Status: Completed Start Date: Jul 2013 End Date: Jul 2014 Geographic Coverage: District Karachi West and Jacobabad, Sindh Focus Area: Peace, Education SDG Goal: 4- Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning; Goal 16-Promote peaceful and inclusive societies Implementing Partner: SPO Funding Partner: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) in partnership with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) implemented a year-long project titled ‘Engaging children, youth and communities for the promotion of Social Cohesion & Resilience (SCR) in Sindh’.
The overarching goal of the project was to promote and strengthen social cohesion and resilience through education in vulnerable and conflict prone contexts of Sindh.
While contributing to UNICEF’s Global Peace building, Education and Advocacy Programme in Pakistan, the key interventions of the project were to mobilize and engage communities by establishing and strengthening community based support mechanism for efficient conflict resolution, improving access to quality education at Government Primary Girls’ and Boys’ Schools, teaching hard-to-reach marginalized children through Community schools, providing access to education to out of school children (9-17 years old) through Alternative Learning Pathways (ALPs), capacity building of teachers, Learning Facilitators, and youth groups, building youth networks, career counseling for established networks of youth, and engaging them as ‘peace ambassadors’.
Harnessing linkages with key stakeholder has been SPO’s overall strategy for smooth implementation of the projects at district level. Close coordination was ensured by engaging Education Department inclusive of DEO offices and Directorate of Non Formal Education, Sports and Youth Department, Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, Social Welfare Department and other relevant Line Departments, Local and District Administration, communities, schools and youth.
As a result of this project implementation in District Karachi (West) and Jacobabad, SPO directly contributed to the education and development of 7,350 children, youth, teachers and community members to promote and strengthen social cohesion in two districts of Sindh. SPO formed seven peace committees at Union Council and District Level, 75 government officials and para-teachers trained on integrated learning approaches, established 15 community schools, peace promoting events at schools, structure session for 150 junior leaders of government schools, established 80 Alternative Learning Pathways (ALPs), build capacity of 80 learning facilitators, and held various youth focused activities which contributed towards SC&R.
