(1) BRIEF SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS - In Pakistan, poor peoples housing (known as Katchi Abadis – the unofficial sector) are everywhere. In Karachi, a port city and commercial center of Pakistan, about 60 % of the total population of 15 million, live in these abadis. Here land is purchased from a middle man (the land supplier) who subdivides government and some private land and sells it to the poor, in the process, paying bribes of cash and choice plots to the government functionaries. Presently 72% of these abadies have been notified i.e. accepted by the government, while 35% of the houses have been provided land title- remaining are under process. This has been mainly due to the peoples consistent efforts. - Provision of a housing unit is not a problem. People build their houses incrementally, building component manufacturing yards in the settlements provide building materials and components on credit. Initially the land supplier (who is a resourceful person having links with politicians, government departments and the private operators) arranges the supply of water through water tankers and transportation (i.e. bus routes). As the settlement expands and consolidates, need for water supply, sewage disposal, schools and clinics arises. For livelihood, people set up micro enterprises in their homes. People lobby with government for facilities but due to lack of or adhoc*
government response, they soon undertake self help initiatives. - In 1980 when OPP started work in Orangi, it observed peoples initiatives in provision of sewage disposal, water supply, schools and clinics, as well as the limitations of the response from the government. OPP decided to strengthen people’s initiatives with social and technical guidance. (2) ORGANIZATION
- It is demonstrated through the programs that at the neighborhood level people can finance, manage and maintain facilities like sewerage, water supply, schools, clinics, solid waste disposal and security. Government's role is to compliment people's work with larger facilities like trunk sewers and treatment plants, water mains and water, colleges/universities, hospitals, main solid waste disposals and land fill sites. - The component-sharing concept c learly shows that where government partners with the people, sustainable development can be managed through local resources+
Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) as an NGO began work in Orangi town in 1980. Orangi situated in the periphery of Karachi is a cluster of 113 low income settlements. with a population of 1.2 million. On the success of its five basic programs of low cost sanitation, housing, health, education and credit for micro enterprise, in 1988 OPP was upgraded into three autonomous institutions.
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OPP-Research and Training Institute (OPP-RTI) manages the low cost sanitation, housing, education, the related research and training programs and the now evolving water supply and the secure housing support programs.
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OPP-Orangi Charitable Trust (OPP-OCT) manages the micro enterprise credit program.
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OPP-Karachi Health and Social Development Association (OPP-KHASDA) manages the health program.
Each institution has its separate board of directors and mobilizes its own funds.Development is self financed by the people. OPP institutions provide social and technical guidance and credit for micro enterprise.
For replication OPP institutions strengthen the partner Non Government Organizations (NGOs)/ Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Government agencies (instead of setting up their own offices).
The approach is to encourage and strengthen community initiatives (with social, technical guidance and credit for micro enterprise) and evolve partnerships with the government for development based on local resource.
he methodology is action research and extension. That is analyzing outstanding problems of the area, people’s initiatives, the bottlenecks in the initiatives, then through a process of action research and extension education evolving viable solutions promoting participatory action. In short developing low cost package of advice , guiding and facilitating community organizations for self help and partnership with the government
The Low Cost Sanitation Program enables low income families to finance, manage and maintain sanitary latrines in their homes, underground sewerage lines in the lanes and secondary sewers (this constitutes internal development). Government is responsible to provide main sewers/box drains and treatment plants (i.e. external development). OPP-RTI provides social and technical guidance to both community and government facilitating partnerships. The model that has evolved from the program is the component-sharing concept of development with people and government as partners. It has evolved from a lane to the city/town. The program has extended to all of Orangi town (where 106,212 houses, have invested Rs. 120.611 million in secondary, lane sewers and sanitary latrines, with govt. investing Rs. 826.403 million on main disposals) and to 438 settlements in Karachi and 33 cities/ towns also in 93 villages (spread mostly over the Sindh and Punjab Provinces) covering a population of more than 2 million. Together with 15 partner NGOs and a number of Government organizations , the expansion of work continues. There is now city/townwide application. In 2003 the Punjab Government's SPBUS program for 21 towns adopted the component-sharing model, work on external sanitation is nearing completion, while internal development by the community supported by partner organizations continues. OPP-RTI's proposal for sewage disposal for Karachi is now the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s (KW&SB) S-III plan for the city (approved in December 2006), implementation is under process. City District Govt. in Karachi continues to be supported with maps and designs for the development of the main “nalas” (the sewage disposals /drainage channels) as box drains - about 70% of these have now been developed . In the National Sanitation Policy approved by the government in November 2006, the component-sharing model and lessons are included as policy measures to be adopted nationwide, efforts for implementation thru the Town Municipal Administrations are underway.
Youth program continues to train more community architects, technicians and surveyors. The mapping and documentation of drainage channels and infrastructure in settlements and towns of Karachi by the youth continues, it provides the basis for expansion of work. Maps and documentation of infrastructure of 450 of the total 544 settlements/goths and of 16 out of 18 towns are complete, together with mapping of most of the drainage channels in the city.
The Low Cost Housing Program enables improvements in building components and construction techniques, through action research, provision of credit and technical guidance to the building component manufacturing yards, training of youths and masons and the mobilization of house owners. Each year more than 2,500 houses in Orangi benefit.
Important development is the training of youths to become community architects as well as mobilizing and strengthening their institutions, based in Orangi and other towns, to provide housing support services to the community and technical training to other youths. Two partner organizations have evolved , one based in Orangi with its work expanding beyond Orangi and another new organization based in the nearby Gadap town .
The Education Program upgrades the physical condition and improves the academic standards of private schools in Orangi and four more towns of Karachi, through start up grant, credit, teacher’s training and the mobilization of saving groups. 577 schools educating 77,915 children have been supported. In addition 155 more schools have been supported with credit by the OPP-OCT.
For strengthening the coming together of schools and linking up the training activity, lectures and forums are organized. The events, besides adding to their skills, have provided an opportunity to schools and teachers to come together. For strengthening the self help process of support, groups of 20-30 school owners are mobilized to come together as saving groups. Two groups continue with their savings, one group has started supporting members with credit from their savings
Two new initiatives have evolved in Karachi 1) the secure housing support program, strengthening poor communities to resist eviction, acquire land tenure and infrastructure also the cooperative housing saving and loan program and 2) the water supply plan, poor people's access to sweet water.
HEALTH EDUCATION AND FAMILY PLANNING
Following the Oct’2005 earthquake in the Northern areas of Pakistan, support for rehabilitation was initiated. In Dhirkot (AJK) and Batagram (KPK) 3,610 houses spread over 68 villages were supported with tin sheets for roofing over a room/house with people constructing the walls. In addition 76 villages (23,810 families) were supported with pipes for the repair /replacement of water mains, while community undertook to repair/replace the distribution network. Two local organizations that evolved thru the process are now continuing with the main stream development programs.
Following the July’10 floods in Pakistan that spread 4-15 km both sides of the river Indus, that flows north to south across Pakistan, relief and rehabilitation support was initiated that continues. Due to the excessive heavy rains of Aug-Sept’11, more districts of lower Sindh were devastated. Thru 17 partner organizations working in villages around 2 cities and 17 towns (mostly in Sindh and Punjab provinces) support continues for 1) medicines for health centers and medical camps 2) roofing over a room/house/family 3) repair/replacement of hand pumps and 4) setting up of village schools. So far more then 80,000 patients have been served thru the supported medical camps/centers, 5,899 houses spread over 641 villages have been supported with roofing while people constructed the walls/pillars of mud/bricks, 158 hand pumps for 38 villages were repaired /replaced and 17 schools have been initiated in 17 villages.
Supports the local clinics in Orangi Town set up by the people with supply of vaccines, family planning components and training of vaccinators/traditional birth attendants (TBAs). 764 clinics, 229 vaccinators and 558 TBAs have been supported.
MICRO ENTERPRISE CREDIT PROGRAM
The program supports small businesses set up by the people, mostly in their homes, settlements and villages. Credit for livestock and agriculture related work in villages is also provided. The program has expanded thru 49 partner NGOs to 38 cities/towns and 1,243 villages (mostly in Sindh and Punjab provinces). 190,604 units have been supported with credit of Rs. 2.576 billion with 98.5% recovery rate and the ratio of operational expense to loans being 6.08%. The program has evolved partnerships to support similar initiatives and influence government policy.
(5) INSTITUTIONS BUILDING AND THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Institution building has been an important focus of our work .The Community Development Network, a coming together of about 50 partner NGOs, and CBOs (mostly from the Sindh and Punjab provinces ) facilitates the organizational strengthening, mutual support ,learning and policy advocacy.
- Emergence of people, NGO/CBO and government partnerships at the neighbourhood/ town/city levels focusing on local resources.
- Institutional development of many NGOs/CBOs in Orangi, Karachi, 50 other cities/towns and in many more villages.
- Trends in government and policy level breakthroughs, while focusing on : a) addressing the problems of the poor with participation b) shifting policy from pure provider to sharing responsibilities c) accepting peoples development initiatives and complimenting these and d) mobilizing local resources.
EARTHQUAKE AND FLOOD REHABILITATION PROGRAMS
- Government’s inconsistency leading to adhoc planning.
- Peoples lack of access to information.
- NGOs incapacity to support people’s initiatives and the OPP institutions incapacity to respond to large numbers of requests for support.
- Peoples lack of confidence in their initiatives due to the psychological barrier of dependency.
- Professionals arrogance.
- Donor programs of patronage, perks and benefits.
(3) APPROACH AND STRATEGY
LOW COST SANITATION PROGRAM
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