Case Studies/Success Stories
Livelihood & Food Security Program
Poverty to Prosperity
Ms. Nighat Azam belongs to a poor family and lives in Chiragh Park, Bund Road, Lahore. She was one of the participants in entrepreneurship training at Chiragh Park. She makes clothes detergent for her family and saves about five to six thousand per month. She expressed that the quality of cloth cleaning has also been improved along with minimizing the expense of clothing detergent. In addition, she has started making clutches (wallets) and giving them to her friends and family for marketing purposes. Now she plans to purchase materials for selling and earning more income. She is grateful to Caritas Pakistan for showing her the way. She is hopeful that the project will be successful. She is determined to make a difference in her life and her family.
WASH
Securing Dignity through Toilet
Shameem Bibi said that since I got married there was no toilet in our house. We used to head for open fields. There were separate places for men and women. We lived in Chak No. 412 of district Jhang in Punjab province. There was always a risk of poisonous reptiles, kidnapping of children, and sexual harassment. It was hard waiting the whole day to defecate. She was identified by the Washing Initiative Committee (WIC) of Caritas Pakistan Faisalabad (CPF) last year. WICs in the district are composed of village health officials, commune coordinators, the vice village chief, and local health volunteers. In October 2017, CPF implemented a WASH project in the region. She attended several hygiene awareness sessions organized by Caritas WIC. During one of these sessions, she shared her plight with the speakers. CPF helped the family by constructing the toilet inside their house. Shameem and her family are now thankful to Caritas that they can use the facility anytime they want. The WASH project was implemented to provide clean water and sanitation services to the community. The sessions were aimed at raising awareness about the importance of hygiene and helping people understand the risks associated with poor sanitation. CPF’s assistance in providing a toilet for Shameem’s family allowed them to have access to a proper sanitation facility and improved their quality of life.
Peace Building & Social Harmony Program
Tehseen a Young Peace Ambassador
Tehseen Sardar student in grade 10th did not know about conflict resolution and peacebuilding before joining the Caritas Peace group at her school. They involved us in different tasks including painting, essay writing, peace dialogue, and sports activities. We thought this is just another lecture on extracurricular activities. Now it has become my mission. The 17th years old is among many peace ambassadors trained by Caritas Pakistan at St. Dominic High School in the Warispura area of Faisalabad. The sessions helped Tehseen in preparing for life after school days. Some of our class fellows didn’t make friends with girls of other religions. Most of the students shared their seats with a class fellow of his/her religion. When we switched their seats they became friends in a week. I thought it was important to build understanding between different communities. I started organizing events to bring people together and promote peace. I have been able to create an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
Emergencies
Ms. Kiran Qamar DRR Volunteer in Karachi
Kiran – mother of 4 children – lives at Sadiq Nagar on the bank of Gujar Nala for over a decade. Around 18km are over flooded whenever Karachi is hit by rain. Water contributes to skin and infectious diseases in the area community. As a volunteer with Caritas Pakistan Karachi, she acquired training under Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in their project. Disaster preparedness, search and rescue training, disaster management, hazard mapping, evacuation plan, First Aid and CPR, and Early warning system. Before this training, I didn’t know how to deal with disasters. But now I can guide and help others more efficiently. During the year 2019 during the monsoon season with the coordination of the Disaster Management Committee (DMC) and Caritas Pakistan Karachi, I conducted training sessions on disaster awareness and monsoon preparedness. Due to this activity, the people of the area managed to face the flood during the rain flood in 2019. I am happy to be associated with Caritas Pakistan Karachi as a volunteer in their DRR program. My experience as a volunteer has been invaluable in helping me develop my skills as a leader and team player. I am now able to coordinate and work with organizations and local communities to ensure better preparedness and relief during disasters. By being part of these efforts, I am making a difference in the lives of people in need.
Protecting Street Children by providing Primary Services & Advocating for their Rights
Sara William an Apprentice
The 17-year-old brilliant beautician student of Caritas skill training center has completed 6 months’ beautician course. She belongs to a middle-class family, her father is a painter and mother is a housewife. She faces many hardships in her daily routine as her father’s income is not enough to support her entire family of 6 children and a wife. She was well aware of her responsibilities as the eldest of the children and enthusiastically learned all the skills to be a professional beautician. Caritas Pakistan’s social mobilizer identified her during a door-to-door visit to raise awareness about skill training centers. During the training her diligent work and ability to learn was observed by Shanzy’s beauty parlor. She was given the opportunity to work for Rs. Now that she earns 15,000/-, she is working as a beautician to earn well and contribute more to the welfare of her family. Her parents appreciate her for being their support and role model for her siblings.
She has also been actively involved in her community to spread awareness about the importance of skill development. She believes that her story of success will inspire other women in her village to pursue their dreams and lead a better life.