Nai Basti Project

"Rebuilding Livelihoods of Communities in Disaster Affected Areas of NWFP Pakistan Project"

October 8, 2005, Pakistan

The earthquake that hit Pakistan on October 8, 2005, with a magnitude of 7.6, had a death toll of approximately 75,000 and directly affected the lives and livelihoods of 3.5 million people. The damage was not limited to Pakistan’s urban centres, with many rural towns and villages in the affected area razed to the ground.

The Mansehra and Battagram Districts of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Northern Pakistan were two rural areas fundamentally damaged by the 2005 quake. Agriculture, horticulture, and cattle rearing had been the main economic activities in the region prior to the disaster, as well as embroidery, carpentry, small business and hotels, all of which were disrupted and destroyed by the quake.

Nai Basti Project (“New Village”)

World Accord, in partnership with South Asia Partnership Pakistan, has helped finance the 2-year Nai Basti Project, which was initiated on December 1, 2006. Implementing partners include Sungi Development Foundation and Omer Asgher Khan Development Foundation (OAKDF). The key objectives of the project were to restore infrastructure and the means of livelihood, and to provide security, for local inhabitants of the Mansehra and Battagram Districts, NWFP. Over 5,000 people benefited directly from this project.

The Nai Basti Project Action Plan:

• Micro-credit formation and enterprise support for 200 families
• Livelihood support through a choice of 4 economic reinvigoration packages
• Village Committee formation and training
• Youth leadership and disaster management training
• Establishing community meetings and public forums
• Networking and enhancing linkages between communities, the Pakistani government, support groups, and NGOs

Each of the 4 economic reinvigoration packages provides livelihood support by revitalizing agriculture and livestock production in the destitute disaster zone. Recipients could choose between:

1. Goat Package: 53 families received four goats, fruit orchard, fodder and forest plants, vegetable garden, gas stove, agri tools, and materials for a cattle shed
2. Poultry Farm Package: 3 families received 200 birds each, fruit orchard, vegetable garden, gas stove, agri tools, and materials for a cattle shed
3. Donkey Package: 17 families received a donkey, fruit orchard, fodder and forest plants, vegetable garden, gas stove, sewing machine, better quality agri-seeds (wheat), and poultry birds
4. Business and Enterprise Package: 27 families received a 10,000 rupee (CAD$142) cash grant for micro-level business or enterprise development and training, vegetable garden, gas stove, and poultry birds

Project Results:

• 114 kanals of land (approx. 14.26 acres) planted with forest and fruit varieties (6,000 trees and 2,190 plants)
• Seasonal vegetable seeds distributed among 100 households in five villages
• 56 households received agri tools – sickle, spade, and axe
• 73 beneficiaries of the goat, donkey, and poultry packages each received a construction tool kit to build animal sheds

Community Capacity Building

The Nai Basti Project organized in 10 villages a set of Village Committees (VCs), one for men and one for women, to promote community organization, communication development,     and capacity building.

Representatives of each VC participated in a series of Household Implementation and Operational Training (HIP HOP) sessions:

• 3 representatives from 5 villages participated in Forest and Orchard Management
• 81 male participants spent 2 days training with a poultry specialist in Poultry Management
• 30 male participants trained in cattle rearing in Livestock Management
• 37 women trained in Kitchen Gardening (household gardening)
• 72 participants trained with a member of the Forestry Department in Forest Management and Nursery Raising
• 10 participants spent 3 days training in Enterprise Development
• 150 youth, of which 40% were girls, participated in Disaster Management Training

The People’s Assembly held on April 17, 2007, focused on the challenges to regional rehabilitation, and also provided material for a series of radio programmes to project local views to a wider audience. Further public forums and village meetings encouraged community empowerment in the struggle towards economic recuperation.

A subsequent meeting held on May 10, 2007, explored the potential to meet the needs of women in four villages where women-friendly spaces have been introduced. .