An Overview of Thar

Tharparkar district lies in south-east part of Sindh province of Pakistan. The area is largely comprised of the sandy Thar Desert. Tharparkar is geographically spread over 22000 square kilometers with an estimated population of around 1million. The district is most deprived area of the Pakistan as ranked by the World Food Programme as the most food insecure of Pakistan’s 120 districts. More than 90% people of distinct live in around 2000 rural villages. More than 80% of people’s livelihood is dependent on precarious rain-fed agriculture and livestock (animals are around more than 4.5 million in numbers).
The rain fall pattern is not uniform in the area and is often erratic and falls between July and September. After the rains, the desert subsoil aquifers are recharged and the pasturelands are regenerated. However, by February, the aquifers are often depleted and the pasturelands dry up. If there are consecutive droughts then scarce ground water turns to saline and brackish in most parts of the area. This situation leads Thari people migrate in every dry season to the flood plains of Indus and to the barrage areas where the barrage farmers give them protection. They are allowed to graze and water their animals in these areas and in exchange they provide agriculture labour to the barrage feudal lords.

Thari economy reflects in barter kind of approach where a village was supposed to take care of almost all its needs itself. Based on one estimation around 90 percent of households of the area own 2 -5 animals and 54% have small pieces of desert lands. The social indicators in the area are quite appalling; literacy ratio is about 18.32 percent- 28.33 for men and 6.91 for women, enrolment ratio 12.56 and primary school drop out rate more than 20 percent. Infant mortality rate is 112 per 1,000 live births and population growth rate is 3.1 percent much higher than national growth rate. The gender breakup of household population confirms the gender disparity –more male than female- 120.6 male per 100 female as quoted in district senses report 1998. Over 86 percent of households take loan ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 for subsistence and other expenses that leads these communities put in vicious circle of poverty and make their livelihood at stake.

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Few issues of the area needing attention:

• Dug well is main source of ground water in the area and people often have to wait for hours till their turn. Women and children are the most vulnerable segments of “Thari” community. As women and children mostly are culturally become responsible of fetching water and carrying it in large pitchers over their heads from far-flung (half kilometre to 3 kilometres) dug-wells or tarais (embankments/water ponds once there are rains).
• Water sources in the area are limited and quality of ground water is brackish with high concentration of various salts and minerals, which are dangerous to human as well as livestock health.
• Lack of appropriate rainwater harvesting methods and lack of high affordability/paying capacity of vulnerable communities in the area made them deprived having access to safe water.
• Vast majority in villages of Thar desert practicing the open defecation (most have no latrine facility).
• Even the people of 6 small towns of the district have partial sanitation access (that also is not appropriate and as well not considered as safe access to sanitation, like the blocked open drains and pit latrines)
• Half of population is under 15 as per census (1998) (so the vast children community is most deprived of having safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene education)
• Particularly in transforming towns and large villages the issue of solid waste accumulation particularly of polythene-bags is emerged as massive concern causing various traumas ranging from blockage of drains, polluting drinking water of open dug-wells, deaths of livestock due to intake of these polythene-bags and other solid-wastes adhering some leftover foods and vice versa. (It is worth to be noted that livestock is one of main livelihood sources of people in Thar). And having Solid Waste Management system can contribute to recycling of unsolvable stuffs which can further lead to protect the environment deterioration and ecology disturbances in the area.
• Livestock as one of primary livelihood source becomes reason of various communicable diseases in the area due to lack of hygiene awareness.
• Very low literacy rate and overwhelming cultural beliefs have kept the people of the area away of practicing hygiene and get familiar of hygiene education that ultimately leads to high infant mortality rate of 112 per 1,000 live births, maternal mortality 500 per 100000 and frequent outbreaks of communicable diseases like dysentery, cholera and eye infections etc.
• The scattered settlements in the desert have made people of area unable to get such facilities by concerned actors as and when required.

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ORGANIZATION :: Brief History of SF

Sukaar Foundation, a non-governmental organization is established in 2003 as Para (hamlet) Development Committee (PDC) at Mithi city of district Tharparkar, in affiliation with Thardeep Rural Development Programme, a NGO of Sindh. The PDC took start from savings, internal lending and working for other immediate neighborhood problems including water, sanitation and health/hygiene education issues. Sukaar Foundation, latter registered under Trust Act in 2005 in order to began work as a NGO.
In a way ahead Sukaar Foundation through a platform of Citizen Community Board had set up a district resource center at Mithi for water and sanitation related research and implementation activities in collaboration with district government Tharparkar. Further the Sukaar Foundation approached to Orangi Pilot Project Karachi get learn from its sanitation experiences and endeavored to implement those into rural context. Moreover, it also linked with Water Aid Pakistan and later the World Bank as well in order to learn more and influence peers to actively partake in development activities. Working for the promotion of health education SF collaborated with Agha Khan University- Institute for Educational Development into its health action schools project, which SF is planning to scale the positive learning through other peer organizations. Currently, SF is working like a laboratory to learn from grassroots experiences beginning with the WatSan and health/hygiene education; the subject of the focus.
SF has been working for the empowerment of poorest people and younger generations leading them to get equitable access to basic rights focused on water, sanitation and health/hygiene education.

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Vision of SF

Improved public health, nurturing environment and livelihoods for younger generations.

Mission

To strengthen marginalized communities focused on young people through social and technical assistance leading to develop their linkages with local governments/authorities & other like-minded stakeholders in order to ensure their accessibility to improved water, sanitation, health/hygiene education and livelihoods.

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Objectives:: SF has following core objectives:

• Empowering rural children and young people to obtain social, emotional, ethical, physical, and cognitive competencies and enhance their knowledge base on health education and mental health, marketable skills, and opportunities for service and civic participation in order to enhance their capacities and skills lead them to take an active role in social support mechanisms for poor friendly rural development beginning with water, sanitation, health/hygiene education and livelihood improvements among poor.
• Creating and promoting viable small technologies for development focused on water resource development, drinking water security and improved low-cost sanitation infrastructures for poor.
• Promote health/hygiene education in communities and schools, focused on women and children through youth volunteers, as crucial in reducing morbidity, mortality and poverty.
• Promote and value-add the indigenous practices in order to improve the water security, sanitation conditions, hygiene practices and precarious livelihoods among poor.
• Taking research and advocacy as a tool to influence relevant policies and procedures- focused on water, sanitation, health/hygiene education and livelihoods- in order to make these pro-poor aimed at bringing long lasting changes in lives of poor.

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SF Values:

Sukaar Foundation values are included:

• Concern for poor and disadvantaged community
• Respecting culture and dignity of people
• Human rights and good governance
• Professionalism
• Adaptive learning and innovation
• Priority to young people and women
• Gender equality & non-discrimination
• Concern for sustainable water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihood for poor
• Partnership

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SF Approaches

SF approaches to its work are included:

• Community Management of WatSan and hygiene Programme
• Participation & cost-sharing by community through participatory methods
• Ownership to the community to ensure sustainability of the support
• Beef up supporting and complementing the governmental initiatives in the WatSan sector
• Work primarily through grassroots community based (groups) organizations seeking to strengthen their empowerment
• Strive to address the prevalent poverty and related inequality.
• Facilitate the poor in unserved and disadvantaged communities, particularly the children and young people to build their capacities in order to harness their potential.
• Believe in action research & learning by doing
• Act as catalyst and facilitator in the development process.
• Focus on the sound development techniques, socially acceptable, economically attractive and ecologically sustainable.
• Give priority to low cost and effective activities building upon community experiences.
• Focus on gender inequalities and other diversity issues through different actions and programmes.
• Undertakes activities & programmes that make difference in the lives of rural people (men, women, young people and children) for example; bringing technological change, community physical infrastructure, livelihood uplifting (through food for work approach), nutrition and health, basic education and literacy, skills through training, access to new markets etc
• Empower both rural & urban men and women, who live on the margin of society, enabling them to participate more freely in public forum and get the access to resources that they other wise can not get.
• Working in collective efforts with other non-governmental organizations
• Strengthening public sector to ensure that government departments are primary duty bearers

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Partners

Partners of SF are included:

• Water Aid Pakistan
• World Bank
• Orangi Pilot Project,
• Agha Khan University
• Local Government
• District Education Department
• Non-Government-Organizations
• Local Community Groupsm & Community Based Organizations
• Children and Young People

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Area of Work

Sindh