NGOs Continue Work Amid Confusion
MANSEHRA—“Some victims have gotten used to receiving aid from multiple sources. When a new NGO comes, they ask them for supplies, even if they’ve already received them. But there are still people in remote areas who have yet to see one ounce of aid,” said Uzma Gul, Zonal Coordinator of the Sungi Development Foundation, Mansehra District (below).
Despite the creation of a governmental regulatory body, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the rehabilitation process has not been streamlined. Some affectees are receiving tremendous amounts of aid while others are not receiving any. NGOs are duplicating efforts and using their funds up inefficiently, according to Gul.
The Pakistani government declared the relief phase of the October 8th earthquake complete on March 31. Army camps were then closed, as were other temporary relief sites, and over 3 million affectees were instructed to return to their villages. They have only been allowed to rebuild where their original homes existed, creating some issues.
For one, those whose land suffered from landslides cannot create their houses on slopes. Tenants and landlords are also battling over where tenants can now rebuild their houses since they never owned the land they lived upon. And while some extended families lived in five homes covered by one roof, they are now entitled only as much money as a single household.
“There is a lack of coordination, and even the various governmental bodies are unsure who is in charge,” said Sadiq Akbar Siddiqui, chief executive of Haashar, a development NGO that began in 2000. The District Commisioner Officer (DCO) has yet to answer the questions raised, and ERRA hasn’t commented on how to resolve the disputes.
ERRA is mostly run by military personnel, and they determine where NGOs can and cannot work. It was created with the purpose of streamlining the rehabilitation process so that duplication of work is minimized and all affected areas are covered.
“ERRA should not be run by the Army. Those who are experienced in these areas and understand rehabilitation should be making the decisions,” said Gul. Her organization, Sungi, has been working in this region since 1989 in governance, education, health and social mobilization.
After the earthquake, Sungi was one of the few local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that already had survey information on all the villages in the region. The organization focuses on participatory development, undertaking only projects that are initiated from within the communities.
“We knew where the most remote villages were because we had been working there,” Gul explained. “From the beginning we were interested in capacity building. We are training carpenters, laborers and teachers.”
Sungi’s understanding of the local culture gave them an advantage over international NGOs, some of which now fund Sungi’s initiatives. When relief camps were set up, Sungi was careful to allow victims to live within their own communities. The region’s culture is very private, Gul explained, and families felt more comfortable surrounded by others from their own area.
Sungi also took special care to register widows as heads of households even if they were now living with relatives. In this way, widows were able to claim their portion of aid.
Haashar has also focused on the region prior to the earthquake. They are providing affectees who have lost livestock with replacements so that the villagers can continue their way of life.
“There is a cycle to how they sustain themselves. If you take one bull out of the equation, then the cycle no longer functions,” Siddiqui said. Haashar is also concerned about the increasing deforestation of the area as a result of reconstruction; the local environment is changing at an alarming rate.
“The government should bring timber from other areas to minimize the massive depletion of this resource,” he said. So far, nothing of the sort has been done.
Despite the creation of a governmental regulatory body, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the rehabilitation process has not been streamlined. Some affectees are receiving tremendous amounts of aid while others are not receiving any. NGOs are duplicating efforts and using their funds up inefficiently, according to Gul.The Pakistani government declared the relief phase of the October 8th earthquake complete on March 31. Army camps were then closed, as were other temporary relief sites, and over 3 million affectees were instructed to return to their villages. They have only been allowed to rebuild where their original homes existed, creating some issues.
For one, those whose land suffered from landslides cannot create their houses on slopes. Tenants and landlords are also battling over where tenants can now rebuild their houses since they never owned the land they lived upon. And while some extended families lived in five homes covered by one roof, they are now entitled only as much money as a single household.
“There is a lack of coordination, and even the various governmental bodies are unsure who is in charge,” said Sadiq Akbar Siddiqui, chief executive of Haashar, a development NGO that began in 2000. The District Commisioner Officer (DCO) has yet to answer the questions raised, and ERRA hasn’t commented on how to resolve the disputes.ERRA is mostly run by military personnel, and they determine where NGOs can and cannot work. It was created with the purpose of streamlining the rehabilitation process so that duplication of work is minimized and all affected areas are covered.
“ERRA should not be run by the Army. Those who are experienced in these areas and understand rehabilitation should be making the decisions,” said Gul. Her organization, Sungi, has been working in this region since 1989 in governance, education, health and social mobilization.
After the earthquake, Sungi was one of the few local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that already had survey information on all the villages in the region. The organization focuses on participatory development, undertaking only projects that are initiated from within the communities.
“We knew where the most remote villages were because we had been working there,” Gul explained. “From the beginning we were interested in capacity building. We are training carpenters, laborers and teachers.”
Sungi’s understanding of the local culture gave them an advantage over international NGOs, some of which now fund Sungi’s initiatives. When relief camps were set up, Sungi was careful to allow victims to live within their own communities. The region’s culture is very private, Gul explained, and families felt more comfortable surrounded by others from their own area.
Sungi also took special care to register widows as heads of households even if they were now living with relatives. In this way, widows were able to claim their portion of aid.
Haashar has also focused on the region prior to the earthquake. They are providing affectees who have lost livestock with replacements so that the villagers can continue their way of life.
“There is a cycle to how they sustain themselves. If you take one bull out of the equation, then the cycle no longer functions,” Siddiqui said. Haashar is also concerned about the increasing deforestation of the area as a result of reconstruction; the local environment is changing at an alarming rate.
“The government should bring timber from other areas to minimize the massive depletion of this resource,” he said. So far, nothing of the sort has been done.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home