a step towards women empowerment

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CASE STUDY A Step Towards Women Empowerment Chak no. 75/F Hasilpur, District Bahwalpur By Naushad Kazi

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A Case Study of the downtrodden village situated in district Bahwalpur, Pakistan

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  • CASE STUDY

    A Step Towards Women Empowerment

    Chak no. 75/F Hasilpur, District Bahwalpur

    By Naushad Kazi

  • CASE STUDY

    CHAK NO- 75/F, HASILPUR

    A downtrodden village of the tehsil Hasilpur named Chak no. 75 was formed in 1935;

    merely 20 kilometres far away from the tehsil head quarter in district Bahwalpur. A total

    population of the village is around 2400 people or 300-350 households approximately.

    Unfortunately, water is scarce or contaminated in the vicinity. Hence, the people of the village

    are compelled to drink arsenic contaminated ground water for last many decades. The quality

    of the available water is apparently drinkable, but it changes colour after some time and turns

    yellowish. So, it isnt safe to drink because transmits diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery,

    typhoid, cholera, and hepatitis. Population belongs to the middle and lower income group,

    majority of which associated with different professional groups vary from farm labour to

    daily wagers.

    Usually, women and children bear the burden of fetching water, so they use buckets to

    haul water from outside faucet which is 5 kilometre far away from their homes. Sometimes,

    such women and children can take up to three trips a day to gather and transport water.

    These walks could average ten miles a day, so carrying water up to fifteen litres every trip

    creates trouble for such people and often they face back, feet, and posture problems. Like

    everywhere else, gender inequality was found very common. Before this, many water supply

    schemes were announced and implemented to facilitate people to drink fresh water by the

    government but all were designed and given the communities without appropriate planning

    and community consensus. Hence, people didnt own them and finally such schemes became

    useless.

  • The people were informed that due to all these observations, Govt. of Punjab thoroughly

    studied various options and finally decided to establish an independent institution called

    Punjab Saaf Paani Committee PSPC, an initiative by the Government of Punjab has

    intervened to install filter plants and other suitable schemes in the area of south Punjab.

    Specifically in such village, a scheme of the filter plant was approved by the Saaf Pani

    Company (PSPC) and implemented by MDF & Awaz CDS with mutual support of EMC.

    The mobilization process was finalized in the village and the sessions about nature and

    importance of Saaf Paani Committees were delivered. While formation of the Saaf Paani

    Committee, in which 70% populations presence is mandatory for formation of General Body

    and Executive body. Due to efforts of the field officers of Awaz CDS & MDF whom

    mobilized the community, the villagers took weird decision and realized gender inequality

    and injustice. The community have contemplated to empower their women to come forward

    and take steps ahead to develop their status and identity in the village as well as in the city

    and also at broad level. The community have shown their trust womens abilities and brought

    them in front and assigned them very significant positions in the Saaf Pani Committee of the

    village. The community trusted them for the positions of Vice President and Finance

    Secretary.

    Mrs. Hafeeza Bano was elected to work as Vice President and Mrs. Nasreen Akhtar was

    given position to work as a Finance Secretary.

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