Aims & Objectives
Social Development
Poverty is ‘gendered’ because women and men experience poverty differently – and unequally – and become poor through different, though related, processes.
Women, who are the caregivers and primary influencers of the next generation, are facing the greatest hardships. KWH is aimed at empowerment of Women, Children, differently able and disadvantaged section of the society through dialogue, pro-active interventions and coalition building by developing linkages with local CBOs and grass root organizations. But women are also uniting to empower each other, fight poverty, and end inequality. Women fall into poverty more easily and more frequently than men. They constitute majority of the people living in poverty. Ending discrimination against women and girls and promoting gender equality were critical for poverty eradication for KWH. And every step to improve the lives and social standing of women has ripple effects on health care, education, and economic development throughout the poorer communities. KWH is helping girls to complete their education and is employing women as teachers. It is due to efforts of KWH and such firms that literacy rates for women, women’s political participation, maternal health is improving in FATA with rapid growth.
KWH seeks to provide social development, primarily in low-income localities, by investing in relief and rehabilitation, health, education, poverty alleviation, income generation skills, human resource and rural development. KWH has adopted the holistic interpretation of health, which goes beyond medical/curative models and includes Health promotion, advocacy, research, training, community involvement and outreach services, poverty issues and education. All Programs are implemented through different projects which are Community based and community driven. KWH has conducted trainings of adolescents on life skills, awareness-raising sessions on puberty changes; provision of sports facilities; vocational training; capacity building of parents, teachers, health care providers; HIV & AIDS and Hepatitis.
The Health Sector Strategic Plan of KWH is being implemented in a phased manner, reflecting resource constraints. Priorities include hygiene and sanitation; immunization; malaria control; information, education and communication; reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. Under this plan, KWH has abolished user fees in public facilities and upgraded training and enhanced drug availability. As a result, the usage of the health system has expanded dramatically.
Infrastructure Development
KWH is playing the role at its part by supporting initiatives for socio-economic uplift of the communities through participatory development approaches, inclusion of all sections of the society in the development process. KWH promotes people-centered approach to socio-economic uplift advocating the empowerment of people living in poverty through their full participation in all aspects of political, economic and social life, especially in the design and implementation of policies that affect the poorest and most vulnerable groups of society. An integrated strategy towards sustainable development necessitates implementing policies geared to more equitable life earning opportunities and social protection coverage. It is engaged in advocacy, campaigning, community awareness, mass mobilization, participatory community development, participatory research, and networking on the local, Agency as well as national issues negatively affecting the lives and the livelihoods of the poor communities.
KWH is working with the local communities to build their capacities in properly managing their natural livelihood resources. Under this program the local communities are organized and their skills are developed in natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods including introducing modern and appropriate technologies, strengthening indigenous environment- friendly technologies and practices as well as building the capacities of the local communities in alternative livelihoods.
KWH seeks to involve the local communities in the development of local level infrastructure important for the socio-economic uplift of the communities. The communities are encouraged to prepare local-level infrastructure development projects and plans with the technical support of KWH team. The communities collect local level contributions for the certain community share of project cost as to ensure their ownership in the project; the remaining cost is made available through grants from the donors or local governments.
Implementation of Decentralization
KWH supports the public institutions to formulate effective Pro-poor planning and budgetary policies for sustainable economic growth. It helped public institutions in implementation of decentralization, and to facilitate human development in FATA. A key objective of decentralization is to improve the delivery of public services. Since 2009, the Government has embarked on reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability of the budget processes and overall public expenditure management. KWH has the goal of reducing poverty and inequality. The fiscal capacities of regional governments vary considerably, and many governments in regions with large numbers of poor people have inadequate resources. Effective pro-poor planning and budgeting at the regional level remains a major challenge.
KWH produced poverty maps overlaid with budget information in various Tehsils of Kurram, Orakzai Agencies and Frontier Regions of Tank, DIK and Bannu. It helps local stakeholders visualize poverty and resource issues and budget accordingly. Capacity development for pro-poor planning and budgeting for a wide range of stakeholders was conducted for civil servants, district representatives, members of civil society organizations, journalists. The events have been tailored to the needs of the 2 Agencies and 3 FRs of FATA as well as to the FATA level counterparts.
Good Governance & Capacity Building
KWH is promoting good governance through involvement of all in the decision making process and to take initiatives to marginalize deprivation through helping communities gaining access to education, primary health care, water and sanitation; and promoting social institutions and the social capital of vulnerable groups. Good Governance is one of the pillars of development approach of KWH. Good governance facilitates pro-poor sector reforms and state and local government policies, as well as sound macroeconomic management. It ensures the transparent use of public funds, strengthens anti-corruption, encourages growth of the private sector and corporate governance, promotes effective delivery of public services, and helps to establish the rule of law.
KWH conducted a training program for the Political Agents, Assistant Political Agents, Tehsildars and local Maliks to develop their understanding about the modern local government and administration system. This was to strengthen the capacities of the influential thus for effective governance. For that purpose, creating awareness, organizational management, leadership and project cycle management training was scheduled.
Educational Reforms
KWH is playing its role in promotion of education by providing assistance in schools construction, maintenance and supply of educational materials. Primary education has been continuing to expand. The gender gap in most levels of primary education has been eliminated with efforts. However, while the provision of inputs has increased, the retention of children in education remains a serious challenge, partly because of the costs borne by households, and the achieved proficiency of students shows no clear trend. Absenteeism and dropout rates of girls are frequently associated with inadequate hygiene and sanitary facilities at schools. Quality of education remains an important challenge.
KWH took measures to improve the efficiency of primary education, including multi-grade teaching, double-shift teaching, and incentives for teachers in hard-to reach areas. Quality was improved by teacher training, implementing the use of mother tongue in lower grades, and increasing the relevance of the curriculum. Access was improved by the continued provision of schools and classroom facilities, training teachers in social education, and provision of basic education in emergency situations.
Secondary education has expanded because of the liberalization of private sector participation. However, access to secondary education remains very unequal. KWH is therefore seeking to improve the targeting of secondary education by supporting private community secondary schools, introducing student bursaries, and increasing efficiency by double-shift teaching and increasing the teacher-student ratio above 30. Vocational education needs to be well matched with the economy’s needs. A more flexible framework will be developed allowing for modular courses. The Education Sector Plan envisages that vocational education will become an alternative to academic education in the last two years of the secondary level, rather than an alternative to the early years of secondary education.
Information Technology in Rural Areas
Information Technology is used as a tool of economic uplift of the communities and to support public institution in bringing about synergy in routine operations. On one hand, the affluent part of the world is hit by unprecedented overflow of information which is fast increasing day by day. On the other hand, millions of people in developing countries have absolutely no effective communication links to the outside world. KWH recognizes that technological advances particularly in the field of Information Technology have been so rapid that it has changed the shape of all economic activities in the world, and in pushing the world towards globalization.
KWH has taken certain initiatives for promoting computer literacy at the grass roots level, promoting Internet and for providing computer access to all sections of the civil society. KWH is aware that ownership must be brought down, from use and control of selective and digital technology of the elite and government regimes to the level of communities and the poor that they serve.
Identifying an urgent need to ensure access to Information Technology in rural areas or disadvantaged communities, KWH is engaged in providing easy access to information technology in rural areas, helping them learning it easily, to disseminate simple, practical knowledge which will save lives, increase awareness and stimulate development. Hence, enable them to meet contemporary challenges of modern life. It will help strengthened behaviors through information on how people of their type somewhere else are handling their situation. It is important not only as part of a strategy for enhancing incomes and employment, but also for avoiding a deterioration in their poverty situation.
Primary & Reproductive Healthcare
KWH has assessed the high rates of Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality for the area and has researched for the contributing factors. The researches reveal approximately 12.5 of medical consultations for the area are attributed to Water Borne Diseases, however, 26.2% of disease burden is associated with communicable diseases.
KWH has focused healthcare indicators of the area, and has strategized a responsive plan, detailing community hygiene sessions, mass meetings and Focused Group Discussions; promoting hand-washing practices, discouraging open defecation, advocating for community led reforms for appropriate sanitation and waste disposal and capacitating local resources and institutions for adaptation towards healthy and hygienic behaviors and KAP amplifications for preservation of health and prevention of diseases.
KWH is supporting events of capacity building for healthcare supervisors, local TBAs and LHVs in accordance to implement and advocate family planning, scientific ante-natal and neo-natal care, household level health and hygienic techniques and hand-washing practices.
Agriculture Development
Agriculture is the lifeline of the national economy. 65% of the Pakistan’s population is living at rural areas, and are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Yet, there is a serious lack of employable skills and market professionalism. Orthodox methods of agriculture and farming are in practice and most of the yield is focused to accommodate local needs.
KWH is striving to appraise local aptitudes and synchronize local approaches with market dynamism and scientific agriculture and related livelihood activities. Across different villages of the central FATA KWH has established Farmer Schools and has equipped local activists with the tricks of the trade who are assisting local farmers while in adoption of modern scientific techniques of agriculture and commercial farming.
Relief & Rehabilitation
Since 2005 Pakistan has been suffering from a series of overlapping crises and natural calamities that led to substantial internal displacement and left hundreds of thousands in need of humanitarian assistance. These events have come at a time when Pakistan is reeling from the effects of the global food crisis, exacerbating an already precarious situation.
Natural disasters and conflicts have affected around 30 million Pakistanis and have raised the chances for human tragedies. In accordance to cope with the humanitarian issues that have emerged as a result of the conflicts, earthquakes, floods, and torrential rains, KWH has adopted a strategy patterned with participatory approaches. KWH is assisting local communities of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while in combating vulnerabilities and natural disasters. Besides; assisting basic infrastructure and necessities, KWH is capacitating communities with scientific techniques of disaster preparedness and crisis management. KWH has established a network of CBOs, youth associations, and community activists and has provided them with the opportunities to enhance their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding disaster management and preparedness. Further; KWH has provided local IDPs with shelters, food, and drinking water, and non-food items and is assisting local affectees towards rehabilitation.
