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Success stories from the implementation of Community-Driven Local Development Policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT COMMUNITY-DRIVEN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN DIR UPPER
Dir Upper is the land of enthralling natural splendor and enduring human spirit. The determination of its people soars as high as its snowcapped mountains. Located at the crossroads of rich history and promising future, Dir Upper is the gateway to Chitral, Kohistan, Bajaur and even Afghanistan. The legendary town of Dir was founded in the 17th century by Akhund Baba, which is reminiscent of its opulent historic narrative. Yousafzai make up a significant majority of the population with Roghani, Utmankhel, Miangan, Wardag, Kohistani, Swati, Sahibzadgan, Akhunkhel and Khusro also occupying the demographic landscape. The people of Kotkai live a tough but independent life as the inhabitants of one of the few oldest villages in district Dir Upper. Although living modestly, they are politically aware and therefore have remained actively involved in the development planning of the district. When the CDLD was first introduced in Dir Upper, the people of Kotkai were amongst the foremost ones who came forward to embrace the new model of bottom-up participatory development. One of these frontrunners is Rizwan ul Haq, who is leading the community-based organisation (CBO) by the name of Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai. Since 2009, the young development leaders of Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai led by Rizwan have undertaken a number of good initiatives, such as, physical infrastructure projects for drinking water supply, public awareness campaigns for promotion of basic education and cultural sports activities for local youth development.
For any community to thrive, the youth has to come forward and contribute with their boundless energy and youthful initiative. That is why the youth of Kotkai organised themselves under our very own community-based organisation. Since 2009, the CBO has worked across a number of community infrastructure and social development projects which have steadily but surely improved the quality of the lives of our people. We also happen to be the first amongst those CBOs that came forward with their applications for local development projects under CDLD. Education remains one of the priorities of the people of Kotkai, so there was a major demand for improving the building structure of the Government Primary School in our locality. Rizwan ul Haq, General Secretary Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai, CBO Dir Upper
Stats and Facts of CDLD Minimum project funding is Rupees 0.5 million and maximum is Rupees 2.5 million Community project must be completed within a timeframe of 18 months or earlier For women specific projects, 15% of the total district allocations are exclusively reserved Minimum of 10% of the total project cost must be borne by the community in cash or kind After the completion of the project, operation and maintenance would be the CBO’s responsibility
Government Primary School Kotkai was established in 1970 and since then, the population has increased many times which the school cannot accommodate within its existing space. This has also been reported as one of the reasons for dropout and absenteeism cases. Social capital building is a major factor in community development which starts with basic education. So the education facility and academic standards have to be improved in Kotkai before other infrastructure projects are initiated. The extension of the school is imminent due to the increase in the number of school going children and the resultant surge in new enrollments from the village.
The construction of additional rooms in Government Primary School Kotkai identified by the people as their top development priority demonstrates the magnitude of the need and its importance for them. The additional space in their school will enable more parents to fulfil their children's right to basic education. Also, it will improve the overall literacy status in the village thus contributing to the social development of the people of Kotkai. The Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai will lead the construction project awarded to the CBO which has the endorsement and backing from all the people of the village. This project embodies the real spirit of CDLD, which stresses the need to involve citizens in mapping their own development needs and then also implementing them.
The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launched the CDLD Policy to improve the quality and delivery of basic services by involving ordinary citizens in prioritising and implementing their development needs. The CDLD Policy is being piloted for implementation in the six districts of Malakand Division, including Dir Upper. Offices of the Deputy Commissioners are overseeing and coordinating the implementation of community level infrastructure projects (ranging from Rs. 0.5 million and Rs. 2.5 million, over a maximum period of 18 months) in partnership with the CBOs which are formed, supervised and managed by the community members themselves .
Rizwan ul Haq, the General Secretary of the CBO Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai, discusses the school additional facility project with community members
Update on calls for proposals (Dir UPPER)
Round
First
Applications
Proposals
Amount
FIRST (March 2015)
784
74
74
PKR 110.36 million
SECOND (April 2015)
627
112
in process
PKR 124.00 million
THIRD (July 2015)
978
data entry in process
in process
not yet awarded
FOURTH (October 2015)
655
data entry in process
in process
not yet awarded
FIFTH (January 2016)
456
data entry in process
in process
not yet awarded
of Applications
applications received
sent to SRSP
approved by DDC
of projects approved
After a detailed assessment and evaluation process by the district authorities, the Falahi Tanzeem Kotkai secured the project under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CDLD Programme for the construction of two additional rooms for the Government Primary School Kotkai. The approved project cost is PKR 2.3 million which has been sanctioned (first installment cheque handed) after the contract agreement was signed on 12 February, 2016 between the Deputy Commissioner and representatives of the CBO. Senior Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development, Inayatullah Khan, also made an appearance during the ceremony to pledge support to the district administration as well as the community representatives in the implementation of the CDLD projects.
Government Primary School Kotkai will undergo a major uplift as part of the additional facility construction project under CDLD
“A good education has many ingredients. Apart from a knowledgeable teacher and learning material, an environment which is necessarily accommodating is essential for the children to study and grow. With the addition of two more classrooms to the Government Primary School Kotkai, our children will be able to learn in an environment that is not only welcoming but also sufficient to provide them the space they need�. With a focus on providing opportunities for basic education, the people of Kotkai are enabling the children of today to become the youth of tomorrow like Rizwan to lead the potential and passion for socioeconomic progress.
How does CDLD help? Through its technical assistance teams, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CDLD Programme is supporting the district authorities in Dir Upper on a range of topics to ensure that the communities have the required skills and capacities to carry out their development projects. Also, the social mobilisation component of CDLD (managed by Sarhad Rural Support Programme) is working with CBOs at all stages to ensure that the projects are designed, developed and delivered according to the given specifications, timelines and outputs. CDLD Policy Implementation Unit Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Department Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Telephone: 091 9210528
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Fax: 091 9210323
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Web: www.cdldta.pk
EUROPEAN UNION
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