ROJECTS
Gender Equity Program
Aurat Foundation (AF) has implemented a five year, USAID supported Gender Equity Program (GEP). AF works primarily with the collaboration of civil society organizations, networks and groups and has an outreach extending to all of Pakistan's districts. It is catalyzing critical groups in society to influence policy, legislation and programs for women's greater economic and political power in society.
The Gender Equity Program aims at closing the gender gap in Pakistan by proactively supporting the development of women. The program seeks to facilitate behavioural change in society by enabling women to access information, resources and institutions, and improve societal attitudes towards women's rights issues.
The GEP project should consider developing interventions that could enable women who are already aware of their rights to take the next steps to actually claim their rights. For instance, the project should facilitate the acquisition of women’s entitlements where it is possible for women farmers to register land in their own names.
Women Land Rights & GBV
The project can also support women so that they increase their participation in decision making structures, take legal action where they need to, and have advocacy skills or credit facilities, among other actions.
PROJECT SUMMERY
In 2010 country faced worst flood of his history that collapsed overall infrastructure, specially women of the flood hit areas were in huge trauma so under the Gender Equity program “Women land right” project was launched in which those women were focused who have lost their land documents in the flood, under the program they were been provided by the legal aid and counseling assistance as they reclaimed and build their legal documents.
In Sindh Sewa Development Trust is the implementing partner to execute the project in five flood affected districts namely Ghotki, Larkana, Qambar Shedadkot, Khairpur and Sukkur, the implementing strategy was to build partnership with the grass root organizations for the implementation of the project.
Aims and Objectives
GBV & Women Land Rights is aimed at enhancing women’s access to Ownership of control over land and other productive resources and services in order to meet their basic livelihood needs and become more economically independent and secure. The project targets rural women farmers in selected district Khairpur Mirs,
The project is being implemented to achieve several broad intended project results, namely: awareness raising of women’s land rights, so that women at local level will become aware, knowledgeable, and organized with respect to their land rights; mobilizing political support at community level in respect to women’s land rights; women claiming and obtaining land rights; and improved access to support for sustainable farming, so that programs with women farmers are supported, and their Partner network organizations are strengthened. Developed specific indicators—to suit its strategic interests with regards to the prevailing situation of women’s land rights.
PROJECT IMPLIMENTATION STRETAGY
For the implementation of project grass root strategy is adopted as that contains a series of activities
Training of Trainers (TOT)
For the capacity building of grass root organization as they play significant role in community trainings were arranged by the leading organizations in which local organization partners participated. Wattan Development Organization had also participated in these trainings.
In the starting of project a three days training was arranged by SDTS on dated 2011, the topic of the training was GBV and Women Land Rights at Sukkur Guest house, Mr. Azeem hayder Shah (Program Manager) and Miss Rubina(Field Officer) were the participants from Wattan Development Organization.
Women Land Rights & GBV
Training objectives were to train the trainers on gender based violence, empower the women by providing legal aid and counseling assistance.
After the one and a half month two day training was arranged by Aurat Foundation dated at sukkur. The objective of training was to increase the capacity of partner organization in the field of reporting and documentation. On the behalf of Wattan Development Organization Miss Rubina participated in the training session.
Formal & Informal Meetings
From the start of project WADO started its operation by visiting to the focused community for that UC Agra, Uc Khemtia and Ripri of Tehsil Gambat was selected as these UCs were the most affected UCs of district Khairpur where more than 300 villages were hit by the worst flood and a huge population was affected including women and children.
WADO Field team visited approximately 25 villages where they conducted meetings and also provided sessions on GBV, as in this portion of Sindh it is against norms and values to share the property with women the team of WADO also motivated them to deliver the rights to their women, the aim of these visits and meetings was to provide awareness on GBV and search of cases regarding lost and destroyed legal document of women during flood.
One of the meeting minutes with community is as under.
INFORMAL MEETING
Respondent: Abdul Khaliq Daher
R/V: Abdul Raheem Daher
Deh: Fato Sial
Uc: Agra Kacho
Tehsil: Gambat
District: Khairpur
Province: Sindh
Enumerator Observation
Women Land Rights & GBV
Household: 60
Adults: 400 female 200 male
Children: 1000
School one primary school under the shadow of neem tree and only one teacher.
Household: Kacha house no boundary wall roof wood bamboo
Washroom/Latrine: No drainage system
Drinking water: Few hand pumps for drinking
Comments of respondents
Overall population was displaced. They lost their valuable assets such as agriculture land (leveling of fields), live stock and houses. After flood they came back to their village and tried to rebuild their homes by borrowing money from land lord on high interest and or selling their residential moveable assets or livestock, after two three months they got another trauma their houses were burned due to clash between two tribes Sial and Kalohra now they have nothing to build their homes again. They don’t have latrine so they went out in open field.
Only one woman was found who had lost her documents in flood rest of the feminine population does not have any kind of document and had never legally shared in any property or any other social right.
Baseline Survey
A baseline survey was conducted in the month of May 2011 by the devoted field team of Wattan Development Organization in the area of UC Agra Tehsil Gambat district Khairpur.
In this baseline survey 25 closed end questionnaire were filled by the 25 women by the help of WADO enumerators the findings and results of the survey were send back to the authority SDTS and Aurat Foundation, the targeted village was Abdul Rahim Dehar.
Selection of Focused Villages
After a detailed survey of the area UC Agra five villages were selected in which cases regarding women land rights were found the selection was made by the WADO team and its consultant on the basis of livelihood and need justification of the area the five villages were
1. Village Ali Dad Sial UC Agra Tehsil Gambat
2. Village Ali Nawaz Sial UC Agra Tehsil Gambat
3. Village Abdul Raheem Dehar UC Agra Tehsil Gambat
4. Village Khanan Narejo UC Agra Tehsil Gambat
Women Land Rights & GBV
5. Village Bachal Narejo UC Khemtia Tehsil Gambat
These villages of Kacha were hundred percent destroyed and approximately 400 families were affected with a major portion of feminine population.
Selection of Beneficiaries
After the process of selection of villages the selection of beneficiaries was made for which again pre selection criteria was set as to deliver services to the neediest person. With the consensus of community consultants, WADO and SEWA officials 28 beneficiaries were selected from the pre determined selected villages, again the criteria was livelihood and need justification.
Seminar on Women Land Rights and GBV
To bring awareness in community a seminar was arranged by Wattan Development Organization at WADO office Gambat on dated 19, June 2011 the topic of seminar was Women Land Rights and GBV. The speaker elaborated the rights of women in the light of Islamic ideology, philosophy and law, as well as speakers also commented on the rights to women in the Pakistan law, and overall aspects of GBV were defined by the speakers. A huge number of people participated from the community, civil society and government officials. The media people were also present in the seminar and has got the attention of print and electronic media the seminar was covered by local and national news papers, in last gift were distributed among flood affected women and beneficiaries from project “Women Land Right”.
PROCESS OF LAND TITEL DOCUMENTATION
After the selection of beneficiaries they were contacted by the WADO team to find out their willingness to reclaim their lost documents further their application was forwarded to SDTS GEP project team and a meeting was arranged with them in which WADO team and SDTS assigned legal advisor briefly studied the cases of each
Women Land Rights & GBV
beneficiary individually, further on the behalf of each beneficiary applications were submitted to the government authorized department who deals with the land issues.
Meetings with Government Officials
The process was started in the month of March and due to the large number of beneficiaries it took so much time as land legal issues are very much complicated, during the whole period WADO team was in continual connection with government officials to deal with the complications, SDTS team was also in coordination and be with in all the phases of documentation process, several meetings were done with different government officials of revenue department like EDO revenue, Mukhtiarkar, Tapedar and other officials.
Legal Process
As the nature of the project was such that it had involved all the beneficiaries at all steps of documentation and due to large number of beneficiaries it has taken so much time, as well as the process was itself very much complicated and lengthy that comprises a series of interviews of witnesses with government officials and routine visits of victims at government offices that was exhausting the beneficiaries, so WADO at every step was there to encourage them and had facilitated them by providing transportation to the district and tehsil headquarters and provided refreshments during the boring waiting hours.
QUARTER END ACHIEVMENT
At last after three months the long wait was no more and the day come where 21 women were carrying their land title document some of them were widow and were very thank full to the project most of them were unable to express their feelings, on this auspicious day a certificate distribution ceremony was held at WADO office Gambat in which all the partner organization and SDTS participated, MR. Khadim Hussain Dahot MD of SDTS and Miss Amber Khushk Chairperson were there to encourage the beneficiaries, WADO, and SDTS GEP team. With the land title document a gift was also distributed among the beneficiaries from the SDTS, beneficiaries shared their views and
Women Land Rights & GBV
feelings one of them was Razal Khatoon a widow of late Rahib Sial thanks the SDTS and WADO as they bring colors in her life as she is mother of 5 daughters and 3 sons and was very deprived now after getting her land title she is feeling her young and as late husband is back with her. Like this widow others also commented on the project.
