After attending a four-day Active Citizens training workshop, Maria Zia was motivated to put into action a desire she had long held – to clean up parts of her city, Rawalpindi, and educate the community about the importance of controlling environmental pollution. ‘Ao Pindi Chamkain’ (Let’s Clean Up Pindi) is the award-winning social action project initiated by Maria.
Her team of twelve students meets regularly at the Commercial Market Park and divides into groups of 2 or 3. These groups spread out to different areas nearby, armed with garbage disposal bags and dustbins. They pick up litter and talk to residents along the way, in the hope of inspiring them with their spirit of community participation.
There has been a marked improvement in the environment of the neighbourhoods that Maria’s group regularly visits. Residents who were initially sceptical about the commitment of these youngsters have acknowledged their contributions and have pledged to carry forward their work. Work which, rewarding though it may be, is not without its difficulties. The most serious one is a lack of finances. Since the members of the group are all students, they are finding it increasingly difficult to cover the costs of transportation and materials.
Maria hopes that residents will now start pitching in to provide financial support and ensure the long-term sustainability of her project.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Computers for change
The dismal state of the education sector in Pakistan is a well-established fact. Perhaps that is why the majority of Social Action Projects focus on improving access to learning. Dr Saif-ur-Rehman is an Active Citizen whose Social Action Project Projects, Learning, Leading aims to support the existing learning environment.
Dr. Rehman is well aware that the education sector is plagued by major issues such as a lack of functioning schools, ineffective government policies and gender discrimination. However, he believes that starting small and improving the current facilities will play a big role in increasing school attendance.
With help from his three team members, Dr. Rehman set about to collect funds for two computer labs in the underprivileged localities of Karachi. The first one, located in Karim Nagar, was launched in 2010 and has eight computer stations. The second one, located in Gulzar-e-Rahim and launched this year, comprises twenty computer stations. Computer courses and training programmes are offered at a nominal fee (Rs.100-150) at both centres and they operate from 9am to 10pm daily, with students gathering outside in long queues to avail the services.
Technology can make learning fun and Dr. Rehman is of the opinion that if children from less privileged communities have access to computers, their entire outlook to learning, and to life, will change. Not only will it improve their performance in schools, it will enable them to learn basic skills that can enhance their earning potential.
Currently, the project is overseeing the construction of a Resource Centre, which will house a computer lab, a library and a reading room. With books, newspapers, magazines and a variety of other resource material, it will be a healthy alternative for youngsters who are normally found loitering in the streets.
Dr. Rehman is well aware that the education sector is plagued by major issues such as a lack of functioning schools, ineffective government policies and gender discrimination. However, he believes that starting small and improving the current facilities will play a big role in increasing school attendance.
With help from his three team members, Dr. Rehman set about to collect funds for two computer labs in the underprivileged localities of Karachi. The first one, located in Karim Nagar, was launched in 2010 and has eight computer stations. The second one, located in Gulzar-e-Rahim and launched this year, comprises twenty computer stations. Computer courses and training programmes are offered at a nominal fee (Rs.100-150) at both centres and they operate from 9am to 10pm daily, with students gathering outside in long queues to avail the services.
Technology can make learning fun and Dr. Rehman is of the opinion that if children from less privileged communities have access to computers, their entire outlook to learning, and to life, will change. Not only will it improve their performance in schools, it will enable them to learn basic skills that can enhance their earning potential.
Currently, the project is overseeing the construction of a Resource Centre, which will house a computer lab, a library and a reading room. With books, newspapers, magazines and a variety of other resource material, it will be a healthy alternative for youngsters who are normally found loitering in the streets.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Talking the talk and walking the walk
The communication gap between people who subscribe to different faiths, come from different cultures, and belong to different social classes can be a major hurdle for young people who want to interact with each other, explore other cultures, and learn about different religions. Young people living in rural areas are especially aware of the fact that they don’t have a platform to communicate and consequently remove misconceptions and move closer.
Youth for Peace is a group of Active Citizens from Bahawalpur who started a Social Action Project (SAP) to promote interfaith harmony. According to the group members, they felt that they had to play their part in enabling young people of their area to overcome social barriers and reach out to one another. In their own words: “we are trying our level best to provide a platform for people who really don’t know about different religions and cultures. Due to our efforts and hard work we have found some success in promoting interfaith harmony among different religions and cultures”.
To promote their cause the group organized a “peace walk” for the students of their city. The group visited different schools and presented their views on interfaith harmony. They were successful in convincing officials and students from different schools to take part in the peace walk.
A dialogue between different groups within the community was also organized by Youth for Peace. The purpose of the dialogue was to bring together community members from different religions under one roof, where they could talk with one another candidly and openly.
Through the dialogue the group also managed to remove certain misconceptions about their SAP. According to a group member, one point stressed time and again by Youth for Peace was: “Interfaith harmony does not mean the adoption of customs and traditions of other religions but it really means that we should not view other religions with prejudice and should respect them whole heartedly”.
Thanks to the efforts of these Active Citizens members of different social groups got a chance to sit down together and talk in a way they had not before. Hopefully they learned something new about one another along the way and some left with the realization that no matter how different people are, they still have a lot in common.
Youth for Peace is a group of Active Citizens from Bahawalpur who started a Social Action Project (SAP) to promote interfaith harmony. According to the group members, they felt that they had to play their part in enabling young people of their area to overcome social barriers and reach out to one another. In their own words: “we are trying our level best to provide a platform for people who really don’t know about different religions and cultures. Due to our efforts and hard work we have found some success in promoting interfaith harmony among different religions and cultures”.
To promote their cause the group organized a “peace walk” for the students of their city. The group visited different schools and presented their views on interfaith harmony. They were successful in convincing officials and students from different schools to take part in the peace walk.
A dialogue between different groups within the community was also organized by Youth for Peace. The purpose of the dialogue was to bring together community members from different religions under one roof, where they could talk with one another candidly and openly.
Through the dialogue the group also managed to remove certain misconceptions about their SAP. According to a group member, one point stressed time and again by Youth for Peace was: “Interfaith harmony does not mean the adoption of customs and traditions of other religions but it really means that we should not view other religions with prejudice and should respect them whole heartedly”.
Thanks to the efforts of these Active Citizens members of different social groups got a chance to sit down together and talk in a way they had not before. Hopefully they learned something new about one another along the way and some left with the realization that no matter how different people are, they still have a lot in common.
Empowerment through entrepreneurship
The majority of women in Pakistan do not have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Illiteracy and cultural constraints keep them for standing up for their civil, political, legal and economic rights. Recognising this, a group of students from the University of Peshawar initiated a social action project to empower women through entrepreneurship. The aim of the project is to provide rural women with opportunities to utilise their skills and creativity which in turn, will give them the freedom to improve their financial condition. Moreover they wanted to ensure equal opportunities for the women of their community, and to create a space where they can utilize their skills and creativity.
The group comprises of students of Peshawar University who met at an Active Citizens training workshop organised by the Institute of Social Work, Sociology & Gender Studies. They named their group the Youth Promotion Social Development and chose to work in Nowshera, a flood-affected district where women are at a greater disadvantage: having lost their homes, their possessions and all semblance of a normal life. Working with the rural women they came to the realization that most of them were illiterate; neither had they received any vocational training which would have enabled them to generate income.
The active citizens organised a workshop where, as a first step to
wards building confidence, the rural women were encouraged to speak out about the problems they faced in their day-to-day lives, their dreams and their ambitions. The second phase of the workshop was a training session of ten days, during which 25 women were taught how to make hand bags, wall hangings, embroidered pieces and bangles.
Once the training was completed, the group organised an exhibition to introduce, promote and market the work among the general public. The group hopes to develop this model into a successful enterprise and use the funds generated from the sales to improve the condition of the women in Nowshera.
The group comprises of students of Peshawar University who met at an Active Citizens training workshop organised by the Institute of Social Work, Sociology & Gender Studies. They named their group the Youth Promotion Social Development and chose to work in Nowshera, a flood-affected district where women are at a greater disadvantage: having lost their homes, their possessions and all semblance of a normal life. Working with the rural women they came to the realization that most of them were illiterate; neither had they received any vocational training which would have enabled them to generate income.
The active citizens organised a workshop where, as a first step to
wards building confidence, the rural women were encouraged to speak out about the problems they faced in their day-to-day lives, their dreams and their ambitions. The second phase of the workshop was a training session of ten days, during which 25 women were taught how to make hand bags, wall hangings, embroidered pieces and bangles.Once the training was completed, the group organised an exhibition to introduce, promote and market the work among the general public. The group hopes to develop this model into a successful enterprise and use the funds generated from the sales to improve the condition of the women in Nowshera.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Grave issues
The members of Konain youth group are from a small village in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Social Action Project started by them is unique in that it tries to tackle a problem shared by both the dead and the living: shortage of land for graveyards.
The village has two graveyards. When the group launched their Social Action Project, neither of the graveyards had a proper boundary wall, and some of the graves were unmarked. Both graveyards had been severely neglected – no focused effort to maintain them had been made for more than 40 years. The sites of both graveyards were over-run by weeds, and residents of the village dumped their rubbish in parts of the graveyards as well.
Because of the ill-defined boundaries, sometimes residents of the village buried their dead relatives on other residents’ private property – either knowingly or by mistake. This became such a contentious issue that it sparked incidents of confrontation; mostly verbal, and sometimes violent.
The Konain youth group is made up of five male members and three female members. They appealed to the community to help them clean up the grave-yards. According to a female group member, initially their pleas fell on deaf ears, but when the village people saw the female members engaging in manual labour, they quickly joined the group members to lend a hand.
The group along with the help of the community members picked the trash and got rid of weeds and overgrown grass; this helped greatly in exposing the unmarked grave mounds. After the clean-up phase, the group members analyzed both graveyards for space. They concluded that one graveyard was entirely full, while the other still had room for new graves.
The group members put up a fence around the full graveyard and convinced the community members to help them raise a wall around the second graveyard. The community members have hired two grounds men to maintain both graveyards and have started a fund to pay their wages.
The village has two graveyards. When the group launched their Social Action Project, neither of the graveyards had a proper boundary wall, and some of the graves were unmarked. Both graveyards had been severely neglected – no focused effort to maintain them had been made for more than 40 years. The sites of both graveyards were over-run by weeds, and residents of the village dumped their rubbish in parts of the graveyards as well.
Because of the ill-defined boundaries, sometimes residents of the village buried their dead relatives on other residents’ private property – either knowingly or by mistake. This became such a contentious issue that it sparked incidents of confrontation; mostly verbal, and sometimes violent.
The Konain youth group is made up of five male members and three female members. They appealed to the community to help them clean up the grave-yards. According to a female group member, initially their pleas fell on deaf ears, but when the village people saw the female members engaging in manual labour, they quickly joined the group members to lend a hand.
The group along with the help of the community members picked the trash and got rid of weeds and overgrown grass; this helped greatly in exposing the unmarked grave mounds. After the clean-up phase, the group members analyzed both graveyards for space. They concluded that one graveyard was entirely full, while the other still had room for new graves.
The group members put up a fence around the full graveyard and convinced the community members to help them raise a wall around the second graveyard. The community members have hired two grounds men to maintain both graveyards and have started a fund to pay their wages.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Get up, stand up
Ghotki is a district of Sindh with a population of more than 970,000 and a very low literacy rate – estimated to be 29% for men and just 11% for women. Most schools of the area lack proper libraries and recreational facilities like playgrounds for students. The children and young people who are enrolled in schools are unaware of most of their rights and entitlements as students.
The Ghotki Active Youth Group was formed by young Active Citizens who wanted to improve the way schools are run in their community. The group reached out mainly to secondary school and high school students and talked to them about their rights and what they can do to demand them in a proper manner.
Some of the issues faced by the young people of the district highlighted by the group were a lack of learning and recreational facilities, a lack of higher education bodies, absence of a youth forum, the need for more coordination, networking between the young people of the district, and a lack of counseling services for young people – educational or otherwise. The denial of the rights to access to information and freedom of expression is also a source of concern.
Student rights awareness sessions were conducted in four schools by the group. About 200 students were reached by the group during the course of their campaign. A speech competition was also arranged which gave students a platform to voice their grievances with the school management and to make their demands known.
The Ghotki Active Youth Group was formed by young Active Citizens who wanted to improve the way schools are run in their community. The group reached out mainly to secondary school and high school students and talked to them about their rights and what they can do to demand them in a proper manner.
Some of the issues faced by the young people of the district highlighted by the group were a lack of learning and recreational facilities, a lack of higher education bodies, absence of a youth forum, the need for more coordination, networking between the young people of the district, and a lack of counseling services for young people – educational or otherwise. The denial of the rights to access to information and freedom of expression is also a source of concern.
Student rights awareness sessions were conducted in four schools by the group. About 200 students were reached by the group during the course of their campaign. A speech competition was also arranged which gave students a platform to voice their grievances with the school management and to make their demands known.
To ensure that student rights are safeguarded in different schools, the group members also helped organize a student youth group in a local high school and provided training to its members.
Funds for the group’s activities mainly come from donations from group members. Additional funds are raised through sponsorship from local businesses. In all, the group members were successful in raising about Rs.22, 000 to finance their awareness campaign.
Funds for the group’s activities mainly come from donations from group members. Additional funds are raised through sponsorship from local businesses. In all, the group members were successful in raising about Rs.22, 000 to finance their awareness campaign.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
All together now
A group of young people studying in a Madrassah in Azad Kashmir decided to start a Social Action Project to promote understanding between people belonging to different sects. The members of the group felt that only through understanding each other better can people get along better.
After attending the Active Citizens training offered in their area they formed a group which they named “The Reformers”. Being affiliated with a religious institute they assumed that interfaith harmony would be an issue they could easily address, but in reality they found their task a very complicated one.
According to a group member Muhammad Bilal Yaqoob, to translate their vision in to positive action they discussed their idea not only with their friends, colleagues, parents but also with members of the community they did not know very well.
A series of meetings were organized by the group where ulemas (religious leaders) belonging to different sects could come together and hold talks in a relaxed and open atmosphere. These dialogues were dubbed the “friendly, peace lovers harmony meetings” by the group. The group hoped to convince the faith leaders participating in the dialogue to work together to promote peace and harmony. The Reformers also hoped to convince them to not use abusive and inflammatory language against other sects in their sermons.
The endeavours of The Reformers were appreciated by the ulemas and community members. But perhaps the biggest reward for the group was that the ulemas who attended these meetings agreed to make a conscious effort to be more tolerant of others’ beliefs and pledged to avoid using harsh words against other faiths and sects as well. The meetings concluded on a happy note and all the participants joined hands to make a “human chain” – a universal symbol of unity.
After these meetings an event was organized by the group where ulemas from different sects addressed the community members and stressed on the importance of promoting interfaith harmony and to combat violence with tolerance and to create peace in the community.
The members of the group are planning to continue their religious education and to take their message of understanding and peace to other parts of the country.
After attending the Active Citizens training offered in their area they formed a group which they named “The Reformers”. Being affiliated with a religious institute they assumed that interfaith harmony would be an issue they could easily address, but in reality they found their task a very complicated one.
According to a group member Muhammad Bilal Yaqoob, to translate their vision in to positive action they discussed their idea not only with their friends, colleagues, parents but also with members of the community they did not know very well.
A series of meetings were organized by the group where ulemas (religious leaders) belonging to different sects could come together and hold talks in a relaxed and open atmosphere. These dialogues were dubbed the “friendly, peace lovers harmony meetings” by the group. The group hoped to convince the faith leaders participating in the dialogue to work together to promote peace and harmony. The Reformers also hoped to convince them to not use abusive and inflammatory language against other sects in their sermons.
The endeavours of The Reformers were appreciated by the ulemas and community members. But perhaps the biggest reward for the group was that the ulemas who attended these meetings agreed to make a conscious effort to be more tolerant of others’ beliefs and pledged to avoid using harsh words against other faiths and sects as well. The meetings concluded on a happy note and all the participants joined hands to make a “human chain” – a universal symbol of unity.
After these meetings an event was organized by the group where ulemas from different sects addressed the community members and stressed on the importance of promoting interfaith harmony and to combat violence with tolerance and to create peace in the community.
The members of the group are planning to continue their religious education and to take their message of understanding and peace to other parts of the country.
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