Project Overview
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.

Problem / Project Background
Chagai is the largest district of Pakistan, located in Baluchistan Province and shares it borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

According to the census there is a population of 202,562 (1998) living there, along with approximately 53000 Afghan refugees. The Chagai district also consists of the mountain range of Ras Koh where the Pakistani Government recently carried out nuclear tests.

The area is extremely backward and lacks in basic infrastructure. Electricity is available only for Tehsil headquarters level and hence vast majority of the population have to do without.

It is an extensively arid zone having very little rainfall, which falls in November and December and upon which all vegetations depends on. The water from the rainfall is precious because it is stored and used for throughout the year for irrigation purposes, grazing grounds for livestock. Underground water is available at depths of 50-500 feet.

The main source of income is livestock and agriculture. Some people are also engaged in waged labour and Government services.

Successive years of no rain have culminated in a prolonged drought which has killed many and destroyed in some areas up to 50% of the livestock that people owned, an asset which was not only a source of income but also a source of nutrition.

A number of IR's programmes have successfully responded to this problem by intervening in the short term through distribution of food packets to families. However it was felt that these measures merely provided short-term relief and that there was a need for long-term measures aimed at assisting the people to deal with the current drought as well as future problems faced by the communities.

To assist in the identification of beneficiary community a baseline survey will be conducted, together with community-based discussions, which will help identify exactly what the community needs, are.

The project approach will ensure consent, participation and involvement of the communities and local people in the planning, decision-making and implementing, as well as monitoring and evaluating processes.

Through this project IR will also help develop the capacity of a local network, Chagai NGOs Network (CNN), a composition of community members from within the affected areas themselves.

The ongoing critical situation has made the area one of the four worst drought affected districts and has prompted Islamic Relief to develop interventions using a participatory approach to accurately reflect community needs.

Project Objectives
Mitigate effects of drought along with improvement in the general well being of the people in District Chagai, Balochistan

Provide 100 drought-affected villages with drought coping methods and rehabilitative measures through:

• Recovery of livelihoods

• Access to Water Supply

• Provision of basic health care & Hygiene promotion
  

• Community mobilisation & Capacity Building

Project Activities

• Rehabilitating and re-establishing the livelihood of the affected population through provision of livestock on credit, complemented with fodder, vaccination and general medication to ensure the sustainability of the livestock through a drought period.

• Provision for the water needs, through small-scale water supply schemes coupled with health and hygiene facilities at village level. Raising community awareness on how to make best possible use of the available resources and to introduce mitigation measures to develop sustainability.

• Improving health status hygiene promotion, preventive health care and safe practices coupled with an element of basic curative care.

• To develop capacity and strengthen the community through the establishment of Community Organisations and through the training of community members to ensure sustainability of the interventions.

The expected benefits of this project would be the re-establishment of the livelihoods of the affected population through provision of livestock on credit along with complements such as fodder and seed. The opportunity to start their livelihood activities would reduce their poverty and vulnerability.

Beneficiaries
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.

Other Activities in Country

• Karan Water Project (KWP)

• Kashmir Community Water Project (KCWP)

• Bagh Water Project (BWP)

• Neelum Valley Sustainable Livelihoods Project (NVSLP)

• Neelum Valley Disaster Preparedness Project (NVDPP)

• Small Scale Enterprise for Women (SEW)

• Neelum Valley Health Programme (NVHP)

• Baluchistan Water Rehabilitation Development Project (BWRDP)

• Prevention Of Blindness (POB)