Community productive infrastructure program is to provide support to the
partner communities for improving local infrastructure and services for
enhanced productivity and improved quality of life. Sungi involves the
partner communities in the identification, design, construction, operation
and maintenance phases. Operation and maintenance committees are formed
to ensure the sustainability of the schemes. Sungi is of the view that
improved infrastructure sustainability contribute to the development of
the area and lead to increased economic activity and poverty reduction.
Key Focus
Over the year 2005, in continuity of its efforts to reduce rural poverty
and improving the local communities’ accessibility, the program
focused towards provision of productive infrastructure facilities in select
parts of Sungi’s working areas. The program completed a total of
177 schemes against an annual target of 82 projects. Through these initiatives,
a total of 86 villages were covered benefiting 63,427 people (52 percent
female). The program invested a total of Rs 37.6 million and the community
contribution remained Rs 9.7 million. It is significant to highlight that
the CPI construction work provided daily wage earning opportunities to
local poor labours as Rs 6.2 million were paid as labour cost. On an average,
each labour earned Pak Rs 3,000 per month for three months period. For
sustainability of its initiatives, the program engaged partner communities
at all stages of the projects. Project review committees, each comprising
ten active members of the concerned VCs, were formed. These committees
remained effectively looking after the operation and maintenance (O&M)
of these schemes.
The program had adopted multi-pronged strategies to extend
the benefits of its interventions to benefit poor and marginalized sections
of the communities. The program preferred small scale projects and women
identified needs were addressed at a priority basis. Out of total 177
schemes, ninety-six schemes were completed with female village committees.
Similarly, forty-seven percent of the total schemes were small scale projects.
In response to the natural disasters , being a rights-based
organization, Sungi carried out humanitarian assistance work in the affected
areas. In first half of the year 2005, the program cleared 53 KMs of links
road (which were blocked due to land sliding and snow) and provided financial
and technical assistance in re-construction of five hundred damaged households
in select parts of the working areas. After the October’05, to ensure
availability of safe drinking water, the program restored forty-three
water supply schemes in five union councils benefiting 30,100 people.
Furthermore, Sungi carried out infrastructure damages assessment studies
and the problems were communicated to the respective local government
officials.
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