Health, education, improving life standard of people; top priorities

Rafiullah Mandokhail

ZHOB: The bordering district Zhob is small in case of population but large in area with a high poverty and illiteracy rate.

Although the pace of development in remote areas is slow, yet in a neglected and backward hilly area a non-government organization covered series of activities at the community level aimed at improving the standard of life, educating and providing health facilities to poor and marginalized community.

Resultantly, today the destiny of the people has been changed and the area has been put on the path of development and prosperity. Moreover a change is visible and people have aspiration to work with co-operation and co-ordination.

Human Development Foundation has been struggling over a decade for social mobilization, health, education and for the improvement of peoples’ living standard here in the poverty stricken district. The organization with the financial support of Italian Government has initiated PPAF-PPR project focusing social mobilization, health, education and livelihood enhancement – community physical infrastructure.

Two phases of the project have been completed while the project is entered recently into its third phase. According to the Team Leader HDF Ikram Khan, the aims and objectives of the project are to empower the community by its active participation in development process.

“On the identification of the Education department repair work at nine schools has been completed besides provision of furniture, uniform, bags, caps and shoes to over four hundred students. Moreover 155 teachers have been trained – enhancing their professional skills,” adding over forty members of Parent Teacher School Management Committee have been delivered Disaster Risk Management and environmental training while the students availed opportunity of exposure and eco visits. Sports and speech competition among the student also held time to time. Over a dozen male and female Community Resource Persons have been trained in the second phase, he explains.

Repair work and renovation have been completed at Alikhanzai & Meena bazaar BHUs besides providing equipments, medicines and training to twenty CRPs. Plants have been installed for hazardous waste disposal at both BHUs. Three medical camps have been set up, three hundred blood donors have been registered while midwives have been trained at nursing school.

He further says, reducing poverty and increasing the income level of the people, assets have been provided to over eighty needy community members, while 25 members have been trained in agriculture and 33 in livestock sectors. Furthermore at least 27 development schemes have been completed including prevision of drinking water, irrigation, water supply, channel, tank and construction of flood protection walls. To promote peace and harmony within the communities football tournaments have also been organized at district level, where free sports kits have been provided to players.

The organization head further says, two enterprise girls’ schools have been established at primary level, while two other have been equipped with digital halls in the mentioned above union councils. He concludes.

Meanwhile, people of the area have appreciated the significant role of HDF and thanked donor agencies for their generous contribution and support to bring improvement in life standard of less-privileged communities.