On Monday 13th March, 2023 CEO Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, Prof. Yasmeen Lari met with His Royal Majesty, King Charles at Commonwealth Day Reception at Buckingham Palace. His Majesty supported her zero carbon initiatives, sustainable buildings and green techniques.
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KARACHI
Only a couple of weeks ago I had written about starting a parallel strategy for recovery with the aim to get the basic water arrangement with a handpump and water storage tank to be carried out in villages where the use of existing ponds for fish farming could also be started with a meagre allocation of Rs. 20,000 for a village of 50 households.
As we began working it became clear that the level of deprivation and poverty is so great and there needs to be greater effort if the Interim Recovery Strategy is to be successful.
To achieve every affected hosusehold’s minimum level of subsistence, it would be imporant to place emphasis on food prodction in addition to certain other needs. As we know this issue affects millions and it is well nigh impossible to secure enough esources to enable survival of these communities.
Village to Village Partnership – Gaon, Gaon Dosti
Since my attempt always is to provide assistance to communities at the least possible cost, it occurs to me that the Pono village cluster, with its spirit of generosity that exists in its communities, is now poised to help others. As the HF team worked out, with funding of only Rs. 100,000 per 50 families, it would be possible to provide many components which would get those still in need to be placed on the path of recovery.
T have deided to immediately take up 10 villages near Pono village cluster where work on installation of handpumps and fish breeding has already been taken in hand.
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KARACHI
This blog is in continuation of the earlier blog regarding first learnings and provides more detailed information regarding building of school rooms and the curriculum for basic learning that has been developed.
According to conservative estimates the number of schools fullly damaged and partially damagd runs into several thousands which means that in Sindh the schooll going children have been without any learing possibilties for the last several months. If the poor state of education because of COVID closures and the usual ghost school sydrome is added to the problem, it would seem that several million children have suffered throghout this period and without a smattering of learning, they have no chance of surivival in the competitive 21st century.
How can we leave generations in our country without dealing with this issue. The problem is extremely complex because of high cost of usual construction and non availability of funds to be able to provide even a basic teaching room, let alone provision of toilets and potable water. However, if we could accept it as a challenge and work out sustaiable solutions, it is my belief that we could use this opportunity to bring about the social change that is needed today.
The prototype for the propsal has been started in the successful pilot of 1,000 households to create sustaiable zero carbon communities where the first schol room has been built in early December. In the 1,000 households pilot, the basic needs and flood mitigation and environmental improvement components, along with barefoot enterprises in each village for income generation, has been accomplished within 10 weeks. The Pono Vilage cluster is ready to take up the next phase.
Health and some other aspects of further flood mitigation measures alsong with storage of grain/food and cattle feed and safety are being gradually take up. However, in view of the plight of school going age children, we felt that focus on missing school rooms was essential.
Some weeks ago, Chief Executive, The Hampton School, educationist and director Heritage Foundation has provided training to 4 local village teachers to begin the basic learing programme.
We have now begun building another school room along with two eco toilets in a village near Pono cluster which is being built as a protuype for interested organizations to examine it as a model of a sustainable school and whether it could be taken up by them to embark on the challenging task of provision of safe rooms for our children’s education.
Among important initiatives would be to encourage local universities and corporate sector to initiate a programme for joint school building with student volunteers and community on the same pattern as Heritage Foundation’s Climate Volunteers.
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Heritage Foundation to work out ways to improve the conditions in Rehri Goth
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