Our Vision:
Equal, just and sensible distribution of resources based
on an unbiased approach towards religion, sex, caste and need of the
environment so that a prosperous society develops on the principle of
justice and prosperity.
Opening of Sungi craft
shop at LOK VIRSA (May 05'2006)
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
Urdu version of IRN
guidebook launched (April 29'2006)
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.
Well-cooked chickens,
eggs safe for consumption, say experts (April 21'2006)
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.
Need to conserve energy,
forests stressed (April 12'2006)
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.
WSF assails poor funding
to local Govts. (The News March 29'2006)
KARACHI: Participants of the World Social Forum on Tuesday regretted lack
of required cooperation from the government to the local governments and
demanded the rescue of this system from collapse.
During a seminar titled ‘state of local government system in
Pakistan’, speakers from various segments of the society including
non governmental organizations and community based welfare bodies observed
the local government system was faced with the threat of failure due
to lack of funds and other required support from the government.
Addressing the seminar, Amjad Nazeer, programme manager of the Sungi
Development Foundation regretted what he said the poor funding to the
local governments by the central and provincial governments.
Poor local governments, he observed, were left at the mercy of God
during the earthquake. Nazeer added that had the local government system
been strong, sound and robust, the October 8 earthquake would have not
caused loss at huge scale.
Jointly organized by Sungi and Oxfam GB, the seminar was also addressed
by a Sungi official from Abbottabad, Mukhtar Javed. He informed the
participants about the local government system in Pakistan.
He referred to the case study of Battagram district in the Hazara Division
where the Sungi has tried to involve women in the local political system
and their capacity building.
Another speaker Razia Jafery Advocate in her presentation lauded the
efforts of President General Pervez Mushaffar in the smooth functioning
of the current system. She added that today, the real power lied with
the masses.
Hammmad Rizvi of Ikta Pareshat of India said that the local government
system in his country was same like that of Pakistan. He urged both
the neighbours to work together for the improvement of the system and
rights of their people.
WSF for locals' involvement
in reconstruction process (The News March 28'2006)
KARACHI: The World Social Forum (WSF) has urged upon the Earthquake
Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to implement a people-centric
post-quake policy.
Speaking during an event, ‘reconstruction in earthquake areas:
future challenges and expectation,’ the speakers and participants
suggested that all plans for reconstruction and rehabilitation should
include views of the local residents.
The discussion, jointly organized by Oxfam and Sungi, drew the attention
of the government to devise comprehensive and sustainable strategy to
rehabilitate the effectees and avoid imposing solution that are inimical
to the desires of the displaced residents.
Oxfam official Shafiqur Rehman stressed the need for capacity building
of the stakeholder, community-based organizations, government officials
and NGO partners with regard to the reconstruction and rehabilitation
process.
Dr Manzoor Awan of Sungi urged the need for future preparedness for
disasters. He said that during the first 24 hours of the October 8 catastrophe
no one from outside could help the victims and it were the surviving
locals who were the first responders.
The Sungi official suggested linking of the newly created National
Disaster Management Agency with community based organization and non
governmental organizations. He said the DMA needs to be activated and
should be responsive.
Dr Manzoor said that the policies and laws of the NDMA should be linked
to the community based disaster management models and should involve
all stakeholders. He added that the role of civil society and media
during and after the earthquake should be lauded.
“There is dire need for and end to ‘relief syndrome’,
Dr Manzoor said adding that people need to stand on their own feet.
He said that environmental rehabilitation was also a need of the hour,
besides price control over reconstruction material and its sustained
supply from factories.
Kamran Akbar of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund spoke on house
reconstruction in the devastated areas. The PPF has been assigned reconstruction
of houses in 34 union councils of the quake-hit areas.
Kamran also urged the need for social revitalization in the earthquake
affected areas. He also explained the reconstruction policies of the
government.
In another event, the speakers including Farida Jamote of Marero Mir
Bahar Tehrik and Amjad Nazeer of Sungi, spoke on ‘owner ship over
resources and livelihood of the people.’
Jamote said that due to globalization and incursion of outsiders the
quantity of fish was decreasing at an alarming rate which is effecting
the lives of the people especially women. She urged that a viable and
comprehensive policy should be devised for fishermen.
Sungi advocacy chief Amjad Nazeer, speaking on privatization and globalization,
said this issue was effecting the diversity of crops. He added the use
of foreign seed would deprive Pak farmers of indigenous knowledge about
the local crops. He urged the use of local seeds and resources saying
the imported seed was creating a difference of class.
DMF launched in AJK to meet future
challenges (The News March 23'2006)
MUZAFFARABAD: People of Azad Kashmir including community based organizations
Wednesday endorsed the formation of a body responsible for countering
future disasters with prudent strategies and skills.
More than two hundred participants including women, the government
and civil society representatives unanimously approved the launching
of DMFs during a conference held here and urged its swift realization
of it goals.
The speakers including AJK Minister for Okaf Sahibzad Hamid Raza, UNDP
Consultant Naunihal Shah and Executive Director Sungi Samina Khan observed
that had such bodied existed prior to the October 8 earthquake, the
loss of life and infrastructure would have been considerable low.
The minister in his address said the AJK government left no stone unturned
in rescue and relief efforts across the devastated region despite the
fact that the entire system was rendered ruined by the temblor.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza hailed the efforts of Sungi for taking the initiative
of launching the forum with public participation. He assured Sungi of
his government’s fullest cooperation in the setting of the disaster
management forum in the AJK.
The Okaf minister promised to convey the proposals and recommendation
of the conference to Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan as a
team member of the forum and seeking its urgent execution.
Speaking on the occasion, Executive Director Sungi Samina Khan said
her organization is based on the principle of drawing together the aggrieved
masses and the government leaders at a platform where both could listen
to each other.
“Improvements could only occur after patiently listening to each
other views and then reaching a conclusion about viable solutions,”
she observed. She also stressed the need for a collective response to
future challenges.
Recalling the October 8 earthquake, Khan said it only because of a
collective effort that our people despite lack of expertise and resources
could handle a disaster of such an enormous magnitude.
“Another purpose of this event is to listen to the women voice
that form a big proportion of the society, she said and added that women’s
views and suggestion must be given proper heed and their grievances
also need to be addressed properly. “We also need to listen to
the women problems with patience and tolerance, “she stressed.
Sungi organizes 'disaster assembly'
(DAWN March 19'2006)
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.
