Improving livelihoods

Project description

Title: FATA Development Programme – result area: improving livelihoods.
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Pakistan
Lead executing agency: FATA Secretariat
Overall term: 2009 to 2015

Context

Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) lie on the country's border with Afghanistan. This region is characterised by great need and a whole host of overlapping and often violent conflicts. In the FATA, there are no state structures at municipal level. The population is only involved in decision-making through their traditional tribal representatives. However, the last few years have seen these representatives lose much of their backing from the population or fall victim to targeted attacks by militants. The state is very limited in its ability to provide basic social services. The marginalisation of large swathes of the population, a dearth of opportunities for participation in decision-making processes, and a lack of access to basic services and income-generating activities have all engendered a deep sense of government distrust among the population. The associated sense of powerlessness and deep frustration serves as a breeding ground for extremism. The FATA region is very difficult for outsiders to access, with most of the population cut off from the progress being made within Pakistan generally.

Objective

The self-help capacities and political participation of communities in the FATA region are strengthened. Community-based organisations have been established and consolidated. Constructive dialogue between civil society and the state is a reality

Approach

Community-based organisations (CBOs) are being set up in selected communities within the FATA region in order to boost community development, social cohesion and people's ability to help themselves. Training is being offered to the CBOs to equip them to identify and prioritise their needs on a participatory basis, and prepare funding projects and applications. The required finance is provided by a community development fund. The community development fund committee, which comprises representatives from government and from the CBOs, meets to discuss applications and the needs of the population before deciding jointly on which projects to finance. By taking ownership of the process of implementing the development measures, CBOs improve general living conditions in local communities and enhance their self-help capacity.

Results

In cooperation with local non-governmental organisations 55 CBOs have been established and provided with support in 42 communities, comprising around 110,000 people. 121 training courses enabled over 2,500 CBO members to improve their knowledge of local administrative structures and their project management skills. These members applied their newly acquired skills to the application process and to the implementation of 106 small-scale projects, including 37 roads, 16 flood protection walls and 50 latrines. A new solar power plant with 52 panels is supplying one community with energy, while access to clean water has been improved with the construction of a large number of drinking water systems, including 69 water tanks, 183 hand pumps and 34 wells.

An agricultural knowledge network has been established in the Frontier Region Peshawar in cooperation with the GIZ TVET Reform Support programme, with a view to increasing incomes in the medium to long term. Innovative cultivation methods for the off-season are being piloted at three training farms, and contact is being established with suppliers and potential buyers. 550 farmers from the CBO communities have been trained in improved cultivation and processing methods for the agricultural and livestock sectors.

Setting up CBOs helps to directly improve living conditions and promote dialogue between civil society and the state on development issues. CBO members learn to better recognise and describe local development opportunities and advocate then in dialogue with the state administration.

A system of 32 evaluation criteria for maturity has been developed and applied in order to evaluate the degree of independence of the CBOs. Building on the results of the analysis, further training activities have been agreed with a view to promoting even greater ownership by the CBOs.