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Background:
Increasing poverty, growing gender biases and insensitivity, depleting Natural Resources, environmental degradation, Political instability, socioeconomic disparities, rapidly budding extremism & terrorism and all other such like factors are contributing in overall underdevelopment in the region of Malakand Division. In the last two decades natural & human disasters are frequently hitting the region, resulting countless hammering the socio-economic assets of this region. Meanwhile a revolutionary (somehow) awareness on print and electronic media in the country, the threats of potential non-natural disasters/risks due to the pre-existing, imported, engineered and prevailing practices of promoting armed conflicts, sectarian issues and anti-progressive thinking was exposed to common people of the country. Thus UQAB welfare Society was formed in January 1998 to respond the generic development thirst of the region, while at the same time the specific upcoming challenges are also covered in the broader spectrum of development. Due to the exposed fact that these specific challenges are result of some bottom line issues, mentioned in the early two lines of this para, this organization was aimed to respond these grassroots level issues with cross fingers over it. The organization was registered under Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies Ordinance 1961 (XLVI 1961) with registration number 1983 in September 2002.
The Vision
Equal, just and sensible distribution of resources, its appropriate utilization and conservation so that a prosperous society develops on the principles of peace, justice and prosperity.’
The Mission:
To develop alternate leadership of socially excluded portions of the civil society from grass roots level and enhance their will power and livelihood, to take up responsibility by sharing of information and confirmation of participation in decision making process at all level through democratic methods for effecting social context and speeding up social change”.
Objectives:
The principal objectives of this organization are as follow:
Emerging leadership of civil society organizations are capacitated with clear concepts, knowledge, interest, trust, exposure and analytical approach.
Partner communities are empowered to play an Effective Role in Local Development.
Peace and Prosperity are promoted between people in co-existing manners and working on reduction of extremism by initiating peace making, peace keeping and peace building initiatives.
Social solidarity among marginalized and deprived communities are promoted and strengthened.
Civil society organizations at local, district and regional level are empowered, protected and strengthened through networking and lobbing.
Every household receiving more effective, efficient, need based services.
Access to and management of natural resources by every rural households improved.
Every rural households benefiting from an appropriate enabling environment.
Livelihood opportunities for every rural households improved
Partner Communities are more Attentive to Primary Healthcare, Improved Hygiene and sanitation, Disaster Preparedness/mitigation and Improved Access to
Healthcare Services.
Gaps in Conventional Education System Filled and Literacy Promoted through quality educational system.
Participatory Monitoring and Review System is Functional
Principles
The key principles of UWS’s community development approach are summarizes below:
Peoples Centered: Poverty will be reduced only if external support focuses on what matters to people, understand the differences between groups of people and works with them in a way that is congruent with their current livelihood strategies, economic realities, social environment and ability to adapt;
Responsive and Participatory: Poor people themselves must be the key actors in identifying and addressing their livelihood priorities. Developmental organizations and the state need to have effective processes and structures in place that enable them to listen and respond to the poor;
Multilevel: Poverty alleviation is an enormous challenge that could only be overcome by working at multiple levels, ensuring that micro-level interventions inform and influence the development of policy and an effective enabling environment and that micro-level structures and processes support people to build on their own strengths.
Partnerships:
Taking advantage of and building on each others’ strengths is the best way forward. Every effort needs to be made to avoid duplication of effort and build effective working partnerships both with the public and the private sectors.
Sustainable: Arguably there are four key dimensions to sustainability – economic, social, environmental and institutional. All are important and there is a need to maintain a balance within and among them.
Core Values:
Following are the core values of organization.
We believe in the right of community to a prosperous life.
We listen to and learn from the people we work with.
We value innovation, commitment and leadership of community.
We trust our communities, thus deal them as equal partners.
We have confidence in our ability to make a significant difference.
We believe:
· A well-targeted community outreach programs.
· Enhance economic welfare and incomes of the poor and disadvantaged.
· Support and nurture community involvement.
· Build sustainability and make tangible efforts to secure the future.
· A decentralized system and follow democratic decision making.
Working Methodology:
Organizing community & ensuing Participation.
Identification of problems & Prioritization of needs.
Mapping of resources & Generation of assets. and
all this i.e. From designing to evaluation is done by community themselves.
For this
the social institutions at grass roots level are established, strengthened and supported to work as a developmental agents for government and non governmental organizations/agencies.
Program’s Components:
Core Programmes (Thematic areas of intervention)
- Good Governance
- Sustainable Livelihood
- Social Sector Development
- Human And Institutional Development
- Disaster Management
- Organizational Development
Organizational Structure:
Governance functions reside with board of directors (BOD), elected for their commitment to the Organizational principles and their regional level profile. The BOD meets quarterly to take policy decisions, while day-to-day management functions resides with Chief Executive Officer (CEO), supported by a team comprising of coordinators and sector specialist. The activities in the field are coordinated by the field staff and community volunteers/activists.
Financial rules & regulations:
- Professional computerized record keeping for all transactions.
- Specific demand purchase procedures followed by the organization.
- Proper inventory/ stock record maintained.
- Comparative financial statements prepared and kept records.
- Internal and external audit conducted once in year and reports prepared.
Geographical Focus:
Primarily the organization is focusing a tehsil of District Swat i.e. Charbagh, however the organization has a certain vision and strategic planning for expansion to the whole district, with potential possibilities to District Shangla, Buner and Kohistan.
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