South Asia Partnership Pakistan
South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK) is the only South Asian NGO working in Pakistan. As member of South Asian civil society movement, is striving to empower marginalized sections of society and working to influence policies in favor of people. SAP-PK is one of the leading national organizations programmatic presence in 106 districts and FATA agencies of Pakistan and playing vital role in promoting participation, collective actions, and right based activism in Pakistan for the last 28 years. SAP-PK derives its name from a regional network, i.e., South Asia Partnership. This is a volunteer network of participatory development-support organizations operating under the same name and for the same purposes in Canada and four South Asian countries, i.e., Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka. It has some presence in India as well, through a collective form of three different organizations. All these organizations and Sri-Lanka Center for Development Facilitation collectively form SAP-International, the six national organizations work together in the context of a common charter. Peace and Regional Cooperation, Gender and Development, Democratic Governance, Poverty and Sustainable Livelihood, Human Security and Safe Environment and Conflict Resolutions are core themes of SAP-PK.
SAP-Pakistan is an active member of various global forums that are focusing on promoting regional and global alliances of citizens and their organizations, to help advance regional and national agendas of common initiatives to strengthen the capacity of civil society. This includes peasants and rural workers, especially women, religious minorities and other marginalized groups. The group has worked in nearly all of Pakistan for the past 26 years. Currently, its development program reaches out to more than 5,000 villages, spread across four provinces, FATA and PATA. Member of important government committees.
SAP-Pakistan's work includes programs on poverty alleviation, agriculture development, livestock and dairy development, building rural infrastructure and creating livelihood solutions for the rural poor. Its development schemes have benefited around 3.5 million people, mainly women, ultra poor, landless, home-based workers and other marginalized groups. Some of its successful rural development models include efficient use of irrigation water, transformed in to community schemes, in nearly 150 villages in the districts Layyah, Rajanpur, D.I.Khan, Gawadar, Ormara, Khyber Agency, Bhakkar and many more.
SAP-Pakistan has a countrywide network of community groups, peasants and workers’ groups (PWGs) in 5000 villages in all provinces. Union Council, district and provincial level networks of these community groups, an advocacy network of 2500 civil society organizations (CSOs) and 850 trained social activists have undergone extensive development management training with SAP-Pakistan to build their skills.
Mission
The mission of SAP–Pakistan is to create an enabling environment for participatory governance and sustainable collective action for peace, human security and regional cooperation at the South Asian level, through organization of the marginalized sections of society and development of their capacities.
Goals
SAP-Pakistan claims the following goals.
- Create enabling environment for democratic governance and effective citizens’ participation through informed and effective voice of the poor, especially workers and peasants.
- Facilitate pro-people civil society initiatives at national, regional and global levels promoting collective actions for peace, justice, human security and livelihood.
- Increase sensitivity and harmony among people through actions against structural violence in society through peaceful means and movements.
- Contribute to pro-people collaborations between and among international organizations on important international concerns.
Strategic Thrusts
SAP-PK’s initiatives are based on its development philosophy that people are at the center. This understanding helps SAP-PK design its programs around the basic and strategic needs and fundamental rights of the people, especially who are disadvantaged and unheard. The following thrusts are the basis of SAP-PK’s national and regional programs:
- Democratic Governance
- Poverty and Sustainable Livelihood
- Human Security and Safe Environment
- Peace and Regional Cooperation
- Gender and Development
Major Stakeholders
The major groups served by the organization are
- Workers (including those who are semi-employed or employed in the informal sector)
- Farmers
- Religious Minorities
- Elected Representatives and State Officials
- Civil Society Groups, especially Media and Lawyers
- Youth Groups
References
- ↑ http://www.pildat.org/csodirectory/csodetails.asp?detid=80
- ↑ http://www.sapcanada.org/
- ↑ http://www.sapsri.lk/
- ↑ http://sapnepal.org.np/
- ↑ http://www.sapbd.info/