Completed Projects
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- Completed Projects
| S. No | Partner | Acronym | Project Description | Project Location | Start Date | Completion Date |
| 1 | Embassy of Royal Kingdom of Netherlands | EKN | Women’s Increased Access To Water Resources And Agricultural Markets. SPO implemented this project titled ‘Women’s Increased Access to Water Resources and Agricultural Markets’ with the financial support of Embassy of Royal Kingdom of Netherlands. The project started in December 2019 and concluded in October 2021 and was implemented in districts Badin, Tando Allahyar and Hyderabad in Sindh. The overall goal of the project was to improve the role of women in water resource management to enhance their incomes and tenable them to effectively participate and contribute to decision-making in domestic and public spheres. SPO under its ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ programme is aiming to broaden the process of social mobilization to cover 500 women to get organized in three districts. Twenty self-help groups will further be formed at cluster and District levels; who were facilitated to expand their economic opportunities and choices from the selected 150 small landholder women, 100 landless sharecroppers, 200 women in Livestock rearing and 50 Bagri women through agro-enterprise development. The said methodology was designed to lead women towards attaining sustainable increase in their household incomes and enables them to play an enhanced and strategic role in the economic sphere. The project also aimed to enhance political participation and representation of women in Water Course Associations so that they can contribute effectively in local decision-making regarding water resource management. The program envisaged working with mainly three cohorts women i.e. small landholder, landless sharecroppers and livestock owners in the Badin, Tando Allahyar and Hyderabad Districts of Sindh. It aims to strengthen women’s social, economic and political empowerment by applying an integrated approach. The Project seek to bring about sustained improvement in the quality of life of the rural women in Sindh by diversifying livelihood opportunities and strengthening low-income rural markets, which can also contribute towards the national development goals of inclusive economic growth, and poverty alleviation. | Sindh (Badin, Tando Allahyar and Hyderabad) | Dec-19 | Oct-21 |
| 2 | Norwegian Church Aid | NCA | Improve Awareness About Social And Cultural Heritage Among Communities In Selected Districts Of Punjab And Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Improve Awareness About Social and Cultural Heritage Among Communities in Selected Districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces’ with the financial support of Norwegian Church Aid. The project started in April 2019 and concluded in May 2020 and was implemented in district Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Lahore and Faisalabad in Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to mobilize key local leaders, communities in collaboration with relevant Government Departments to promote social and cultural integration necessary for social and economic empowerment of the communities. The project was aimed to support local partners to organize cultural activities, and awareness raising sessions for community to promote social integration in the society. SPO under its ‘Cultural Heritage & Tourism Promotion’ programme made contributions through different projects by introducing and developing mechanisms for building informed and empowered citizenry, public information sharing, consultation and engagement with people and community-based organizations to pave the path for cultural integration and heritage preservation. Capacitating the civil societies aims to ensure that people are informed about their rights and responsibilities with respect to shared norms and history can actively participate in the socio-political processes. All these steps have been taken to enable collective nation-building, with some structural transformations as well achieving equality and empowerment, and for securing citizens’ rights. The initiatives under the project included were joint celebrations of socio-religious festivals through involvement of Government officials, political and community leaders to promote a culture of inclusivity so that different segments of society value its local culture and traditions. SPO organized a one-day national conference on Celebrating diversity where artists, government officials and federal ministers committed to arrange such events in order to increase social cohesion among people of Pakistan. SPO also collaborated with Ministry of Human Rights and Minority Affairs Department and published a book titled ‘White in Flag’ to celebrate contributions of non-Muslim citizens of the country. The project also entailed capacity building of community activists to improve their knowledge about legacy of powerful cultural heritage that nurtures unity in diversity for meaning full co-existence. Through such like initiatives SPO is trying to cultivate a desire in Pakistani society to promote culture, traditions and heritage that brings people closer to each other |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar)and Punjab (Lahore and Faisalabad) | Apr-19 | May-20 |
| 3 | Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability | TDEA | Strengthening Electoral And Legislative Processes (SELP) SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Strengthening Electoral and Legislative Processes’ (SELP) in partnership with the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA). The project started in August 2018 and concluded in April 2020 and was implemented in districts Bahawalnagar, Sahiwal and Lodhran in Punjab. The overall goal of this project was to strengthen women’s political participation by registering them with National Database & Registration Authority Pakistan’ in three districts of Punjab. Successfully registered 32,450 with NADRA and helped them to be eligible to cast their votes. More than 12.5 million women in Pakistan are not registered with NADRA as of 2019 and the number of unregistered women has been increasing day by day. The situation has led to gender deficit in the eligible voters’ lists which, obviously, is a great concern to State departments and for CSOs. SPO successfully initiated an identification process in May 2019 and till date 19000 unregistered women were identified. Community groups were engaged through social mobilization activities. As a result of SPO’s continuous efforts, 2000 identified and verified unregistered women were facilitated to obtain CNIC from NADRA Registration Centers (NRCs). Furthermore, the mobilization sessions were conducted to sensitize community influential groups on women’s rights and improved women’s access to social services which are linked with their possession of CNICs. |
Punjab (Bahawalnagar, Sahiwal and Lodhran) | Aug-18 | Apr-20 |
| 4 | Australian Government & Australian Aid | AGAD | Policy Advocacy And Research To Strengthen Implementation Of Pro-Women Legislation And Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response Services In Sindh SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Policy Advocacy and Research to Strengthen Implementation of Pro-Women Legislation and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response Services in Sindh’ with the financial support of Australian Government & Australian Aid. The project started in January 2017 and concluded in December 2019 and was implemented in Sindh. The objective of this project was the establishment and strengthening of pro-women structures and to improve the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and protection services in Sindh under the pro-women laws enacted by the Government of Sindh in previous years. SPO carried out different activities including a two-day Strategic Planning and Capacity-Building Workshops of the Provincial Advocacy Network – Provincial Steering Forum (PSF) to devise a strategy to achieve project milestones. 43 Women Medical Officers, 12 Police officials, 15 Prosecutors and four District Judges were provided orientation on “Standard GBV Guidelines” through one-day workshop held in Karachi and Hyderabad respectively. In this connection, an Illustrative manual/display chart of medico-legal services was designed and distributed among key relevant stakeholders to facilitate GBV survivors in the Medico Legal Examination (MLE) process. The Sindh Commission on the Status of Women was facilitated to hold consultations with District administration, in-charge officials of Dar-ul-Amans and civil society representatives on the status of safe houses established at District level on the directive of the Sindh High Court. As a result of consultations, the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) drafted and submitted detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for shelter houses to the Social Welfare Department for further deliberations. The Sindh Cabinet approved SOPs along with a grant of Rs. 10 million for the establishment and strengthening of safe houses at District level under the supervision of District administration on 25th February, 2019. Project interventions reached twelve million beneficiaries directly or indirectly out of which five million were women and seven million men. Twenty-six thousand persons were direct beneficiaries through this project in Sindh. Extensive media campaigns through electronic, print and social media about the issues and challenges in implementation of pro-women laws i.e. Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, Sindh Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2013 and Anti-Women Customary Practices Act, 2011, were launched during the reporting period. Five TV talk shows, seven issue-based articles, FM messages, campaigns in targeted districts of project were conducted. |
Sindh | January 2017 | Dec-19 |
| 5 | Norwegian Church Aid | NCA |
Promotion Of Social Well-Being Of Sanitary Workers (PSWSW) In Sindh The overall goal of this pilot project was to minimize the social stigmatization associated with sanitary work through lobby with key stakeholders to ameliorate the well- being of sanitary workers and to provide them the primary awareness on health hazards, importance of using safety kits along with provision of technical support. SPO facilitated consultative process with sanitary workers around the key issues hampering their wellbeing at work and in general life. Key areas highlighted by these consultations include: Health hazardous, accidental death; absence of safety kits / equipment, job insecurity due to contract based employment, poor implementation of labor laws, poor socio economic conditions, discrimination on the basis of profession, caste, religion, low literacy rate and absence of voice among sanitary workers. |
Sindh ( Karachi and Hyderabad) | July 2018 | Dec-19 |
| 6 | WaterAid | … |
Engaging The Legislators For Universal Access To WASH Rights The overall goal of the project was to progressively engage the legislators/opinion leaders and bring the WASH agenda to the Assembly floor for discussion and debate. Several advocacy meetings and trainings for legislators were organized to sensitize law makers to draft and pass a bill that recognizes WASH as a fundamental right. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme implemented this project and initiated policy reforms addressing issues concerning universal access to water and sanitation rights in Sindh and Punjab. This project proactively engaged legislators from the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Punjab in policy dialogue, capacity building to understand the significance of WASH rights, and lobbying with government representatives and decision makers to allocate a sufficient budget for the sector. SPO achieved all of its targets and will continue to ensure the timely implementation of such policies. |
Sindh and Punjab | Dec-16 | Sep-19 |
| 7 | Oxford Committee for Famine Relief | Oxfam |
Improved Access To Fair, Legitimate And Effective Justice In Pakistan SPO through the project contributed in making the justice system more inclusive and accessible to every citizen. In order to attain the overall goal, SPO formed 27 Ba-Ikhtiar Groups to address the plights of citizens and their needs. Community members and Local Government representatives were among the members of Ba Ikhtiar groups. The members were given awareness raising sessions and capacity building trainings. SPO also established District Advocacy Forums in Bhakkar, Khanewal and Muzaffargarh. The advocacy groups were tasked to identify the common issues, consolidate the Charter of Demands and address the identified issues through annual advocacy action plans. The project outcomes were promising and SPO will continue its efforts to provide accessible justice to local communities. Among its achievements in this project, SPO created safe-spaces for women and disadvantaged groups to share their grievances and gain access to Formal and Semi-Formal Justice Providers (SFJPs) at Union Council (UC), District and Provincial level. |
Punjab (Khanewal, Bhakkar and Muzaffargarh) | Jan-17 | Jun-19 |
| 8 | Voluntary Service Overseas | VSO | Engaging Youth For Building Community Resilience And Promoting Social Cohesion SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Engaging Youth for Building Community Resilience and Promoting Social Cohesion’ with the financial support of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). The project started in October 2018 and concluded in March 2019 and was implemented in districts Multan & Rawalpindi in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory. The overall goal of the project was to engage 200 youth (age 18-29) as beneficiaries in a period of six months in Multan and Islamabad/Rawalpindi in the year 2018-19. The project aimed to mobilize the youth for promoting peace and social cohesion, using national volunteering and engaging volunteers from community with the support of community groups. SPO further facilitated youth action plans which aimed to sensitize and mobilize both men and women participants from the community to play their role in preventing violence against children living in their areas. For this, a trained force of volunteers engaged education and medical institutions, parents and communities living in slums of selected Union Councils. The fourth SAP successfully addressed the water conservation at community level by engaging youth, men, women and PWDs demonstrating water conservation practices by developing water conservation models of wash basin. More than 25,000 plants were distributed among students and residents of selected Union Councils which enabled plantation in public places. SPO engaged Members of Provincial Assembly, Punjab, District administration and religious leaders through an advocacy campaign. The charter of demands to introduce reforms in the Punjab Youth Policy was developed. Furthermore, the process of policy formulation was shared with youth by engaging policy experts at Provincial level. More than 30,000 participants were engaged during implementation of SAPs including 14,900 women. SPO also partnered with the Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 which provided support for training community youth volunteers for better preparedness for natural disasters and to enhance community-level resilience. These community volunteers were registered with Rescue 1122 Community Emergency Rescue Teams (CERT) to provide prompt response in the event of crisis and disasters. |
Punjab (Multan & Rawalpindi) and Islamabad Capital Territory. | Oct-18 | Mar-19 |
| 9 | Global Partnership for Education & Government of Balochistan |
Promoting Girls Education Programme, Balochistan Education Project (BEP) The objective of this project was to increase school enrollment and retention in the project-supported schools with a special focus on girls’ participation and to develop a mechanism to improve the quality of school management in the targeted districts of Balochistan. SPO verified 68 sites to upgrade the schools and developed School Improvement Plans. Project teams of SPO also conducted numerous visits in 08 districts in both regions to identify the abandoned buildings, provided data sheets to GPE for their approval to utilize the 68 identified abandoned buildings. Moreover, during the reporting period, SPO project teams formed 246 Parents-Teachers School Management Committees (PTSMCs) after visits to the respective communities. SPO established 171 primary schools for girls and boys and successfully enrolled 7,500 children, out of which 5,500 out-of-school girls were enrolled in 98 schools. It is important to mention that the majority of the schools were established in some of the remotest areas of Balochistan such as Musa Khel, Barkan, Qilla Abdullah and Pishin. |
Balochistan (Quetta, Qilla Abdullah, Pishin, Mastung, Loralai, Kohlu & Barkan) | Aug-16 | Mar-19 | |
| 10 | Oxford Committee for Famine Relief | Oxfam |
Enhancing CSOs Contributions To Governance And The Development Process In Pakistan – Effective Citizenship And Responsive Governance The objective of the project was to empower the local government, encourage inclusive governance, enable social accountability and develop effective coordination and over sight mechanism in three districts of Sindh and Balochistan (Karachi East, Badin and Lasbela). SPO under its ‘Good Governance component began the data mapping process by involving the Local Government Department, the Election Commission of Pakistan at Provincial and District levels along with District administrations. The data mapping tool was designed and shared with Oxfam GB. Various one-on-one meetings were conducted with Local Government officials at the provincial level to obtain support letters which were later submitted to the District administration and the Local Government officials based in district Lasbela of Balochistan, district Badin and district Municipal Cooperation (DMC) Karachi East to seek required data of elected representatives and relevant department officials as per the shared template. |
Sindh (Karachi East & Badin), Balochistan (Lasbela) | Mar-18 | Mar-19 |
| 11 | Oxford Committee for Famine Relief | Oxfam | Strategic Partnership- Women And Marginalized Groups, Natural Resource Management And Peace-Building: Unlocking The Potential SPO successfully implemented the project titled ‘Strategic Partnership- Women and Marginalized Groups, Natural Resource Management and Peace-building: Unlocking the Potential’ in collaboration with Oxfam in Sindh from April 2016 to March 2019. SPO under its ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ programme implemented this project to strengthen the role of women in water-resource management and to help them play an effective role in water related disputes in their communities. SPO increased capacities of women, ensured their inclusion in water-related decision making bodies at canal level in order to mitigate potential disputes over water distribution in their respective areas. SPO has also submitted five amendments in Sindh Water Management Ordinance 2002 in the Sindh Provincial Assembly for inclusion of women in decision making bodies for water management in the province. The project targets were successfully aided in improving the inclusion of women in reducing water-disputes through their active participation in peace-building and water resource management decisions. SPO continues to further strengthen the role of women for the creation of an eco-friendly environment for all communities. |
Sindh | Apr-16 | Mar-19 |
| 12 | International Fund for Agricultural Development, and MetaMeta Research, Netherlands | IFAD | Testing Adaptation In Flood-Based Farming Systems SPO successfully implemented ‘Testing Adaptation in Flood-Based Farming Systems’ project with the financial support of IFAD, and MetaMeta Research, Netherlands. The project started in April 2015 and concluded in March 2019, covering selected districts of Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. The overall goal of the project was to support flood-based farming systems in order to prevent food insecurity in the flood prone areas and build resilience of the respective communities. SPO capacitated farmers, and sensitized young women and men working at local institutions in water resource management. SPO helped them to develop Flood-Based Farming Systems policies and programs which provided strategies that are inclusive and gender-balanced in approach to climate change in Pakistan. SPO under its ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ programme trained farmers in the cultivation of new corps, irrigation techniques and water resource management. The trainings were held at local universities and the respective Provincial Agriculture Departments. This project helped communities to identify water related issues and inspired graduate students to research and conduct detailed studies on the benefits of flood-based farming in their regions. SPO continues to strengthen its communities to ensure preparedness against new environmental challenges. | Selected districts of Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa | April 2015 | Mar-19 |
| 13 | Foundation Open Society Institute | FOSI |
Right To Education To The Marginalized Communities Of Districts Badin And Tharparkar, Sindh The overall goal of this project was to raise awareness among particular communities in Sindh to obtain their Constitutional right to education, as stated in Article-25A of the Constitution and to establish an active citizenry of education stakeholders to promote education governance in terms of accountability, improved services, teachers’ attendance, enrollment, retention and quality of education services at the district level. SPO conducted a baseline survey to chalk out a thorough analysis of both districts and published a report under the title of ‘State of Education in Badin and Tharparkar’, portraying the real picture of education in both districts. The report reflected unsatisfactory conditions of in-school children with either limited or no access to o toilet facilities whatsoever; no potable water; no school buildings and electricity etc. as the main reasons for high student drop-out. Unavailability of toilet and boundary walls was found to be the main reasons for keeping girls out of school. SPO worked with School Management Committees (SMCs), Community Gate Keepers, political and social activists, District Administration, District Education Department and community representatives for the smooth and timely conduction of activities. SPO also engaged print and electronic media for the dissemination of messages on rights-based awareness among the public about Article-25A Voice messages were aired through local FM channels and public messages through leading daily newspapers of the area. Engaging opinion-makers in article writing on education and arranging publishing in various dailies of Pakistan and conducting a provincial-level press conference as well as TV talk shows were major activities by the mainstream media were engaged to promote public awareness. |
Sindh (Badin and Tharparkar) | Sep-17 | Nov-18 |
| 14 | United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund | UNICEF | Resilient, Informed And Safer Schools And Communities Project SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Resilient, Informed and Safer Schools and Communities Project’ with the financial support of UNICEF. The project started in December 2017 and concluded in November 2018 and was implemented in the most vulnerable and disaster-prone districts of Sindh which included Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Sanghar. The overall goal of the project was to carry out a vulnerability and child-centered assessments of 47 schools in four target districts of Sindh. SPO conducted vulnerability and child-centered assessments of 47 schools. In addition, four projects covering launching and closing ceremonies were also organized. District Disaster Coordination Forums were reactivated, trained and received endorsement from respective District administrations. School Disaster Management Committees (SDMCs) were also reactivated, trained and endorsed by the SELD department. Other important activities of the project included capacity-building trainings, sensitization and awareness sessions. However, those who obtained trainings included 86 head teachers and Government officials, 121 teachers, 94 school wardens, 684 members of SDMCs, 707 Rescuer Group members, 2015 people including teachers, students and communities trained in utilization of DRR kits. In addition, 1916 people participated in theatre performance activities in ten events, 1780 participated in quiz competition activities, 1057 were trained through mock-drill exercises, and 13725 were reached through awareness-raising sessions. |
Sindh (Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Sanghar) | Dec-17 | Nov-18 |
| 15 | Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability | TDEA |
Improving Women’s Participation In The Electoral Process – CVP Grant Cycle-11 The overall goal of the project was to enhance engagement of CSOs for women voter registration through individual and collective action and to increase the registration of women voters through direct and indirect facilitation and support for CNIC registration. SPO conducted a number of activities focusing on identification, listing and registration of women for CNICs. The team conducted 50 mobilization and coordination meetings with women community groups, political parties’ representatives, District Election Commission, NADRA, Local Government representatives, influential/religious leaders, Lady Health Workers/Lady Health Visitors and media to promote women’s CNIC registration in Districts Bahawalnagar and Toba Tek Singh. SPO achieved the desired outcome of identifying 86,000 women who did not possess CNICs and facilitated 41,675 identified women to obtain CNICs from NADRA facility. |
Punjab (t Bahawalnagar and Toba Tek Singh) | Jun-17 | Apr-18 |
| 16 | Department for International Development | DFID |
AAWAZ Voice And Accountability Program The AAWAZ programme was implemented in 130,000 villages, and in settlements of 130 Union Councils in 13 Districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The program exceeded all output indicators and was given an A++ grade in the 2016 external annual review conducted by DFID. SPO implemented this long term programme to ensure open, inclusive and accountable democratic processes nationwide. Through this program, citizens were able to access information about their rights and responsibilities. SPO also enhanced their capacities in dispute management within their communities and helped them to identify the gaps in essential services provided by the government. The citizens were linked with Government Departments at both local and provincial levels for better provisions of needed social services. The program objectives were met successfully. |
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Jun-12 | Mar-18 |
| 17 | Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Government of Sindh and Lok Virsa | HBS | Relief Operations For Flood Affected Population Khyber Pakhtunkhwa SPO and Indus Cultural Forum (ICF) successfully organized three ‘Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festivals’ in Islamabad with the financial support of HBS, Government of Sindh and Lok Virsa from February 2016 to February 2018. The overall goal of these festivals was to mainstream literature and art in local languages to celebrate Pakistan’s rich and diverse cultural history. These festivals played a key role in introducing local musicians, writers, folk singers, poets and play writers to youth. SPO organized these festivals to promote Pakistan’s indigenous culture and strengthen social cohesion and interconnectedness. More than 150 authors, artists and researchers as speakers were being invited to share their knowledge about the rich linguistic and literary heritage of Pakistan. Specially those artists were encouraged who usually do not have access to such opportunities at the national level. SPO under its ‘Culture Heritage & Tourism Promotion’ programme attained its core objective when SPO and other partners were officially approached by the Senate of Pakistan to participate in a Public Hearing. The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice at that time was in the process of assessing a constitutional amendment bill to provide national status to all major languages of Pakistan. This initiative was instrumental in promoting the importance of Pakistan’s indigenous culture and also inspired policy makers to take timely decisions. |
Islamabad | Feb-16 | Feb-18 |
| 18 | Foreign & Common Wealth Office | Making Provincial Governments In Pakistan More Accountable For Human Rights SPO successfully implemented ‘Making Provincial Governments in Pakistan more accountable for Human Rights’ project with the financial support of Foreign & Common Wealth Office from June 2016 to March 2017 in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The overall goal of this project was to inculcate and strengthen the Universal Human Rights in the provincial Human Rights Policies for improved social and economic well-being of people. The year-long initiative was based on a multi-pronged approach which comprised of orientation meetings with stakeholders, training workshops for the legislators and relevant departments and developing linkages between federal and provincial Human Rights departments and committees. SPO mobilized and sensitized government office bearers and political representatives to create four provincial ‘Task Forces on Human Rights’ under the appointment of the respective Provincial Chief Ministers. The Task Forces on Human Rights have the responsibility of implementing human rights policy frameworks adopted by provincial government departments owing to the cross-cutting nature of human rights. SPO also established Civil Society Watch Groups on Human Rights to act as watch dogs to ensure implementation of these policies. As a result of concentrated advocacy and lobbying with Provincial Human Rights Departments, Punjab and Sindh have adopted and promulgated the human rights policies in 2018 and 2019 respectively. |
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Jun-16 | Mar-17 | |
| 19 | Royal Netherland Embassy and Oxfam | Citizens First SPO successfully implemented ‘Citizen First’ project with the financial support of the Royal Netherland Embassy and Oxfam from April 2015 to October 2016. The project covered the districts of Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur and Sukkur in Sindh. The overall goal of the project was to facilitate long-term stability in Pakistan through strengthened local and national governance structures. The project interventions intended to contribute to human security by specifically strengthening the dialogue between government and civil society, and increasing the engagement of civil society in structural advocacy at different levels to foster more efficiency, accountability and transparency in the delivery of basic services by the government. SPO facilitate to sensitize and educate 14,000 community members about their fundamental human rights and responsibilities as citizens. In districts Khairpur, Sukkur, Shikarpur, and Larkana, 14 citizen groups were established which continue to function and engage with local authorities for the demand of equal and inclusive access to social services. SPO ensures that these 14 CSOs / CBOs across Pakistan will continue to campaign and lobby with federal/national assemblies in order to protect the rights of citizens. |
Sindh (Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur and Sukkur) | Apr-15 | Oct-16 | |
| 20 | Department for International Development | DFID | Access To Education For All SPO successfully implemented ‘Access to Education for All’ project in collaboration with Punjab Education Support Programme -2 (PESP-2) and with financial support of DFID from March 2015 to March 2016. The project covered district Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar in Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to improve the literacy rate in the districts of Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar through enhancing enrolment and retention of out of school children in schools. In order to achieve this target, SPO collected the gender segregated data of Out of School Children (OSC) for age groups (4 – 9 years and 9 – 16 years) from all identified villages in both selected districts and compiled and made it accessible for each stakeholder. Around 30,000 out of school children were enrolled and retained in schools and a tracking mechanism to evaluate the progress in terms of enrollment and retention in all schools (primary & middle) were developed in collaboration with District Education Departments. SPO ensured that major number of out of school children, specially girls, are enrolled and retained in both primary and middle schools of targeted districts. SPO also established school management committees to involve community to look after management and progress of students. The community forums played key role in project outreach at village, UCs and district level that represented members from all segments of society including School Management Committees (SMCs), marginalized groups such as women, children, youth, religious minorities and differently able people. |
Punjab (Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar) | Mar-15 | Mar-16 |
| 21 | United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Promoting Access To Justice SPO successfully implemented ‘Promoting Access to Justice’ project” across Pakistan with the financial support of USAID-Gender Equity Programme. The project started in January 2015 and concluded in March 2016. The overall goal of this project was to improve the access of women to the formal justice system, and to address gender based violence through sensitization of district bar associations and through establishing a kiosk in the courts for women accessing formal judicial system. SPO collaborated with the Bar Associations in order to take gender sensitive measures so the women can gain access to the formal justice system without any hindrances. The project enhanced knowledge and sensitivity of the members of Bar Associations across Pakistan on themes like gender, legal approaches to equality, pro-women laws, family and minority laws (including Qisas and Diyat) and international legal instruments and obligations related to women’s rights. SPO’s efforts have helped reduce gender-based violence through increased sensitization among judicial system and awareness amongst communities. |
Across Pakistan | Jan-15 | Mar-16 |
| 22 | Training for Pakistan and United States Agency for International Development | TFP and USAID | Strengthening The Rights & Justice Framework Agenda In Pakistan (Completed) SPO successfully implemented ‘Strengthening the Rights & Justice Framework Agenda in Pakistan’ project with the financial support of TFP and USAID. The project covered all four provinces of Pakistan from October 2015 to February 2016. The overall goal of the project was to enhance the capacity of the employees working at the Ministry of Human Rights by equipping them with skills sets in report writing, advocacy, outreach, lobbying and hosting employees to ensure fundamental rights of all citizens, especially marginalized section of the society; enhance report writing skills of Ministry’s employees; and capacitate the Ministry’s employees for better advocacy, outreach, lobbying, reporting and hosting events related to human rights in Pakistan. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme conducted several training sessions which were designed on the specific needs identified during FGDs, status of HR violations in Pakistan and their respective PPC/CrPC provisions in the law, current status of reporting on core UN conventions & global best practices. The training content was designed to realize the above mentioned objectives in a series of trainings conducted across Pakistan with the Ministry’s staff, aligned departments and other pertinent stakeholders. Around 47 individuals were trained from MoHR, other relevant government line departments, and members of Academia & Civil Society. |
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Oct-15 | Feb-16 |
| 23 | United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Citizen Voice Project: Enhancing Capacities For Transparent And Accountable Local Governance SPO implemented ‘Enhancing Capacities for Transparent and Accountable Local Governance’ under Citizen Voice Project initiated by USAID. The project started in March 2015 and concluded in February 2016 covering districts Thatta, Badin and Karachi in Sindh and districts Multan, Muzaffargarh and Khanewal in Punjab. The project successfully capacitated Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and developed linkages among CBOs and politicians in order to increase their interaction with the related departments of Health, Education, Local Government, and Women Development. The office of Ombudsman and Information Commission were closely involved in the project interventions. The broad strategy of the project revolved around disseminating information on complaint mechanisms to enhance citizen’s and politician’s knowledge and to strengthen CBOs. I order to ensure transparency and accountability in public service delivery SPO strategized to work in close coordination with different public institutions and made sure that both local and provincial government representatives are accessible to all citizens in their respective constituency. As a result of this project, more than 60 advocacy action plans were prepared by the local communities, which were later shared with the relevant departments for implementation. |
Sindh (Thatta, Badin and Karachi), Punjab (Multan, Muzaffargarh and Khanewal) | Mar-15 | Feb-16 |
| 24 | Packard Foundation | PF | Quality Family Planning And Reproductive Healthcare Through Community Mobilization From Rhetoric To Reality SPO successfully implemented ‘Quality Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare Through Community Mobilization from Rhetoric to Reality’ project in collaboration with the Packard Foundation. The project started in January 2013 and concluded in December 2015, covering Districts Lodhran and Khanewal in Punjab and Matiari and Tando Mohammad Khan in Sindh. The overarching goal of this project was to strengthen the implementation and quality of Family Planning (FP) and Reproductive Health (RH) services by establishing a functional community oversight and advocacy mechanism for strengthening the overall management and monitoring mechanisms of Public FP/RH services for improved health and population outcomes. A comprehensive model was applied using public sector community based workers, Lady Health Workers and also Community Midwives. Male involvement was made mandatory in order to build consensus within the ambits of the families. SPO involved communities in the oversight of family planning and reproductive health services through use of existing structures i.e. health committees and linking them up with the district health and population authorities. Monitoring of health services has been a weakest area of Public Sector, so the formed Network Health committees conducted review exercises and used service quality checklist to identify issues and gaps and make recommendations on monthly basis SPO developed linkages at district level which led to timely corrective actions taken by local authorities based on recommendations compiled by the community. |
Sindh (Lodhran and Khanewal in Punjab and Matiari and Tando Mohammad Khan) | Jan-13 | Dec-15 |
| 25 | Alif Ailan and Department for International Development | AA and DFID | Improving Education Profile Of Sindh And Baluchistan (Completed) SPO successfully implemented ‘Improving Education Profile of Sindh & Balochistan’ project in collaboration with Alif Ailan and DFID from July 2014 to June 2015. The project covered Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The overall goal of the project was to rollout a multi-tiered rights-based advocacy campaign seeking structural improvement in the education profile of the targeted districts of Sindh and Balochistan province. A grassroots mobilization campaign was carried out to strengthen voices of citizens. This approach was effective because citizens learnt to articulate their unmet demands such as provision of appropriate school buildings and surrounding environment, teachers and grants to maintain, update and upscale the facilities through focused advocacy campaigns in the target districts. The tools such as protest rallies, teachers’ enrolment drive by the citizens, mobile/sms and electronic media campaigns were employed as part of grassroots activism to notify and to hold to account the elected political leaders and education department officials against malpractices in the education system. SPO continued to draw on its unique strengths of engaging the district-wide civil society networks (CSNs), partner organizations and District Steering Committees (DSCs) which led to successful execution of project activities. The project resulted as a huge success which enhanced commitment of the respective Member National Assembly and Member Provincial Assembly towards the cause of education, and a tour of at least ten government schools in his/her constituency in the target district were arranged. Also the issue of teachers’ absenteeism was addressed to an extent that maximum 100 government school teachers were brought back to their appointed places in the schools in the target districts. The mass awareness among the citizens about the district education indicators was created for holding the provincial and district education functionaries accountable for their roles and responsibilities. |
Sindh and Balochistan | Jul-14 | Jun-15 |
| 26 | Media Houses and Government of Pakistan | … | Pur Aman Pakistan SPO successfully implemented ‘Pur Aman Pakistan’ project in collaboration with Media Houses and Government of Pakistan from April to June 2015 in Multan and Lahore districts of Punjab. The overall goal of this project was to curb and minimize violent extremism against vulnerable and marginalized communities of Pakistan through engaging electronic and print media. SPO, under this initiative produced 08 TV talk aired on mainstream TV channels. The TV programmes were produced with eminent guest speakers from academia, civil society actors, Govt. representatives and artists in Lahore and Multan. A print media campaign was also launched to disseminate the message of cultural plurality, harmony and dignity of every citizen of Pakistan. SPO under its ‘Cultural Heritage & Tourism Promotion’ programme implemented this short term initiative for mass awareness through print and electronic media. |
Punjab (Multan and Lahore) | Apr-15 | Jun-15 |
| 27 | Government of Punjab | … | Promotion And Strengthening Of Socio- Cultural Harmony And Local Artisans SPO successfully implemented ‘Promotion and strengthening of social and cultural harmony and local artisans’ in collaboration with the Government of Punjab. The project started in January 2015 and concluded in May 2015, covering Lahore, Multan and Bahawalpur districts of Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to promote local cultural heritage through traditional and indigenous performing arts by engaging and capacitating 40 local singers, musicians and story tellers including Trans-genders and Nomad groups of selected districts. Through this intervention, SPO developed networks and connected different groups of artists so they can collectively promote the voice of pluralism and cultural preservation across Pakistan. SPO under its ‘Cultural Heritage & Tourism Promotion’ programme implemented this intervention by creating a group of peace advocates and enhancing their capacity to address the local issues through linkage building with the relevant government departments. 120 Khawaja Siras, Merasis, Dooms and Bhaands were identified and trained on different performing arts such as dancing, singing, mimicking, theatre and storytelling skills to introduce a unique and cultural approach to peace building. After the training Aman Toliyan were linked with District and Tehsil Municipal Administration in both districts. Resultantly, Punjab 1717 helpline received several complaints and an immediate action was taken. |
Punjab (Lahore, Multan and Bahawalpur) | Jan-15 | May-15 |
| 28 | Federal Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights, Government of Pakistan | Promotion Of Human Rights Through Human Rights Policy Framework SPO successfully implemented ‘Promotion of Human Rights through Human Rights Policy Framework’ project in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights, Government of Pakistan. The project started in May 2014 and concluded in April 2015, covering all provinces of Pakistan. The three major objectives of this project were to a) prepare a draft National Human Rights Policy Framework (NHRPF) for discussion and incorporation of recommendations; b) consolidate stakeholder recommendations in the draft NHRPF; and c) present a consolidated NHRPF to the government for adoption. SPO held a National Consultation to devise the National Human Rights Policy Framework and policy principles in collaboration with Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights. The objective of the consultation was to devise National Human Rights Policy Framework and policy principles for the Government of Pakistan which would ensure that the State of Pakistan has a dignified and responsible image, ensuring the protection of the human rights provided in the constitution and pledged by the State through ratification of the international conventions. SPO managed to engage relevant stakeholders such as government representatives, legislators, civil society, human rights activists, lawyers and journalists in series of provincial consultation meetings. In order to review and present final draft of the NHRPF, a national consultation meeting was held on 24th & 25th February, at Islamabad and a large number of human rights activists, philanthropists, environmentalists, academia, representatives from civil society organizations and officials provincial and federal government departments were present. The draft was presented to Ministry for adoption and SPO successfully attained project goal. |
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | May-14 | Apr-15 | |
| 29 | Care International | CI | Support For Establishing Data Base Of Human Rights Situation & Human Rights Defenders In Pakistan SPO successfully implemented ‘Support for Establishing Data Base of Human Rights Situation and Human Rights Defenders in Pakistan’ with the financial support of Care International in Pakistan. The project started in September 2014 and concluded in March 2015. The overall goal of this project was to establish a database on Human Rights violation in Pakistan by developing a software which records information related to Human Rights violation at Federal and provincial level. The project also included capacity building trainings for Federal and provincial directorates in order to transfer knowledge and responsibilities to maintain, review, and utilize the data resource pool. A detailed Management Information System (MIS) on Human Rights was handed over to the Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights. SPO under its ‘Digital Knowledge Transformation’ program implemented this project through which a database of human rights violations was prepared and owned by the state and its representatives. Due to SPO’s continuous efforts to digitalize the human rights violations, the civil society organizations working on Human Rights advocacy benefited to access the information and devise strategies accordingly. This small scale project proved to be a huge contribution in systematically recording the human rights violation data, which also helped the ministry to take informed actions and extended timely response to the needs and challenges faced by citizens. |
Across Pakistan | Sep-14 | Mar-15 |
| 30 | United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Capacity Building Of Women’s Organizations SPO successfully implemented ‘Capacity Building of Women’s’ Organizations’ project in collaboration of USAID-Gender Equity Program from July 2012 to February 2015. The project capacitated Women’s Organizations (WOs) in Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit- Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). The overall goal of this project was to build the capacities of 60 WO’s in the area of ‘Organizational Development’ in order to help them to play an effective role in their respective communities and manage women-related community-based projects. SPO trained two batches of master trainers from select Women’s Organizations. Total, 30 trainings were conducted on skills such as Project Cycle Management, Gender Sensitization and Financial Management. The project benefitted 47 women rights activists from 60 organizations based in targeted districts. SPO successfully implemented this initiative by utilizing its extensive country-wide outreach and linkages with Women’s organizations. SPO aims to strengthen more partners in future for an equitable and just society. |
Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit- Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) | Jul-12 | Feb-15 |
| 31 | National Democratic Institute | NDI | Political Parties Development Programme SPO successfully implemented ‘Political Parties Development Programme’ with the financial support of National Democratic Institute (NDI). The project started in October 2011 and concluded in February 2015and engaged political parties across Pakistan. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen the relationship between civil society and political parties in Pakistan in order to foster a participatory political milieu aligned with the principles of democracy. Through this project, SPO sensitized political parties to incorporate the voices and concerns of the common people into their policies and manifestos and also supported individuals and ensured their inclusion in democratic processes. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme, identified key experts to make them part of the CSO forums, which were organized for all the mainstream political parties. Two CSO forums were arranged in Islamabad with the aim to initiate political discourse between civil society and PWGs. The speakers at the forum included prominent civil society activists and subject specialists who deliberated at length upon key policy issues. These forums provided a much needed platform for both the civil society as well as the political parties to understand and benefit from each other’s perspective. |
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Oct-11 | Feb-15 |
| 32 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – International Institute for Infrastructural Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering | UNESCO-IHE Delft | Spate Irrigation For Rural Growth & Poverty Alleviation SPO successfully implemented ‘Spate Irrigation for Rural Growth & Poverty Alleviation’ with the financial support of UNESCO-IHE Delft. The project started in July 2012 and concluded in December 2014, covering selected districts of all provinces of Pakistan. The overall goal of the project was to strengthen farmers network in Pakistan and prepare policy guidelines by implementing innovative and scalable action research solutions. Through this project, SPO initiated a process of incorporating spate irrigation in curricula of universities and agricultural colleges. The intervention highlighted the spate irrigation problems, practices and build base for knowledge dissemination. Under this project some key achievements were attained such as documentation and digitalizing of the water rights records, development of knowledge & its dissemination, capacity building of local NGOs and innovative research based solutions and program development for new investments. Four regional network of farmers and practitioner were established in districts Kachi & Sibi in Balochistan, district Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, districts Dadu & Jamshoro in Sindh, also districts Rajanpur and DG Khan in Punjab. SPO obtained and digitally compiled the Water Rights Record from DI Khan, DG Khan, Rajanpur, and Sibi. Developed a descriptive and video report on conditions of drinking water in Tharparkar district and prepared a concept paper . Around 1000 informative flyers, brochures and charts were prepared and distributed among farmers, practitioner, relevant government department, and higher educational institutions. SPO enhanced capacity of 50 professionals on regional spate issues and proposal writing. |
Selected districts of Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa | Jul-12 | Dec-14 |
| 33 | British High Commission | BHC | Social Justice, Democratic Governance, And Peace SPO successfully implemented its project named ‘Promote Social Justice, Democratic Governance and Peace’ with the financial support of the British High Commission (BHC) from October 2011 to September 2014. The project covered 42 districts in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The objective of the project was to build the capacity of Community-Based Organizations CBOs, Civil Society Networks (CSNs) and political representatives as to enable them towards better practices in democratic governance, social justice and social harmony. SPO designed knowledge-based programs on human rights and conflict management. SPO also trained staff and members of target CBOs to improve their organizational management skills. SPO also built the capacities of political representatives and CSNs in order to launch nationwide advocacy campaigns in social cohesion and harmony. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme trained 240 Community Organizations (CO) on themes which included the rights-based approach, democratic governance, gender and women rights and conflicts resolution. SPO also facilitated COs in developing 480 action plans to further support democratic governance and human rights while keeping a special focus on minority rights. SPO held 90 advocacy campaigns on peace building and conflict prevention measures. As a result of SPO’s efforts, 15000 complaints related to governance issues were lodged in the ombudsman’s office,100 human rights violations were responded to by SPO partner organizations, 25000 women acquired CNICs and became registered voters, and around 960 awareness raising/advocacy events were held. |
Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (42 districts) | Oct-11 | Sep-14 |
| 34 | British High Commission | BHC | Promote Social Justice, Democratic Governance, And Peace SPO successfully implemented its project named ‘Promote Social Justice, Democratic Governance and Peace’ with the financial support of the British High Commission (BHC) from October 2011 to September 2014. The project covered 42 districts in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The objective of the project was to build the capacity of Community-Based Organizations CBOs, Civil Society Networks (CSNs) and political representatives as to enable them towards better practices in democratic governance, social justice and social harmony. SPO designed knowledge-based programs on human rights and conflict management. SPO also trained staff and members of target CBOs to improve their organizational management skills. SPO also built the capacities of political representatives and CSNs in order to launch nationwide advocacy campaigns in social cohesion and harmony. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme trained 240 Community Organizations (CO) on themes which included the rights-based approach, democratic governance, gender and women rights and conflicts resolution. SPO also facilitated COs in developing 480 action plans to further support democratic governance and human rights while keeping a special focus on minority rights. SPO held 90 advocacy campaigns on peace building and conflict prevention measures. As a result of SPO’s efforts, 15000 complaints related to governance issues were lodged in the ombudsman’s office,100 human rights violations were responded to by SPO partner organizations, 25000 women acquired CNICs and became registered voters, and around 960 awareness raising/advocacy events were held. |
Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (42 districts) | Oct-11 | Sep-14 |
| 35 | Research Advocacy Fund | RAF | Financial Empowerment For Women For Increase Of Access To Maternal & Newborn Health Care SPO successfully implemented ‘We Care; Financial Empowerment for Women for Increase of Access to Maternal & Newborn Health Care’ project with the financial support of Research Advocacy Fund (RAF).The project started in January 2012 and concluded in July 2014. This project was implemented in district Quetta in Balochistan, district Badin in Sindh, district Faisalabad in Punjab and district Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project comprised of a research component aimed to assess efficacy and relevance of existing Social Safety Nets (SSNs) in Pakistan and review globally tested models to advocate most pertinent recommendations, policy directives and feedback to key stakeholders. The second component focused on advocacy to sensitize women about their Maternal & Newborn Health (MNH) needs, and create awareness regarding relevant cash transfer options, so that they can utilize cash payments to pay for services at healthcare facilities. Public oversight mechanisms were proposed through this project to enhance the accountability of public cash transfer initiatives, including BISP, for more effective and transparent implementation of cash transfer schemes. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme has been successful in establishing the importance and need of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) in MNH related interventions in the country. The biggest success of the project was the large scale mobilization of parliamentarians, line department officials and civil society in the target districts for spreading awareness and bringing all the stakeholders to unite on issues such as benefits of CCTs vs Non Conditional Cash Transfers (NCCTs), significance of MNH and how to use CCTs for this purpose and participation of BISP and discussion on outstandi |
Sindh (Badin), Balochistan (Quetta), Punjab (Faisalabad) & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Nowshera) | Jan-12 | Jul-14 |
| 36 | United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund | UNICEF | Engaging Children, Youth And Communities For The Promotion Of Social Cohesion & Resilience (SCR) In Sindh SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Promote Social Cohesion Through Education’ in collaboration with the UNICEF. The project started in July 2013 and concluded in July 2014 and was implemented in districts Karachi West and Jacobabad in Sindh. The objective of the project was to promote and strengthen social cohesion and resilience through education in vulnerable and conflict prone areas of Sindh. The key interventions of the project were to mobilize and engage communities by establishing and strengthening community-based support mechanisms for effective conflict resolution, improving access to quality education at Government Primary Girls’ and Boys’ Schools, teaching marginalized children in remote areas through community schools and providing access to education to out of school children between the ages of 9-17 years. The project aimed to attain these objectives through Alternative Learning Pathways (ALPs), capacity building of teachers, training and engaging youth as ‘Peace Ambassadors’. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme implemented this project by building linkages with key stakeholder for improved implementation of interventions at district level. SPO directly contributed to the education and development of 7,350 children, youth, teachers and community members to further promote and strengthen social cohesion in two districts of Sindh. SPO formed 7 peace committees at the Union Council and district level and75 government officials and para-teachers were also trained on integrated learning approaches. SPO also established 15 community schools, peace promoting events at schools, held sessions 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 social cohesion and resilience. |
Sindh (Karachi West and Jacobabad) | Jul-13 | Jul-14 |
| 37 | International Organization for Migration | IOM | Building Cooperation And Reconciliation Through Youth Engagement In DI Khan SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Building Cooperation and Reconciliation through Youth Engagement in DI Khan’ with financial support of IOM. The project started on December 2013 and concluded in May 2014 and was implemented in district Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The objective of the project was to restore peace and social harmony for improved socio-economic and political aspects of the society by addressing the growing violent extremism in a select Tehsil of district Dera Ismail Khan (DIK). SPO undertook several interventions which included the provision of assistance to youth groups for the restoration of sports and culture and the inclusion of young females in decision making by improving their participation in resolving sectarian conflicts and violence. SPO also developed and implemented a capacity enhancement training through which they informed youth groups on subjects like Conflict Resolution, Non-Violent Communication, Human Rights, and Governance & Democracy. SPO played a vital role in reducing the prevalence of violence in the DI Khan and improved socio-economic conditions by restoring peace and social harmony. |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Dera Ismail Khan) | Dec-13 | May-14 |
| 38 | Greenacre Associates and Department for International Development | GA and DFID | Assess And Benchmark The Status Of NGOs/CBOs And To Conduct Their Respective Capacity Assessments In Pakistan SPO successfully implemented its ‘Assess and Benchmark the Status of NGOs/CBOs and to Conduct their Respective Capacity Assessments in Pakistan’ study with the financial support of Greenacre Associates (GA) and DFID. The project started in May 2013 and concluded in December 2013 and was implemented in select districts across Pakistan. The objective of the project was to build the capacities of staff members, induct them into training programs designed to enable them to assess and benchmark the status of NGOs identified by SPO. SPO evaluated 2000 NGOs with whom SPO has worked with previously. The evaluation included contacting NGOs and having them complete a questionnaire for each NGO in order to include their details in Greenacres Associates database for future engagement with these NGOs. |
Across Pakistan | May-13 | Dec-13 |
| 39 | Oxfam Great Britain | Oxfam GB | Ending Torture And II-Treatment Of Women In Police Custody In Pakistan (Completed) SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Ending Torture and III-Treatment of Women in Police Custody in Pakistan’ with the financial support of Oxfam GB. The project started in February 2011 and concluded in November 2013 and was implemented in Lahore and Rawalpindi. The objective of the project was to ensure the fair treatment of women, who are victims of violence, by law enforcement agencies and to improve their living conditions in police custody and shelter homes. SPO developed training manuals for police and jail staff on guidelines taken from the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) and gender sensitization. In addition to training the police, SPO also trained the staff working at these shelter homes. SPO was able to reach out to 370 women in jails and Dar-ul-Amans through the provision of legal counselling to 240 women and trained 200 women on life skills. SPO also trained 1500 police, jail and Dar-ul-Amans (government run shelter home) on UN CAT and Gender. SPO also enrolled 100,000 people in the advocacy campaigns addressing torture issues. |
Lahore and Rawalpindi | Feb-11 | Nov-13 |
| 40 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | UNESCO | Increasing Girls’ Enrollment And Retention And Improving The Quality Of Education SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Increasing Girls’ Enrollment and Retention and Improving the Quality of Education’ with the financial support of UNESCO. The project stared in 2012 and concluded in 2013 and was implemented in districts Ziarat and Jaffarabad in Balochistan. The objective of this project was to support UNESCO’s efforts in increasing girls’ enrolment, retention and improving the quality of education in primary schools by working in close consultation with local authorities. Through this project, SPO mobilized communities and organized advocacy campaigns. SPO’s multi-strategy and approach included action research, mobilization and advocacy of for promotion of girls’ education, and technical assistance for missing facilities. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme implemented this project by identifying several interventions. SPO successfully transformed school infrastructures and improved learning environments to attract students and parents back to the school system. In order to improve retention and the quality of girls’ primary education, SPO established PTCs/ SMCs, provided missing facilities such as boundary walls, washrooms, drinking water, minor repairs (to a limited scale), and trained teachers in multi-grade teaching (MGT) and activity based learning (ABL). |
Balochistan (Ziarat and Jaffarabad) | Jun-12 | Aug-13 |
| 41 | Punjab Saaf Pani Company | PSPC | Access To Water And Sanitation For All SPO successfully implemented its project titled ‘Access to Water & Sanitation for All’ project in collaboration with Punjab Saaf Pani Company. The project started in 2012 and concluded in 2013, and was implemented in districts Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab. The objective of the project was to provide clean drinking water to communities previously forced to drink contaminated water due to contamination of groundwater resources and inadequate operation and maintenance of government owned water supply schemes. Before the implementation phase, SPO conducted a community baseline survey through which water supply schemes were identified in the underserved rural, semi and peri-urban areas. The baseline also identified the number of population that was benefitting from the supply schemes while also analyzing the socio-economic and cultural dynamics of the local communities. SPO mobilized communities to form Water User Committees (WUCs) which comprised of members that have influence and expertise in facilitating such initiatives. SPO organized 4 trainings for WUCs to identify their roles and responsibilities for improved operation, maintenance and sustainability of the water supply schemes. SPO also arranged a series of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) awareness sessions for the project beneficiaries which included elders, men, women, children and youth. Through these interventions SPO provided clean and safe drinking water and improved hygiene practices to 5,429,547 persons in Faisalabad, 1,843,194 persons in Sahiwal, 2,433,091 persons in Bahawalpur, 1,643,118 persons D.G. |
Punjab (Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan) | Oct-12 | May-13 |
| 42 | Australian Development Agency | Emergency Humanitarian Measures in KP SPO successfully implemented ‘Emergency Humanitarian Measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ relief project with the financial support of Australian Development Agency. The project started in October 2010 and concluded in March 2011, covering districts Nowshera and Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The overall goal of the project was to assist flood affected populations by providing humanitarian assistance and protection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project aimed to help the effected vulnerable population to have access to and make use of rehabilitated drinking water facilities and follow hygiene practices to sustain and safeguard their lives and health. SPO reached out to flood affected communities. The well-coordinated efforts of SPO resulted in the availability of safe drinking water through around 50 water sources that were cleaned and restored. Total 2,750 families (20,075 individuals) received and used water storage kits. Community and private sanitation facilities were rebuilt and around 200 latrines were rehabilitated. Approximately 4,000 individuals were given access to use sanitation facilities and total 2,750 hygiene / household kits were distributed and used by 20,075 individuals. About 4,000 meters of drainage channels were also restored through engaging 675 households that received cash for work. |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Nowshera and Charsadda) | Oct-10 | Mar-12 | |
| 43 | Care International, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Oxfam Netherlands | Cl, UNOCHA, Oxfam Novib | Humanitarian Assistance For Flood Affected Communities SPO successfully implemented its ‘Humanitarian Assistance for Flood Affected Communities’ project with the financial support of Care International, UNOCHA, Oxfam Novib. The project started in February 2011 and concluded in January 2012, covering districts Nowshera, Peshawer and Charsada in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, districts Muzzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Mianwali in Punjab, districts Ghokti, Sukkur and Shikarpur in Sindh and districts Sibi, Jafarabad and Naseerabad in Balochistan. The goal of the project was to facilitate citizen’s active participation in the empowerment of women in areas worst affected by the flood by facilitating their access to resources and institutions to enable control over their own lives and improve attitudes and behavior towards them (women) and their concerns. SPO designed various advocacy, research, capacity enhancement, and service delivery activities. SPO trained 40 relevant organizations about restoration of land entitlements and building linkages between institutional stakeholders and recipient population. SPO provided assistance to 96 female headed households in reclaiming land titles in each region and also developed need-based packages for support (assets, credit, supply lines, market access) for identified home-based economic activities. As a result of SPO’s efforts in this project, 180 women were given training to re-establish their economic activities, 40 water systems were restored and 24 training programs were conducted in each region on safe water practices in relation to rehabilitated systems (with community women who benefit from the water supply). |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Nowshera, Peshawer and Charsada), Punjab (Muzzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Mianwali), Sindh (Ghokti, Sukkur and Shikarpur) and Balochistan (Sibi, Jafarabad and Naseerabad). | February 2011 | Jan-12 |
| 44 | Oxford Committee for Famine Relief – Netherland -Pakistan | Oxfam Novib-Pakistan | Emergency Response For Flood Affected People In Sindh SPO successfully implemented ‘Emergency Response for Flood Affected People in Sindh’ emergency relief project with financial support of Oxfam Novib-Pakistan from December 2010 to May 2011. This emergency relief project covered district Tando Muhammad Khan in Sindh. The overall goal of the initiative was to give emergency response to communities affected by the Flood in 2010 through the provision of assistance and supplying of essentials to regenerate the livelihoods of the flood victims. This 6-month emergency relief response capacitated 5000 households in district Tando Muhammad Khan. SPO under its ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ programme implemented a Cash for Work initiative in order to provide the affected families cash to help sustain their livelihoods. SPO’s humanitarian team conducted field visits to the flood affected areas for gauging the impact of the disaster and to also assess the needs of the communities. Around 5000 households and families received health and hygiene kits. SPO formed Village Relief Committees (VRC) in target villages which helped SPO in identifying the affected families requiring relief. SPO worked in close coordination with local authorities, civil society networks, and partner organizations in Sindh to improve the living conditions of affected communities. |
Sindh (Tando Muhammad Khan) | Dec-10 | May-11 |
| 45 | United Nations Development Fund for Women | UNIFEM | Promoting Women Political Participation In Pakistan SPO successfully implemented ‘Strengthening of Women’s Leadership Role and Establishing Women Protection Networks in Eight Flood Affected Districts’ project with the financial support of UNIFEM. The project started in December 2010 and concluded in March 2011, covering districts Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, districts Multan and Rajan Pur in Punjab, districts Thatta and Sukkar in Sindh and districts Naseerabad and Jaffarabad in Balochistan. The overall goal of the project was to harness a network of local women leaders who will in turn seek to protect women rights by ensuring their role and integration in various aspects of disaster risk preparedness, mitigation and prevention related planning, initiatives and interventions. SPO built capacity of 250 women leaders and the officials of district line agencies who later took frontline roles in protecting women rights. The project ensured that these 250 women have worked closely with affected women and helped them to address women concerns in relation to their rehabilitation and reconstruction requirements (in case of occurrence of a disaster), combat gender based violence, and lobby for including women in decision making forums. SPO also enhanced lobbying capacities of women leaders and groups resulting in more gender responsive disaster risk preparedness, mitigation and prevention measures by the state and the non-state actors. These interventions led to development of a coherent strategy for SPO and its partner organizations to ensure fuller and righteous inclusion of women in future disaster risk mitigation, preparedness and prevention measures to seek to end all forms of violence and discrimination against women. SPO was already providing emergency and relief support to aforementioned districts through food packages, access to clean water, and shelter. The project was appreciated by UN agencies and local line departments. The objective of the project was to provide clean drinking water to communities previously forced to drink contaminated water due to contamination of groundwater resources and inadequate operation and maintenance of government owned water supply schemes. Before the implementation phase, SPO conducted a community baseline survey through which water supply schemes were identified in the underserved rural, semi and peri-urban areas. The baseline also identified the number of population that was benefitting from the supply schemes while also analyzing the socio-economic and cultural dynamics of the local communities. SPO mobilized communities to form Water User Committees (WUCs) which comprised of members that have influence and expertise in facilitating such initiatives. SPO organized 4 trainings for WUCs to identify their roles and responsibilities for improved operation, maintenance and sustainability of the water supply schemes. SPO also arranged a series of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) awareness sessions for the project beneficiaries which included elders, men, women, children and youth. Through these interventions SPO provided clean and safe drinking water and improved hygiene practices to 5,429,547 persons in Faisalabad, 1,843,194 persons in Sahiwal, 2,433,091 persons in Bahawalpur, 1,643,118 persons D.G. |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan), Punjab (Multan and Rajan Pur), Sindh (Thatta and Sukkar and districts Naseerabad) and Balochistan (Jaffarabad) | Dec-10 | Mar-11 |
| 46 | Care International in Pakistan | CI -PAK | Early Recovery Plan For Flood Affected People In Punjab Province SPO successfully implemented ‘Early Recovery Plan for Flood Affected People in Punjab Province’ recovery and relief project with the financial support of Care International in Pakistan. The project started in October 2010 and concluded in March 2011, in district Muzzafargarh in Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to assist flood affected population of Tehsil Kot Adu in district Muzaffargarh, Punjab. This six-month response ensured that targeted communities have access to adequate and appropriate food to uphold their survival, dignity and fosters early livelihoods recovery. The secondary objective was to create livelihood opportunities which could benefit flood affected communities-at-large. SPO supported communities by giving Cash for Work opportunities in exchange of their services related to rehabilitation of community infrastructures. To maintain transparency, temporary Village Relief Committees (VRC) were also formed after community mobilization. Village development plan (VDP) was developed with the support of VRC. The VDP was a tool used by community mobilizers of SPO to prioritize needs in reconstruction and rehabilitation of community infrastructure under this project. Village level enterprise committees were also formed in consultation with local stakeholders. In addition to these interventions, cash grants to 900 small traders’ families were provided especially to women headed households (benefiting 6,300 individuals) for restoring their income generating activities as well as regenerating markets. SPO and Care International played vital role in providing support to local authorities in coordination of disaster management activities and carrying out relief activities with the support of its local networks. The project interventions were also successful because of close linkages and coordinated efforts with district government officials, especially District Coordination Officer, EDOs for Health, Education, Community Development and EDO Revenue had been established. |
Punjab (Muzzafargarh) | Oct-10 | Mar-11 |
| 47 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) | Food Assistance For Flood Affected Communities In Punjab SPO successfully implemented ‘Food Assistance for Flood Affected Communities in Punjab’ relief project with the financial support of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The project started in September 2010 and concluded in December 2010, covering districts Layyah & Mianwali, in Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to save lives and improve essential nutritional and health status of women, children and other vulnerable individuals through emergency food supply intervention in districts Layyah and Mianwali of Punjab. SPO implemented this two-month emergency relief response in collaboration with local authorities and support of its volunteer network. As a result of these efforts, a total of 35,040 individuals (26520 women and children) were given food packages to meet their nutritional needs. SPO provided one-month food packages to 4,800 flood affected families of Punjab. |
Punjab (Layyah & Mianwali) | Sep-10 | Dec-10 | |
| 48 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) | Emergency Relief Operation For Flood Affectees In Balochistan SPO successfully implemented ‘Emergency Relief Operation for Flood Affectees in Balochistan’ project with the financial support of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The project started in August 2010 and concluded in November 2010, covering district Naseerabad in Balochistan. The overall goal of the project was to reduce the possible risk of epidemics outbreak in the affected areas by introducing Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions in Tehsil Tambu of district Naseerabad, Balochistan. SPO provided Health and Hygiene kits to 2000 families and ensured that Women and children of 2000 families accessed clean drinking water with the provision of jerry cans distributed among them for water storage. As a result, a total of 40 water sources (wells, hand pumps and water supply schemes) were restored that helped affected communities to have easy access to clean drinking water. The WASH activities of the project were implemented keeping in view the cultural practices in the district. The distribution points were established in places which were accessible to women. |
Balochistan (Naseerabad) | Aug-10 | Nov-10 | |
| 49 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) | Relief Operations For Flood Affected Population Khyber Pakhtunkhwa SPO successfully implemented ‘Relief Operations for Flood Affected Population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ project with the financial support of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The project started in August 2010 and concluded in November 2010, covering district Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The overall goal of the project was to support flood affected population in resettling and returning towards their normal life. The aim was to provide shelter and non-food items (NFIs) to meet the needs of the displaced and flood affected communities living in District Swat. SPO reached out to 1,040 flood affected families and distributed bedding kits and NFIs. SPO conducted beneficiaries’ assessment in relief and spontaneous camps. For transparent and effective use of resources and project implementation, monitoring activities were carried out during relief kits distribution. SPO provided cooking utensils, blankets and bedding materials to women headed households in order to help them maintain their health, privacy and dignity. |
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Swat) | Aug-10 | Nov-10 | |
| 50 | United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Tacmil SPO successfully implemented ‘Tacmil Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ with the financial support of USAID.The project started in November 2008 and concluded in October 2009, covering district Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The overall goal of this project was to improve the monitoring system of health sector in district Charsadda. In order to achieve this goal, SPO formed 25 Health Monitoring Committee (HMC) at UC level and two committees at district level. The project also aimed to form and strengthen a district health board in Charsadda that would hold the HMCs accountable. SPO also initiated awareness campaigns to create awareness among the masses about their basic right to quality healthcare. SPO under its ‘Social & Economic Development’ programme organized project activities under three phases of mobilization, capacity building, and advocacy. The advocacy initiatives were carried out in collaboration with the civil society networks and were also integral part of the project. The anticipated result of this intervention was improved performance of government health services in district Charsadda. To ensure joint monitoring and following participatory approach the HMC was formed consisting of local community and government representatives. Major stakeholders such as the district Nazim, DCO, Tehsil Nazim, and EDO Health were engaged through this intervention. This project strengthened linkages between the district health management committee, district health boards, CSN, and the local government so to ensure long term sustainability. | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Charsadda) | Nov-08 | Oct-09 |
| 51 | United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund | UNICEF | Rehabilitation Of The WASH Component For Flood Affectees In Rajanpur SPO successfully implemented ‘Rehabilitation of the WASH component for flood affected in Rajanpur’ project with the financial support of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The project started in November 2008 and concluded in February 2009, covering district Rajanpur in Punjab. The overall goal of the project was to provide safe drinking water to flood affected communities by installing 185 water hand pumps and contributed to promote hygiene practices through health and hygiene awareness sessions. In order to ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the project SPO strategized to engage local government officials and members from affected communities in project orientation. Keeping in mind the parameters of gender responsive needs, it was ensured that SPO’s interventions had complete ownership of the concerned community. Alongside this, women were reached out as most vulnerable group as they lacked access to clean drinking water and were primarily responsible for water fetching chore. Water Management Committees (WMC) were formed followed by Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing with local communities for site selection of hand pumps. The intervention resulted successful because local community had partnered with SPO by providing services of digging and Labor/masons identification for installation of water sources. As a result of SPO and other stakeholders’ efforts, 26,000 people were provided drinking water facilities through the installation of 185 hand pumps. |
Punjab (Rajanpur) | Nov-08 | Feb-09 |
| 52 | United States Agency for International Development | USAID | Gender Equality Project SPO successfully implemented ‘Gender Equality Project’ with the financial support of USAID Gender Equality Program. The project started in March 2003 and concluded in December 2003, covering district district Turbat in Balochistan, district Hyderabad in Sindh, district Peshawar in KPK and district Multan in Punjab. The overall goal of this project was to empower women population of the project area through capacity building and linkage development of women councilors. Through this project SPO enhanced capacity of 400 women in selected district. The project envisioned to equip women councilors with skills to access institutional mechanisms and knowledge of women development issues. SPO trained 400 women councilors in the key areas of communication, resource mobilization, data collection and analysis, and action planning skills. SPO also organized a ‘Resource Mela’ to provide a platform for women councilors to engage directly and build liaison with stakeholders representing sectors of Education, Economic Empowerment, Health, Legal Rights and Violence Against Women & Girls. These women councilors were also connected with the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Women Development. These councilors developed linkages with line departments and other civil society organizations, which later supported them in specific action planning based on women related issues in development schemes at district level. Being the coordinator for four networks, SPO linked the women councilors with the Gender and Governance Network (Multan), BASHM-Turbat Gender Resource Centre (Turbat), Gender Voice (Peshawar) and G-Net (Hyderabad) for technical backstopping. |
Balochistan (Turbat), Sindh (Hyderabad), KPK (Peshawar) and Punjab (Multan) | Mar-03 | Dec-03 |