Problem overview:

     Integrating stakeholders: This example demonstrates the achievement that coordination and cooperation between 2 stakeholders, an NGO called the Sarhad Rural Support Corporation and local communities, can lead to sustainable living of the previously poor communities.

     Training and educational initiatives: SRSC's Mission Statement commits the organization to "build the capacity of local communities through participatory community-based organizations for sustainable social and economic development, with a primary focus on the rural poor and disadvantaged".

Background:

      Alleviating rural poverty through environmental improvements

      The Sarhad Rural Support Corporation (SRSC) was established in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan in November 1989, as a private, non-government and non-profit organization with the objective of alleviating rural poverty at the grassroots through training and institution building for sustainable development. SRSC's Mission Statement commits the organization to "build the capacity of local communities through participatory community-based organizations for sustainable social and economic development, with a primary focus on the rural poor and disadvantaged". The SRSC programme assists about 29,301 households. SRSC's target is to eventually reach 165,209 households in approximately 8,000 villages of the 24 districts of the province.

      The SRSC strategy emphasizes participation of the marginalized rural community at all stages of the project cycle from problem identification and project design through to the re-planning loop bringing what is learned back into the process to inform and adjust directions and management.

Strategy

SRSC lays out the prerequisites that are needed for social leadership to work:

• willingness of the community to help itself;
  
  
• presence of idealists and activists within the community;
  
  
• willingness of the community to help the poorest of the poor among them;
  
  
• willingness to forge meaningful partnerships with SRSC based on fulfillment of obligations on both sides;
  
  
• willingness of the community to build a self-reliant, self-managed and sustainable system of management at the village level.

If a community meets these prerequisites, SRSC provides social guidance or leadership to:

• assist rural communities to organize themselves for a selected purpose;
  
  
• help determine the size of the interest group or savings programme;
  
  
• find and train suitable community leadership from among the "idealists/activists" in the community;
  
  
• help determine community priorities matching them to feasibility and cost effectiveness to accomplish the priority projects and activities;
  
  
• help access resources such as credit, grants, and services obtainable through government line agency.

Achievements

      SRSC's increasing focus on poverty alleviation in an exceptionally challenging environment, along with its ability to adapt its planning processes and field management activities to lessons learned, has made it a significant player in the difficult northwest frontier area of Pakistan as well as a source of innovative and experimental developmental ideas everywhere. In statistical terms, as of March 1997:

• 1,227 COs/WOs have been formed in the SRSC regions with a total membership of 39,488 and savings worth approximately Rs 15.8 million.
  
  
• a total of 487 Productive Investment Programmes worth approximately Rs 96 million have been granted of which 255 are now completed and 232 still in the process of completion. These programmes will be directly benefiting 19,480 households for water supply, lining of water sources, cane crushers, land leveling, water reservoirs, farm roads, diversion bunds, tube wells, flood protection bunds, dairy development, causeways, afforestation, pit latrines and purposes.
  
  
• loans worth Rs 30 million were disbursed among 6,148 beneficiaries.
  
  
• 269 female health workers and 22 men and women health motivators have been trained.
  
  
• 11 adult literacy centres are in the process of being established in SRSC's project area.
  
  
• 30 community-based girls primary schools are in the process of being established.