QUARTERLY ACTIVITY REPORT April-June 2010 By Human and Institutional Development Section 26-C. Nawab Town, Raiwind Road, Lahore PHONE: +92-42-5310471-2, FAX: +92-42-5310473, www.damen-pk.org,E-mail: [email protected] OVERVIEW During the quarter April-June 2010 DAMEN has laid strong emphasis to build up as a strong institution for delivering economic and social services to the people of the marginalized communities. DAMEN has always maintained the stance that economic opportunities along with social sector initiatives are the best solution to poverty eradication. The merger of economic and social activities has created a strong model for combating poverty in the operational areas of DAMEN and will be successful in other areas in future. One of the most important aspects of DAMEN’s endeavors is the blending of social and economic initiatives into a new integrated model of poverty alleviation. The field offices are not only extending their financial services to the clients but also taking a proactive role in the provision of educational and health facilities to the people of their communities. This new approach will provide a new dimension to DAMEN’s efforts to bring a sustainable change in the social and economic status of the people in the target communities. Presently DAMEN is operating through 2 area offices at district Lahore along with 10 field offices, 1 area office and 5 field offices at district Sheikhupura and 1 area office and 5 field offices at district Kasur along with 100 home schools and 15 health centers. All the field offices are not only operationally sustainable but also covering all cost of the social sector program of DAMEN and supporting area office as well. DAMEN strongly believes that economic opportunities along with social sector program are the most viable solution to poverty eradication. The merger of economic and social endeavors has created a strong model for combating poverty in the area and will be replicated in new areas in future. QAR April-June 2010 Social Sector Program DAMEN started its home school education program in May 1992 in the Union Council of Shahpur. Later on, in 1993 this was expanded to the villages of Union Council Chung. DAMEN by supporting the home schools of out of school children had taken this forward. The curriculum used in these home schools is the same as used in the formal schools, children after completing their primary education from these non-formal schools are admitted in the formal system of education for further education. PERFORMANCE DURING THE QUARTER APRIL-JUNE 2010 Education: DAMEN’s home school education program has now been expanded to 17 villages of Union Councils of Shahpur, Chung, Thokar Niaz Baig, Ali Razabad, Halloki, Maraka, Raiwind, Manga, Sham ke Bhattian, (District Lahore) Begum Kot, Sharaqpur Dhamke, Rachna Town and Muridke (District Sheikhupura) Phool Nagar, Jamber, Pattoki,Chunian and Habibabad (District Kasur). At present, there are 100 home schools in these areas. Achievements: 1. 100 home schools were strengthened during the quarter April-June 2010. 2. 15 health centers were strengthened in the areas of Shahpur, Chung, Thokar Niaz Baig, Maraka and Halloki, at Lahore District whereas Dhamke, Rachna Town, Muridke and Sharaqpur at Sheikhupura District Phool Nagar, Jamber, Pattoki, Chunian and Habibabad at District Kasur. Case study of Perveen Perveen is 28 years old lady having one son. She lives in Halloki situated on Raiwind road. Her husband is factory worker and his earning is Rs.7000 monthly. Her qualification is matriculation. She has two years of teaching experience in private school. Earlier she was teaching in some other school and could earn Rs.1000/- monthly but people of community enforced her to leave that school and open her own school in that area. But lack of finance was issue for her. Mean while she got the opportunity to join DAMEN’s school program two years back. Another reason of her inspiration to join DAMEN was that she can teach students while staying at her own place and need not to go outside of her house. She is very much satisfied while working with DAMEN and want to continue her job with home school education program. Perveen has attended two teachers training workshops one on “Communication Skills” and the second one on the “Assessment Methodologies” from DAMEN’s platform. According to her, “these trainings have enabled me to introduce new and creative methods of teaching along with the curriculum.” She also added that students like the new methods and take more interest in their studies and are getting better than before. She is really very thankful to DAMEN who has provided her the opportunity to learn and use her teaching skills in the proper manner. QAR April-June 2010 Following table is giving the clear statistics of the home schools of the Area 1, 2, 3 and 4: Area I (District Lahore) Area No. Of Students Total Schools Total Students Boys Girls Shahpur 145 173 12 318 Chung 215 215 12 430 Niaz Baig 124 110 11 234 Sub Total 484 498 35 982 Area II (District Lahore ) Area No. Of Students Total Total Students Boys Girls Schools Maraka 120 119 6 239 Halloki 117 119 5 236 Manga 19 20 1 39 Raiwind 22 20 3 42 Sub Total 278 278 15 556 Area III (District Sheikhupura) Area No. Of Students Total Total Students Boys Girls Schools Begum Kot 98 85 5 183 Dhamke 101 157 5 258 Sharaqpur 251 262 5 513 Rachna Town 74 78 5 152 Muridke 164 147 5 311 Sub Total 688 729 25 1,417 Area IV (District Kasur) Area No. Of Students Total Total Students Schools Boys Girls Phool Nagar 155 226 5 381 Jamber 380 369 5 749 Pattoki 423 300 5 723 Habibabad 273 211 5 484 Chunian 133 125 5 258 Sub Total 1,364 1,231 25 2,595 Grand Total 2814 2,736 100 5,550 QAR April-June 2010 Health Care Health has always been an important topic of discussion in the meetings of WSOs (women social organizations). With the establishment and strengthening of the 15 Health Care Centers in the Union Councils of Shahpur, Chung, Niaz Baig, Maraka, Halloki, (District Lahore) Begumkot, Dhamke, Rachna Town, Muridke and Sharaqpur (District Sheikhupura), Phool Nagar, Pattoki, Chunian, Habibabad and Jamber (District Kasur). DAMEN has taken a step forward from preventive health care and advocacy to actual service delivery of health care facilities to the women of the target communities. During the quarter 7,222 women visited the health centers and availed general health care services. Consolidation of the Total no. of health centers along with the no. of patients: No. of Health Center Area District Lahore No. of Patients Shahpur 1 839 Chung 1 925 Thokar Niaz Baig 1 220 Maraka 1 443 Halloki 1 572 District Sheikhupura Begumkot 1 - Dhamke 1 1024 Sharaqpur 1 673 Rachna Town 1 110 Muridke 1 918 District Kasur Phool Nagar 1 258 Jamber 1 384 Pattoki 1 300 Chunian 1 275 Habibabad 1 281 Total 15 7,222 Environmental Consciousness To create environmental awareness among community members group and individual meetings with the community members and educating students of home schools are the tools used by teachers to highlight the importance of environment in the community. In addition to this one training workshop with 18 members of women social organizations (WSOs) was organized during this quarter. The training enriched the knowledge of the environmental activists regarding the importance of tree plantation, various forms of environmental pollutions and its effect on human lives, sanitation, solid waste management and development of environment friendly behavior and practices. QAR April-June 2010 Community Transformation DAMEN is playing an important role in the process of building up the capacity of Women Social Organizations (WSOs) by involving them in the process of development through social activism and broaden the scope of community participation in undertaking collective action. The following tables are showing the statistics of WSOs in Area 1, 2, 3 and 4. Consolidation of Total no. of WSOs along with the total no. of members: Areas Total No. of WSOs Members of WSOs District Lahore 12 320 Shahpur Chung 12 290 Niaz Baig 11 310 Maraka 6 133 Halloki 6 132 Manga 1 27 Raiwind 3 44 District Sheikhupura Begum Kot 5 73 Dhamke 5 89 Sharaqpur 5 201 Rachna Town 5 39 Muridke 5 77 District Kasur Phool Nagar 5 50 Jamber 5 55 Pattoki 5 85 Habibabad 5 55 Chunian 5 62 Total 100 2,042 Constraints: · 1 child from district Lahore and 84 from Sheikhupura and 5 from district Kasur have been dropped out of the home school education program reason behind is that their families have been shifted to some other places. Challenges: · Although 100 schools are successfully running along with their 100 women social organizations but still there is lack of awareness to organize themselves to solve their socio- economic problems. QAR April-June 2010 Microcredit Program Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services. More broadly, it is a movement whose object is “a world in which as many poor and near-poor households as possible have permanent access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services, including not just credit but also savings, insurance, and fund transfers.” Those who promote microfinance generally believe that such access will help poor people out of poverty The vision of microfinance is quite simple to create systemic change in financial systems Worldwide. Instead of the exclusive financial systems that have for decades benefited and protected the wealthy, microfinance intends that they serve the impoverished majorities, help lift them out of poverty, and make them full participants in their country's social and economic development.