News & Events
Mardan Survey, OSDI's Success - 08-03-2010
On 18 th February, 2010, OSDI's management visited the rural areas of Mardan district, N.W.F.P. where the OSDI team had been conducting surveys in the villages of Badam, Mian Gul Killay, Naway-killi, Pir Sai and Sayedabad.
Our visiting management was overwhelmed by the poor health conditions of the localinhabitants and found the situation to be unnerving and disheartening. Upon first glance, the principal problem being faced was the deplorable standard of sanitation. Water laden with waste was observed flowing freely on the pavements/passages instead of on appropriately established infrastructure. Animals and young children were playing on these pavements/passages indicating an enormous hazard to their immediate health. An alarmingly high number of these people were cases of untreated Hepatitis, and suffered diarrhea and dysentery issues because of the extremely poor sanitation conditions.
Ray of light in the midst of the mountains:
However the most promising reality discovered was the urge to educate the young. Every child and youngster met by the team was studying in the local schools and had aspirations to become an engineer or an army officer. Such enthusiasm is a sign of hope and prosperity for the future generation of Pakistan.
The management met with the local families at Pir Sai and took note of the extremely poor and marginalized families surviving on zakat/ charity and support from the relatively better off relatives. These people wanted to help themselves and sought an opportunity to improve their own lives; one such case was of a young female named Nazo. She lived in a mud house with her mentally challenged husband and a widowed aged mother-in-law. They like many other families had no regular income and survived from local support. However she suggested that she could stitch and could make her ends meet if she had a sewing machine. These families despite living in poor conditions did not seek for a penny but wanted an opportunity pull themselves out of poverty.
Upon noticing such commitment and valor the visiting team decided to distribute sewing machines to capacitate the families like Nazo's, and empower them by enabling them to have an immediate source of sustainable income.
OSDI team distributed 10 sewing machines to such families like Nazo; 3 in Badam, 3 in Naway-killi, 2 in Pir Sai and 2 in Sayedabad.
The OSDI team has completed its survey in the district of Mardan in the N.W.F.P. Province and the survey has already begun in the Gilgit Balistan Province.
OSDI's visions Global Acceptance - 08-03-2010
We are intensely delighted to announce the publication of an article titled ‘Fighting Poverty through Sustainable Development in Pakistan' written by our own Maheen Haider and Aasim Siddiqui on the official website of Himalayan Consensus Certified. The article discusses the dual challenges, poverty and hopelessness, faced by Pakistan . It also describes the steps and measures adopted by OSDI to overcome such obstacles to allow Pakistan a chance to prosper as a thriving nation.
The article can be viewed through the following link:
http://www.himalayanconsensus.org/articles/himalayan-consensus-in-pakistan-fighting-poverty-through-sustainable-development-in-pakistan.
Rural House Hold And Community Assessment Survey - 11-02-2010
The OSDI team, at present is in the process of developing a comprehensive questionnaire for the purpose of administering an in-depth survey on the focused rural areas of Pakistan. The survey will help us analyze the livelihoods and living conditions of the rural poor of Sindh, N.W.F.P. and Gilgit Balistan and implement programs ensuring sustainable development.
We wish to implement efficacious and effective sustainable livelihood and community development projects. The survey covers a range of aspects and has been categorized into household and community assessment. They both asses various conditions prevailing in these areas like means of livelihoods, (agriculture, livestock), water and sanitation, education and health facilities, basic utilities and road infrastructure etc at both household and community level.
The questions in each of these sections are skillfully designed to gather extensive data aligned with our vision to aid our team in promoting sustainable development. This will improve the living conditions of the impecunious families by the aid of necessary resources and empower them via increased economic activity and community development projects.
The survey is expected to start by the mid of February in the rural areas of Mardan and Gilgit and will be conducted in the focused villages of Sindh subsequently. OSDI's future programs as a result of the survey will provide the means and the right tools to the poor in order to create a sense of responsibility among them so they can take appropriate initiatives of helping themselves. We will work towards installing long lost hope of a better life in these communities and endeavor to restore the sense of pride and dignity in their lives.
Success in the Livestock Sector - 21-01-2010
OSDI's Livestock Project, part of the Livelihood Assistance Program was initiated in the villages of Jan Mohd. Vandiar & Goth Kot Pir Bux Banbharo. People from these communities lead a semi-nomadic life and their livelihoods are largely dependent on livestock and agricultural activities. Our goal behind the project was t o financially empower the underprivileged people of Shambani Balouch community of village Jan Mohd Vandiar and Banbharo community of village Goth Kot pir Bux Banbharo. The projects were designed to raise their income levels so they can break free from the debilitating cycle of poverty. We aimed to provide them with the means and the tools to enable them to improve their livelihoods. Three families were selected for this project.
The project began in the month of September, 2009 with the purchase of livestock from the capital which was provided to them through Micro Finance by OSDI. The 3 families raised and fed the livestock until it was time to sell them. During the course of the project we were actively involved with the families. OSDI frequently conducted workshops in collaboration with the local veterinarians to teach the project committee about livestock development. Due to these workshops, people began to take better care of their animals in terms of health and nutrition and thus witnessed remarkable results. The duration of the program was 2 months, successfully ending in the month of November around Eid Ul Azha to maximize sales revenue. After all the deductions including the repayment of the interest-free loan, it was seen that the families were left with a significant profit.
Due to the accomplishment of this project, the OSDI team is working in close collaboration with the focused families and is developing the 2 nd phase of the livestock development project. The team is also evaluating more families to be included in the project in the future and additional variables in order to ensure that the livelihood assistance program will help improve the lives of the Banbharo and Balouch community in order for them to achieve a sustainable livelihood.
Empowering Farmers in Sindh - 21-01-2010
The Agriculture Project Phase I in Sindh is taking place in the district of Ranipur, in the villages of Jan Mohd. Vandiar, Goth Pir Bux Banbharo and Mulko Wahan. The people of this area are mostly dependent on livestock and agricultural activities to support their families. OSDI's goal is to help these people improve their livelihood strategies so that they are able to increase their income from the same assets that they are working with. Our team works closely with the target communities in order to assess the roots of poverty. After this assessment, we were able to develop a tailor-made strategy to gradually increase income through improved farming methods as well as giving them access to interest-free credit. Before OSDI loans, these villagers were simply re-using old seeds and were unable to afford proper inputs like fertilizer and new seeds. With money to buy better quality seeds and inputs, the results of the crops are expected to be much higher. There are a total of four families participating in this project. Since its commencement in November, the land has been ploughed, cultivated and fertilized. The project is expected to yield its results by the month of April next year.
A similar project has been initiated by our team in Sindh, in the district of Shikarpur, in the village of Malhee. Our goals and aims behind this project are similar to those of the project launched in Ranipur district. There are a total of 3 families participating in this project. Since its commencement in the month of November, the lands have been ploughed and cultivated. Seedlings are visible in the fields at this time, which is surely a good indicator of the impending success of the project. The project is expected to yield positive results by the middle of 2010.
Sustainable Livelihood Projects in Gilgit - 21-01-2010
OSDI has launched 2 projects in the Gilgit region, in the villages of Nomal and Rahimabad. These projects are referred to as vegetable project and the greenhouse project. Each project has been assigned to one family in the region.
The family that has been provided with the loan for the vegetable project has planted two vegetables, spinach and potherb. The family has already begun to reap the benefits; they have plucked and sold the vegetables four times. We are expecting a full return of the loan in the coming months.
The family participating in the greenhouse project invested their loan in the building of a fully functional greenhouse and preparation of seedlings of green chilies, green peppers, capsicums and tomatoes. This greenhouse will allow the family to produce seedlings year round despite the external weather conditions. This project will not only benefit the family but also aid the community as they would be able to purchase higher quality seedlings. After the completion of the greenhouse the seedlings were sowed on December 1 st of 2009 and the loan is expected to be repaid by the first quarter of 2010.