Report Period: January 1 2020 to December 31, 2020
Funded by UNHCR
Summary: Afghan Refugees living in Pakistan constitute one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world. UNHCR has continued to work with the Government of Pakistan to ensure protection and assistance of person of concerns; including their accCC’sess to education, health, legal protection, and livelihoods. In the beginning of June 2017, UNHCR Pakistan’s strategic direction shifted to prioritize community-based protection (CBP). The shift was geared to, inter alia, reaching more of persons of concern, comprehensively involving community in all processes and decision making, building capacities of communities to enable them identify and address protection issues within their structures; mapping available service providers and creating referral pathways to avail more protection and assistance opportunities for individuals and communities to avail services within the context of communities and societies where they live. The transition recognizes that CBP is a ‘process’, not a ‘quick-fix’ tool, which requires patience, nurturing, time and resources to achieve lasting results.
From the last 12 years, WESS has been working as UNHCR regular partner and implementing UNHCR funded Community Development, Youth Empowerment and Community Based pProtection project in the targeted ten Refugee Villages (RV’s) of Balochistan (Surkhab, Saranan, Malgagai, Mohammad Khail, Katwai, Zarh Karaiz, Ghazgai Minara, Chaghi, Lejay Karaiz and Posti RV’s in five districts i.e., Pishin, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, Chaghi and Quetta.
In this period sectoral committees of water, health, education, women and youth groups in all refugee villages formed and strengthened to monitor, facilitate and expand the sectoral interventions. To enhance coordination within the sectors, Multi- Sectoral Committees were formed in 2015 to identify and bridge the gaps in between communities and service providers through coordination with different partners at the RV’s level.
The Community Based Protection (CBP) project had been implemented in ten 10 RV’s of Balochistan with 137,468 direct and 782,436 indirect beneficiaries with 98,566 females. There are ten 10 multi-sectoral, protection welfare, child protection and water management committees known as Community sStructures in all ten 10 RV’s with 408 representatives that include 93 females.
The project interventions of community-based protection in RV’s ensured protection of Persons of Concerns (PoC’s) in RV’s through Refugee Outreach Volunteers (OV’s) for sustainable protection interventions, information dissemination through conducting sessions with male and female communities on SGBV , Child Protection, AccCC’sess to Basic Services and Community based protection (CBP).
During the implementation of CBP project in 2020, WESS WESS-CBP staff trained 200 Outreach volunteers (OV’s) that include 100 females. Similarly, 106 members of multi-sectoral committees and 224 members of protection welfare committees including 88 females trained on One day Capacity Building trainings on record keeping, conflict resolution, general protection and sensitization.
In the year 2020, OV’s have reported and referred 153 protection cases of various nature including drug addicts, PWD’s, EVI’s and serious medical cases. Of the reported 153 cases, 140 have been referred to concern service providers including Civil hospital, Bolan Medical Complex, TB Centre, Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Centre, UNHCR legal partner for further treatment / medication / rehabilitation and legal process through established referral mechanism and signed MOU’s, whereby relevant service providers agreed upon facilitating Afghan refugees on humanitarian grounds.
In the reporting year, OV’s were provided with exposure visits at district level whereby 92 male OVsOV’s of target districts travelled from respective RVsRV’s to other RVsRV’s of Balochistan for exposure visit and shared best practices. During the cited visits, OVsOV’s held fruitful discussions with their counterparts of other RV’s and refugee elders and built networking. They visited education and health facilities and observed record keeping of OVsOV’s and Community committee members. Similarly, 34 female and 31 male OVsOV’s were trained on first Aid and emergency training at Malgagai, Posti and Ghazgai Minara RVsRV’s during the reporting year.
Community & OVsOV’s led initiatives was one of the major activities of CBP project, whereby male & female OVsOV’s had submitted 20 different proposals which included includes establishment of Urdu language center for females, libraries, extension of computer labs and libraries, establishment of laboratory and labor room, establishment of beauty parlor and rehabilitation of Sporting facilities. In this relation, the proposals were reviewed and shared with the UNHCR concern section for formal approval. The proposals, which were approved, included establishment of Urdu language center for females, beauty parlor, library, laboratory, labor room, extension of female skill center, extension of libraries and rehabilitation of sporting facilities. As a result, 1,470 males and 593 female outreach volunteers (OVsOV’s) and youth benefited from the stated interventions.
In context of evolving CovidCOVID-19 situation, WESS with the support from UNHCR installed 150 water storage tanks in the ten 10 RVsRV’s on key locations for hand washing purposes besides drilling of 05 new boreholes at Surkhab, Saranan, Katwai and Zarh Karaiz RVsRV’s. Similarly, 06 water supply schemes were upgraded to the solar system at Surkhab, Saranan, Katwai, Zarh Karaiz and Mohammad Khail RV’s in the reporting year. Around 21,876 POC’s benefited from the stated WASH interventions under COVID-19 including 9,874 females.
Objective
- Community Mobilization Strengthened & Expanded
- Community Outreach Volunteers formed & Strengthened
- Information Dissemination Process Strengthened through Shura meetings
- Capacity Development of OVs and Community Structures
- Supply of Potable Water Increased or maintained
Impact
- In COVID-19 context WASH schemes for hand washing practices benefited 21,876 POCs
- General community made aware regarding precautionary measure against the COVID-19 pandemic
- Female PWSNs have improved hygiene facilities in their areas
- Outreach volunteers build up linkages with other OVs best practises for knowledge management and sharing
- Outreach volunteers trained through management skill trainings to play active role in addressing their community problems/ issues and monitoring protection trends
- Capacity of MSC and its sub-committees built and actively responding to general community protection needs
- OVs ability to demonstrate different skills built, leading towards their positive role in promoting extra-curricular activities in their communities
- Community is sensitized in relation to observance of different international days and adhering to basic protocols of WHO & Government of Pakistan in relation to COVID-19
- Supply of potable water remained available throughout the year for easy access to safe and clean water in RVs