Muhammad Darjat – Rural Development Practitioner
In the past decades, investment in community mobilization in fostering civil society organizations was a missing link in the mountains of Pakistan. In the eighties work on this vital theme became the priority area of focus in the settlements of the Karakorum and Hindukush.
Community mobilization through village dialogues resulted in the formation of grass-roots institutions with a focus on marginalized households. The men and women became members of the village and women organizations (VO and WO). Office bearers were nominated among the members based on two criteria — honesty and competence. The members started conducting regular weekly. The office bearers were responsible for recording the minutes which included identifying the common needs of the people, planning solutions, and putting planning into action. Those actions complemented enhancing family incomes, which was the objective of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme initiated 40 years ago.
The village and women organizations focused on access to training of village people in agriculture and livestock to enhance their skills in improving agriculture productivity. Many villagers asked for learning new skills and knowledge about improving animal feed, increasing milk yield, and preventing losses due to diseases in goats, sheep, and cattle.
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