|
|
|
|
| Programme Themes |
|
Local leadership & institutions |
The Foundation helps citizens organize into local institutions and also assists in strengthening them. It presently partners with more than 1,000 local institutions of ♂ and ♀ across Pakistan, including over 500 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
These institutions strengthen the social capital of citizens and give them a platform for collective action. An estimated 50,000 rural and urban peasants, labour, teachers, lawyers, traders, students, businesspersons, and journalists are part of these local institutions. They are the Foundation's primary partners and a reflection of its approach of working in collaboration. This also helps achieve wider impact while keeping overhead costs at a minimum.
|
 |
| |
|
Citizen activism and public accountability |
Promoting citizen activism and public accountability is the heart of the Foundation's work. It brings together citizens and their organizations to form citizen coalitions with a view of converting social capital into political capital.
The Foundation has played a leadership role in creating two broad-based citizen coalitions: Aman Ittehad (United for Peace), which is a nation-wide citizen coalition formed in July 2009 to amplify citizen voice and demands for peace, democratic governance, justice, rule of law and a life of dignity; and, Tehreek Huqooq-e-Hazara (movement for the rights of the people of Hazara), which has successfully negotiated changes in rehabilitation policies and also struggled for the rule of law since its inception in 2005. The THH's base is Hazara but has extended its outreach to other parts of KPK.
The Foundation's distinctive strength is its pioneering use of budget analysis to build public demand for accountable use of public finances. Working with the International Budget Partnership (www.international budget.org) since 2006, the Foundation's trained staff has analyzed off-budget 2005 earthquake rehabilitation funds, and the provincial budget of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for FY2010-11 and FY2011-12. Evidence-based allocation of resources across districts; the transparent use of post-flood rehabilitation funds; and, the use of block funds that gives greater discretionary powers are some of the aspects examined.
The Foundation has demonstrated ability to use budget analysis and other evidences to mobilize citizen activism through people's assemblies and other public events. It also assists citizen-state engagement through roundtables and public hearings. Leveraging impact through the media is an important corner stone of the Foundation’s programme strategy. It works closely with national and regional media to amplify citizen voices for accountability and leveraging impact of its policy advocacy.
|
 |
| |
| |
|
Community physical infrastructure, social services, and livelihood support |
The Foundation is essentially an advocacy organization. It also works in partnership with the poor to reduce livelihood insecurity. The Foundation has trained staff involved in community infrastructure, credit provision, psychosocial support, and humanitarian assistance.
The Foundation works in collaboration with local people and their organizations to undertake interventions related to infrastructure projects such as; drinking and irrigation water, roads and pathways, bridges and community hydro-power plants. It also provided relief and rehabilitation support to those affected by the 2005 earthquake, the 2009 displacement due to conflict, and the 2010 floods.
Each intervention is intended to strengthen the core objective of strengthening local leadership and institutions. For example, for community infrastructure projects the Foundation places great emphasis on the preparatory stages in which a village or a group of villages is required to reach unanimity through an inclusive approach as to the nature of the development. This approach to social services and livelihood is in synergy with the other pillars of the Foundation’s work as it emphasizes the core values of discussion, inclusiveness, consensus-building and accountability. Moreover, development interventions are used to emphasize the Foundation’s core value of equity. This is done, for example, through the focus on the poorest villages, households and individuals. Gender equity is promoted through mechanisms such as reserving 70% of credit funds for women, and providing the credit through the PO women.
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2013 by Omar Asghar Khan Foundation
|
|
