Day and a Cultural Day festivals have been held. Both events were fun-filled days of games and eats attended by students of the other two schools as well. According to the parents, despite the schools functioning since the mid-1990s, these events were the first such to have ever taken place in the village. It seems this might be the reason parental interest in their children’s education has risen and the students are not being withdrawn to help at home.

As the CWSA project draws to an end in late 2026, the school will be handed over to the government and a lady teacher appointed here. Going by the yearning for education seen among the students, it is clear that the village committee will raise a clamour in the event of government apathy. Surely children like Gulshan and Ayaza and all the others who dream of being useful adults need to be given the chance to prove themselves.

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In 2016, Nangar of Mallay ji Bhit died of tuberculosis of the lungs. In his final weeks, he was also haemorrhaging violently from the nose and mouth and had to be hospitalised in Karachi. In that trying time, Ameenat tended to her home and five daughters while her only son looked after the ailing father in the hospital. Ameenat says her husband’s hospitalisation cost the family about PKR 400,000 (approx. USD 1428).

She sold her two buffalos, one cow, three goats, a donkey and the cart to pay for the treatment. But when she was left with nothing more to sell, she borrowed from family and friends. Sadly, Nangar’s illness was so far gone that there was no coming back and when he passed away, Ameenat was under a debt of PKR 250,000 (approx. USD 893) and with no assets. She was lucky that her relatives wrote off their loans to her. There still remained a substantial sum owed to others. She and her eldest son eventually repaid after much hard work over three years during which she worked as a sharecropper, while her son tended other people’s livestock.

Ameenat’s most handy skill is mud plastering of houses for which she is called by householders in the village. As well as that, during season she goes chilli pepper or cotton picking which fetches PKR 500 (approx. USD 1.79) for every 40 kilograms picked.

Between 2021 and 2024, things were comparatively better for her and she wedded off her son and two of the older daughters. To complete the count, she says, she still has to wed three more girls. Now with her son working as a helper on a waste management truck for PKR 15,000 (approx. USD 54) a month, she was always worried it would take a long time to arrange the necessary dowry for the girls.
“My son gives me Rs 5000 to 7000 [approx. USD 18 to 25] a month from his salary. But that is only enough for household expenses, not to put away for dowry,” says Ameenat.

Her fortune changed when she became one of the participants under a food security and livelihoods initiative implemented by Community World Service Asia (CWSA) and financially supported by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH). In October and November 2024, she received the first two installments of multi-purpose cash assistance under the project. That year, her portion as sharecropper was reasonable and the cash was used partially for food while the bulk was spent on dowry items. It was the goat that came with the package that was the biggest boon because it soon delivered a very healthy kid.

Ameenat says she would normally have worried about the health of her goat in the dry season starting in March, but in 2025, she had hydroponic fodder to augment the dry fodder she had saved from the past harvest. The kid gambolling around her yard looks very healthy and she says though it is now weaned, it had plenty of milk when it needed because of the green fodder she was trained to grow. The bonus was the supplemental feed for the goat which also increased its milk production and she was able to have her own supply for morning and evening tea.

The kitchen garden was another great bonus. Since the death of Nangar, the family rarely had vegetables to dine on but that was not the case now. This was only when her son came home for a day or two and brought a supply from town. In November 2025, she was preparing her little patch for the third round of gardening.

“We used to have homemade chilli and garlic chutney with chapatti [flatbread] because we could rarely afford vegetables. But now there is so much and in such variety that when vegetables are in season we always dine well and also give away to others,” says Ameenat. She is proud that she now entertains visitors with good milk tea and excellent vegetable stews.

“Since this intervention, our life has changed for the better. I can now look forward to buying my own livestock again. If luck holds out I will have at least one buffalo in good time,” says Ameenat.

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At Community World Service Asia, school meals go beyond filling plates; they nurture growth, learning, and well-being. As Sphere’s Regional Partner in Asia, we integrate Sphere food security and nutrition standards into our school feeding project, supported by PWS&D and CFGB, to ensure every child receives safe, balanced, and culturally appropriate meals.

Our approach focuses on:

  • Assessing nutrition and food security to meet children’s real needs
  • Preparing meals with locally sourced, balanced ingredients
  • Upholding hygiene and food safety at every step

By combining care, local knowledge, and international standards, children are eating healthier, attending school more regularly, and thriving academically.

Because when meals are made with care, children learn better, grow stronger, and dream bigger.

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