ISLAMABAD, May 5: The Enterprise Development Programme(EDP) of Sungi Development Foundation here on Friday held the opening ceremony of their third craft shop at Lok Virsa Islamabad. The chief Guest Mrs. Amna Asghar Khan cut the ribbon to formally open the shop.

The craft shops are being opened to market the products of the craft groups. The women are able to get fair price for their products, as no intermediary is involved to exploit them. Gradually more mature and dynamic groups are exposed to the market and linkages are developed with the traders and retail out lets to carry out their business independently. It has led to the formation of independent craft groups which have established their own market linkages.

Addressing the opening ceremony Sungi’s Executive director Samina Khan said that Sungi took up the challenge to revive Jisti and other traditional crafts of Hazara as a source of empowering women and enhancing their socio economic status by providing them an additional source of income. Sungi also organizes the craft groups and their capacities are enhanced to produce and market high quality products.

She added that the in the aftermath of earth quake, involvement of female members in enterprise development is instrumental not only for generating source of income to the members but reviving traditional crafts in the area.

Highlighting the role of the craft programme, she said that it has helped to revive the local craft and has also introduced new crafts for women such as making of hand paper and products, candle making, leather products. With regards to its male craft persons, she said the programme intends to focus on four specific skills: hand loom weaving, wood work, pottery and leather weaving.

Sungi already has two craft shops one in Islamabad and the other in Karachi. Being the commercial trade and industrial center of the country, Karachi offers a sizable potential market to the Sungi to market the products of local women of Hazara 
 

ISLAMABAD, April 29: The Sungi Development Foundation with the collaboration of International Rivers Network (IRN) here Saturday launched the Urdu version of a guidebook on World Commission on Dams (WCD) report.

The book, “citizens guide to World Commission on Dams”, is a summery of WCD’s 400-page report and it intends to provide a background of the Commission, its achievements, findings and recommendations.

It tells an ordinary citizen and stakeholders to push for the adoption of WCD guidance with regard to construction of mega development projects.

The book is an easy and comprehendible translation of the IRN initiative which is aimed at educating the affected communities, NGOs and the general public.

In his speech, Sungi official Amjad Nazir warned the government against the construction of large dams in the aftermath of the October 8 earthquake. He urged the need for exploring other options for energy instead of mega reservoirs.

The Sungi official said the trend of raising big dams has ceased in the developed world but unfortunately in Pakistan it was continuing. The past experience, he said, was witness to the fatality of large dams in the country.

The IRN representative, Ann Kathrin Schneider said that with its base in the US her organization from the last five years was promoting the WCD recommendations around the world regarding construction of mega dams.

She said the guidebook has already been translated into many languages including Spanish, Russian and Thai. She the Urdu version by Sungi would considerably help people of Pakistan what are the WCD recommendations and how they seek for the protection of their rights.

She added that the WCD guidelines have already been adopted by certain European banks including HSBC and others. However, she said that some governments including Norway and India have not accepted the WCD recommendations.

Already in 2001, the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has organized s series of WCD workshops that mainly aimed at disseminating the WCD report to the people and civil society organizations.
The guide book is particularly helpful to those individuals and organizations that work to inform and influence policy-makers locally, regionally and internationally.

The WCD report suggests that large dams have failed to produce as much electricity, water or control as much flood damage as originally predicted. Instead the report says that large dams have forced 40 to 80 million people from their homes and lands who faced extreme economic hardships, alienation and mental problems. 

MANSEHRA: Livestock experts on Thursday said that well-cooked chickens and eggs are safe for human consumption and are free of bird flu virus. They, however, warned that
Pakistan was not prepared to cope with the H5N1 attack on human.

Speaking at a seminar on bird flu, the speakers said the extent of bird flue virus wan not that alarming in the country as was being projected in the media. They said that bird flu virus could be catastrophic if it hits rural poultry which is not regulated hence susceptible.

Those who addressed the participants included Dr. Attique, medical specialist from Ayub Medical Complex, Dr Ayaz, a researcher in avian influenza and a member of Influenza Task Force and Dr Rafiq, a livestock official from district Mansehra. Organized by the Sungi Development Foundation, the seminar was attended by community members from across the district, councilors, poultry farmers and representatives from community-based organizations.

In his address, Dr Ayaz said that well-cooked chickens and eggs are pretty safe for human consumption and are free from bird flu virus. He, however, warned that cooked chickens with ‘pink areas’ and eggs that are half-boiled should not be eaten. “There is no virus inside eggs, however, their outer surfaces must be checked and it should be intact and clean,” he added.

About the bird flu symptoms, he said these include fever, pain in throat and body and pneumonia etc. He added when humans are hit by the bird flu virus, it spreads fast in the body and causes failure of all vital organs. “At this stage no drugs works and victims dies within three days of the attack.”

Citing the first bird flu case in the world that occurred in China, Dr Ayaz said the child who suffered from bird flu and who hailed from Hong Kong, persistently told his parents and doctors of sever pain in his chest. About precautionary measures, the influenza researcher said that poultry farms near living areas should be sprayed properly, farm workers should use masks and gloves and if any one of them suffers from fever, doctors must be approached.

To a question, he said that backyard poultry farming is more virus-prone, therefore, it should be entirely culled if there is any unusual death account among the birds. He said that bird flu becomes fatal if hits human being, which then spreads like anything. The virus, he said also exists in the birds’ droppings and is more dangerous in live chickens than the dead ones.

To another query, he said the concept of slaughtering, cooking and eating ailing birds was pathetically wrong, perilous and outrageous. “Eating a sick bird should outrightly be rejected and this primordial doctrine must cease now as we are living in a new and advanced world,” he commented.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rafique said the livestock department in the area has already started surveillance of all poultry farms and was collecting blood samples of the birds to determine which type of virus they carried. He added the poultry farmers would be given 75% of the amount in case their stock is wiped out for bird flu threats. He also told the participants that chickens rinsed in vinegars could be safe for consumption. 

BATTAGRAM, April 14 : The female councilors of district Battagram on Friday demanded allocation of development funds in the upcoming budget and considerate review of their salary structures.

Speaking here at a ceremony, the female councilors expressed their concerns over what they said poor and discriminatory salary structure compared to the male councilors.

The councilors demanded of the Frontier government to allocate adequate development funds in the budget. They also demanded their involvement in the earthquake relief and rehabilitation drives.

The event, a lecture on “political rights of women in Islam” by Prof Arshad Qayyum was organized by the Sungi Development Foundation. It was attended by a large number of female and male councilors, area notables and leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, District Naib Nazim Niaz Mohammad Trand and Tehsil Naib Nazim Hamidullah Khan assured their fullest support and cooperation to the women local councilors.

Niaz Trand asked the women councilors to state and present their demands in the form of a resolution which he could then forward to the provincial chief minister for an early action. He added that salaries of the women councilors were at par with the male councilors. 

NATHIAGALI, April 12: The Sungi Development Foundation (SDF) Thursday organized a workshop on its project that seeks promotion of energy efficiency to improve livelihood of the forest communities.

The project, ‘promoting energy efficiency and forest conservation’, is being funded by the United National Development Programme and is a part of its ‘promotion of tropical forestry (PTF),’.

Addressing the ceremony of the 15-month project, Samina Khan, executive director of the Sungi Foundation said the project includes a detailed survey of three forest communities wherein problems and their remedies have been discoursed.

Khan said the project also focuses on enhancement of forest in the areas around Nathiagali, protection of saplings and establishment of nurseries for plantation purposes. She added the endeavor also stresses the need for planting fast-growing trees that could meet fuel demands of the communities.

Highlighting the role of basic stakeholders, Samina Khan said this project could never be materialized without active support and participation of the communities involved. She said the project would considerably help stop ruthless deforestation and improve livelihood of the forest dwellers.

Speaking on the occasion, UNDP Coordinator Sanaullah said that success of this project would largely depend on the participation of the basic stakeholders. He said the UNDP collaborated with Sungi regarding this project in view of Sungi’s role and performance.

He urged the need for treating forests like orchards. “We should find ways to protect and benefit from our forests like our orchards from where we get fruits and whom we protect,” he stressed. “We need to transfer our forest to our future generations unharmed,” he urged.

In her address the project manger, Sumaira Saeed said the project would remain incomplete without active participation of the communities. She added the Sungi project in this area was launched some four-to-five months back that involves a detailed survey of the problems of the locals.

She said that water scarcity, hard access, intrusion of wild animals into human life, soil erosion and depletion of plants as some of the major problems faced by the concerned forest communities.
 

ABBOTTABAD: Sungi Development Foundation is organizing an event to highlight disaster management plans at district levels, initially in the quake-hit areas in the wake of October 8 earthquake that killed over eighty thousands people and left over 3.5 million homeless.

The event titled as ‘disaster assembly’ is being held at the Jalal Baba Auditorium, Abbottabad, on Tuesday, March 21. It will be addressed among others by the district nazim. The speakers, besides recalling the tragic October 8 events, would suggest ways and means to handle such disasters in future.

This is the second disaster assembly organized by Sungi. Earlier the same event was held in district Mansehra, which was joined by community leaders, local government representatives and others in February this year.

The Abbottabad disaster assembly will be attended by Sungi’s community partners from various union councils, district line agencies, local government elected representatives, district administration and other civil society organizations.

The prime objective of the assembly is to institutionalize a disaster forum at district level -- a functional body with clear role and responsibilities in peace as well as calamity situations.

Sungi would also hold a conference on district disaster forums in Muzaffarabad on March 22, this year. Prime Minister of AJK Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan would be the chief guest on the occasion. Venue of the conference will be the Neelum View Hotel.