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Human and institutional development Envisioning us as a catalyst, we at Saibaan always believes in human development to the extent where they could exploit their full potential. Saibaan strives for providing individuals with opportunities where they can learn and then efforts are put forward to transform this learning into practical action. At organizational level, emphasis is laid upon building capacity of staff members to enable them take up challenging assignments. Saibaan emphasizes to capacitate our partner communities as we believe that the major reason behind their being backward is that they have been deprived of the opportunities. In all 120 targeted villages where Saibaan intervened by now, the community members have been organized in form of Village Development Organizations (VDOs) where they can get together, discuss problem concerning them and find ways to their solutions. Efforts are being exerted these days to transform these VDOs into CCBs and thus paving way for them to work together with the government in public-private partnership.
Back to Top Sustainable livelihoods Poverty is the major problem and is the root cause of many a problem being faced by the rural folk. Generating new means of earning is the major focus of Saibaan over the years. In 60 villages across District Mansehra, Saibaan trained community members in various skills namely plumbing, electrician, carpenting, driving, tailoring, embroidery and other vocational skills. Besides, in 40 villages the community members were provided with livestock and poultry together with livestock and poultry management trainings to help them enhance their earnings. Through community partnership, fields were terraced in 50 villages and irrigation channels repaired by community members themselves in 30 villages. Roads have been reconstructed to benefit community members 35 villages. Major achievements are - Restocking of goats
- Restocking of poultry
- Repairing damaged infrastructure
- Construction of new roads
- Water supply scheme and
- Construction of water tanks
- Skill development trainings
- Plumbing, electrician, tailoring etc)
- Health trainings , TBAs, Ist aid etc
- Medical camps
- Agriculture inputs, seeds, fertilizers
- AEW trainings
- Livestock trainings and support for community based livestock centre
- Poultry management trainings
- DRR trainings
- CMST & LMST trainings etc
- Cash for work
Back to Top Disaster Risk Reduction Disaster Management Committees have been formed and trained in 40 targeted villages. These committees have been provided with Search and Rescue Kits for enabling them to respond immediately to any disaster. 1110 community members have been enriched in skills and knowledge pertaining to effective early emergency response. Back to Top Promotion of participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Without involving community members in process of Monitoring and Evaluation, transparency and accountability can never be ensured. Saibaan always keep community members in picture regarding all details related to the projects. Saibaan is striving for capacitating and empowering community members for ensuring the sustainability of the efforts being exerted. Back to Top Education Advocacy Literacy rate in Pakistan is lowest among the developing countries across the globe and if it comes to girls’ education, the situation is even worse. Saibaan aims to be advocate of the girls and speaks on their behalf before those who decides about the affairs pertaining to education. With continued efforts, Saibaan managed to propagate messages focusing voices of girls through radio and print media. Parents Teachers Councils (PTCs) have been revitalized and trained in 40 targeted villages in Siran Valley and Konch Valley.
Back to Top Women Empowerment Women are the marginalized segment of the society and often ignored when it comes to the benefits or facilities provided by the government or any other agency. Saibaan, mandating by Gender Policy, believes in equal participation of women in all interventions. All the villages where Saibaan works have separate Village Development Organizations for women where they themselves decide about the matters that affect them. Their voices are acknowledged by the men in their area now. They are part and parcel of every decision that concerns them unlike the previous practice where men used to decide on their behalf. Women work side by side with men in implementation of all the projects and they are no more the silent recipient of the benefits being received. Responding to needs emerging from a VDO, Saibaan is planning to start an Adult literacy Center in one of the targeted villages.
Back to Top Health Access to basic health facilities is decidedly the biggest of all the problems being faced by the rural community of Pakistan. The women are the most vulnerable to the hazard and that is why most of the Pakistani women give way to death during pregnancy. Reacting to demand of village women, Saibaan trained traditional Birth Attendants(TBAs) in 40 targeted villages and now these TBAs are effectively providing their services to women at their respective villages. Saibaan has strived to develop a referral system at village level and efforts were exerted to develop linkages with Department of Health. Saibaan organized Medical Camps in 43 villages where free prescription and medicines were provided to women and children. Trainings and sessions on Health & Hygiene promotion, First Aid, HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health have been organized in 43 villages.
Back to Top Capacity or Skill building Saibaan always believed in the Chinese proverb “it is not a service to provide fish to someone everyday but it is a service to make one learn how to fish everyday”. Training local community members in different trades have always been focus of the organization. To improve livelihoods of the community members, Saibaan enriched community members through provision of trainings on agriculture, poultry management, livestock management, furniture making, carpentry, polishing, cushioning, masonry, electrician plumbing and tailoring etc. Given that our working area is prone to natural hazards, Saibaan trained partner communities in providing training on Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency and Relief Response, WATSAN and Organizational development which included CMST, LMST, Gender, Social mobilization and financial management.
Back to Top Emergency Response Saibaan was pulled into emergency response with donors and local population looking towards organizations which are sincere and can deliver. A number of assessments, mappings and surveys were conducted (20 UCs and 99 villages) by Saibaan for various agencies, which having developed the trust reposed further confidence by tasking Saibaan for distribution of large number of relief items. The emergency response included relief which was immediate (items distribution), short term (infrastructure rehabilitation) and long term (rehabilitation and skill building). All these were complimented by training and kit provisions. The population benefiting from these initiatives included both male and female adults, youth and community as a whole. About a dozen Saibaan staff, 120 volunteers and 54 villages of 11 Union councils benefited from this response and have now people amongst them who have the capacities to address some of the emergency response issues before the external help arrives. Back to Top | 