Awareness Campaign On

Human Rights and Gender Equality

In

Rural Villages of District Benazir Abad (Nawabshah)

Human Rights and Gender Equality Awareness Campaign in

Rural Villages of District Benazir Abad (Nawabshah)
An Introduction

SANGAT Development Foundation (SDF) is community based non-

governmental Organization, launched with its mission to work for
environmentally sustainable development and water and sanitation
education especially in remote and backward areas of District Shaheed
Benazirabad (Nawabshah).
SDF has taken a number of community-based capacity building and
awareness initiatives, including seminars on different issues confronting the
downtrodden in remote and backward areas.
• SANGAT Development Foundation is member of District Advisory and
Coordination Committee (DCC), WWF-Indus for All programme of
Nawabshah District.
• SANGAT Development Foundation is member of International Human
Rights Commission (IHRC).
• SANGAT Development Foundation Nawabshah is a focal Point on Water
and Sanitation by FANSA-Pakistan (Fresh Water Action Network South
Asia-Pakistan) for the districts of Nawabshah and Naushoro Feroz, Sindh.

• SANGAT Development Foundation Nawabshah is a District Focal

Organization on Health issues of the network of The Asia Foundation,
Pakistan

• SANGAT Development Foundation Nawabshah is a District Focal

Organization on Peace issues of the network of Pakistan Peace Coalition
(PPC) Pakistan

SANGAT Partners
• Plan International
• ActionAid, International, Pakistan
• The Asia foundation (TAF)
• WWF-Pakistan
• UNDP
• Election Commission of Pakistan
• Sindh Rural Support Program (SRSP)
• District Government, Shaheed Benazirabad (Nawabshah)
• Taluka Govt Daur, District, Nawabshah
• Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI)
• Department of Neuro Surgery, People Medical College/Hospital
Nawabshah

Human Rights and Gender Equality Awareness Campaign in

Rural Villages of District Benazir Abad (Nawabshah)
A community dialogue on safe drinking water and sanitation was held with
villagers of Jan Muhammad Khan in Union Council (UC) Jhoro Shar in
order to aware the local community on the importance of safer drinking
water and sanitation and its co-relationship with community health.

Sangat team first invited the community members to share their water
related facilities and problems in their villages and adjoining areas.
The villagers said they are confronting with many socio-economic and other
development issues but safe drinking water and sanitation are the main
issues of the village. They further do also confess that they have never given
so importance to the issues of safe drinking water and sanitation in their
villages and were even not so aware that their health problems are directly
linked with their proper and safe drinking water and sanitation in their
villages.

They complained that deadly diseases such as hepatitis, cholera, malaria and
diarrhea are being rapidly spreading not only in their village but also there
are a lot of complaints from other poor communities of the villages of
surrounding areas and even over all union council Jhoro Shar of Taluka
Daur District Nawabshah. The villagers has a more complain regarding
diarrheal diseases frequently occurring in the village, which has badly
affected especially the vulnerable groups i.e children and women
community of the village. Even living in the 21st century, majority of
people fetching water from the open ponds for using in their food
preparation and drinking purposes, which happened mostly polluted and full

Human Rights and Gender Equality Awareness Campaign in

Rural Villages of District Benazir Abad (Nawabshah)
of contamination. Using of unfiltered and contaminated water has developed
serious health problems in the community of the area.
While talking on the occasion, President of Sangat Development
Foundation, Nisar A. Brohi said health is wealth for every one being an
individual, community, or nation, therefore, developed nations have given
top priority to the health of their communities or nation. If a community or
nation would not be healthy, cannot have a progress and development in any
field of life. Health is the first and foremost priority to have a sustainable
socio-economic development of any society.

However, it is great dilemma of our nation that even entered in the 21st
century, majority of our population drinking unsafe and contaminated water
and also living in unhygienic conditions, which has direly affected on their
working skills and capacities.

He further appealed to the community they should come forward for the
solution of their problems facing since many decades. Until and unless
community it self would not get involved themselves in the decision-making
and implementation process, the problems remain unsolved. So, community
involvement in any development process would not only pave the way for
the solution of the problems at grass rot level but also ensure their
sustainability.
In the meeting the community was fully sensitized regarding their village
level problems and their possible solutions, especially formation of “Village
Based Health Committee” which would chalk out strategy to collectively
make all possible efforts in addressing the health related issues confronting
by the villagers and would also coordinate with local UC Nazim and EDO
Health District Nawabshah for early possible solution especially for the
provision of safe drink water to the villagers.

The sanitation and hygienic issues was also discussed with villagers and the
community was made aware to keep their houses and other residential
surrounding areas clean which is the only possible way to keep safe
themselves especially their children from deadly diseases and keeping death
at bay. Because unhygienic conditions are best sanctuaries for various
germs and bacterias, if transmitted in the human body, would a fatal attack
on human being. So, it is necessary to keep their environment and especially
of house safe from all unhygienic conditions.

Human Rights and Gender Equality Awareness Campaign in

Rural Villages of District Benazir Abad (Nawabshah)