PAKISTAN

Islamic Relief (IR) established its office in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1992. IR's activities are focused in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, where there are two field offices.

IR has successfully implemented many relief and development projects including drought relief in Balochistan, disaster response (earthquakes, droughts, cyclones, floods), Orphan Support, Prevention of Blindness programmes, and Education Enhancement Programmes.

Islamic Relief has been working in Neelum Valley, AJK since 1998 helping people affected by the conflict along the Line of Control. Islamic Relief's local office in Muzaffarabad co-ordinates relief programmes in Neelum Valley and Athmuqam - areas which are vulnerable to heavy cross-border shelling.

Total population of AJK is estimated to be 2.726 million. The adult literacy rate stands at 43% and almost 90% of the population lives in rural areas. Poverty is endemic and there is a high unemployment rate.

In 2001 IR launched the Neelum Valley Integrated Development Programme, which covers health, water & sanitation, sustainable livelihoods, and disaster preparedness. The aim is to involve community organisations in helping to reduce the vulnerability of the people of Neelum Valley, one of the poorest areas of Azad Kashmir. It is an area generally neglected by NGOs and the government because of its inaccessibility.

Several programmes were introduced to help the people of Neelum Valley, AJK.

  • Kashmir Community Water and Sanitation Programme (KCWP)
    Kashmir Community Water and Sanitation Programme is part of the Neelum Valley Integrated Development Programme (NVIDP), worth over £½ million. The programme aims to improve access to clean drinking water and sanitation for 4000 rural households situated in 100 communities in Neelum Valley District, Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). It was carried out by constructing 100 fully functioning, community-managed water supply schemes by 20, constructing 300 functional latrines, and trained 30 hygiene promoters. The objective of this programme was to bring sustainable improvement in the health and well being of the people of Neelum Valley. The KCWP programme was built on Islamic Relief's pilot programme in Sadhnuti, AJK where clean drinking water was provided for local villages.

  • Neelum Valley Disaster Preparedness Project (NVDPP)
    Islamic Relief initiated the Neelum Valley Disaster Preparedness Project (NVDPP) to develop the capacity of the people of Neelum Valley for coping with their situation, to save lives and minimise casualties due to firing along the Line of Control (LoC). It is part of Islamic Relief's Neelum Valley Integrated Development Programme (NVIDP). This project aims to prepare a comprehensive plan of action in the event of an emergency in the Neelum Valley region resulting from an escalation of heavy shelling. It will provide assistance to displaced communities should the need arise.

    In June 2000 Islamic Relief set up a Disaster Preparedness Centre to assist the displaced communities. The centre is equipped with tents ready to be used in case of mass population displacement. The NVDPP programme provides first aid training to community members, work closely with community members to develop action plans for evacuating the area, including mapping out safe areas and procedures, and set up an Emergency Response Unit to oversee the evacuation plan of action, and finally build Bunkers throughout the target areas, to be used in the event of heavy shelling and firing in the area.

  • Neelum Valley Health Programme (NVHP)
    This programme aims to bring about a sustainable improvement in the health and well being to approximately 43,000 people in Neelum Valley. It is part of Islamic Relief's Neelum Valley Integrated Development Programme (NVIDP). The programme will a) mobilise local community organisations to help improve knowledge of health issues amongst the communities, b) set up a health care facility in Kuttan capable of carrying out minor operations. Patients requiring secondary and tertiary treatment will be taken to hospitals in Muzaffarabad and Islamabad by ambulances based in Kuttan, and c) train 50 Community Health Workers (CHW) who will provide basic support to the communities.

  • Neelum Valley Sustainable Livelihoods Project (NVSLP)
    This project is aimed at reducing poverty in the Neelum Valley area in a sustainable way through working in: Agriculture, Poultry and Livestock, Environmental improvement (e.g forest plantation), Vocational training, Islamic microfinance & marketing of products. It is part of Islamic Relief's Neelum Valley Integrated Development Programme (NVIDP). It aims to provide training to Neelum Valley communities, enabling them to adopt sustainable income-generating activities. Community Organisations (COs) are formed, and suitable income-generating activities identified. Activities which the communities will be able to adopt include: Livestock breeding, Establishing orchards, Vegetable Cultivation, Fish-pond construction, and tailoring.

  • Bagh Integrated Community Development Programmes
    An integrated community based project which entails access to clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion covering communities in the Bagh District of AJK. As water and sanitation was identified as a key need of the community, IR initiated Bagh Water and Sanitation Programme (BWSP) in Bagh. A field office was established in Forward Kahuta and a liaison office in Bagh. Beginning of the year 2003, the programme included the areas of Dhir Kot and Bagh.. This pogramme supports the community in Bagh in two sectors: a) Sustainable Livelihoods, and b) Water and Sanitation. The project aims to provide safe drinking water to the community, raise awareness on hygiene, motivate on construction of latrines, income generation through skill enhancement, increase productivity in agriculture and livestock through controlling the losses, and optimize utilization of natural resources.

  • Small scale enterprise for Women
    This project aims to improve the standard of living of low-income groups through the provision of credit and Enterprise Development Services (EDS) in the slums and low-income areas of Rawalpindi City, a city close to IRP.

  • Kharan Water Project
    Kharan is among the worst drought affected district of Balochistan. This project is to provide water pumps and allow access to clean water to 30 villages benefiting 750 households with a population of approximately 5000. The pumps are designed to ensure safety to users as well as making them hygienically safe from livestock contamination. In addition, community members are trained in basic maintenance of the pumps to ensure their sustainability.

  • Prevention of Blindness
    Eye camps were held in various places of the project target area, which include the Northern Areas of Pakistan and some regions in Punjab. The project aims to address this particular problem by carrying out cataract operations in rural areas allowing communities access to a service which they would not otherwise have access to. Since its operation in 1998, it has benefited 2,483 cataract operations, 1,881 other eye related surgery, and assessed / advised 59,842 outpatients.

  • Chagai Integrated Rural Development Programme (CIRDP)
    Chagai is the largest district of Pakistan, located in Balochistan Province and shares it borders with Afghanistan and Iran. An integrated approach aimed at providing the drought-affected area of District Chagai rehabilitative and disaster coping methods. This is done through focusing on restocking and reestablishment of livelihoods, provision of access to water, health and hygiene promotion and capacity building at the village level. The programme envisages implementing the approach in 100 villages from Tehsil Dalbandin and Tehsil Nok kundi in District Chagai having 1000 households approximately with an average household size of 10-12 members and a total population of around 10,000-12,000 people.

  • Asian Earthquake

    Despite poor weather conditions and difficult terrain, Islamic Relief aid workers continue to work in 300 villages in four of the worst-affected districts of Kashmir. Around 260,000 earthquake survivors have benefited from IR's projects in shelter, food security, health, water, education and livelihood.

    Projects underway in earthquake affected areas:
    • Sixty-five earthmoving vehicles opening roads
    • Food distributions to 180,000 people over 6 months
    • Delivering medicines worth £2 million
    • Providing access to clean water and to sanitation facilities
    • Preparing to provide 20,000 families with winterised shelter
    • Warm clothing to 25,000 survivors