Years of cyclical drought have decimated rural communities in Tharparkar. Without access to clean water, people are at risk of waterborne diseases, viruses and infections. Since 2019, Human Appeal has been transforming villages in remote areas of Tharparkar, Sindh. We have been solving the complex challenges brought about by drought through a project that addresses its effect on livelihoods, food supply, crops, livestock, hygiene and security in a sustainable and robust way.
1.6 million people in Tharparkar don’t have access to safe clean water. Crops don’t survive long enough to nourish families, livestock pass away from malnourishment and disease and women routinely trek four to six hours per day just to fetch water. Often forced to bring along small children with them.
Travelling to the area with the Anzal Begum Foundation, we found 1.6 million people living without access to safe, clean water. In Tharparkar, crops don’t survive long enough to nourish families, livestock pass away from malnourishment and disease and women routinely trek four to six hours per day just to fetch water. Often forced to bring along small children with them.
These communities are so isolated that no other charity is working where we are, rendering our project lifechanging for the villages we support, as well as the surrounding area.
Multi-pronged approach
Our specialist staff assess the needs, land and water potential in each village before implementing a multi-pronged approach. Each intervention complements the others, helping to ensure the best chance of success and sustainability.
If we were to provide these villages with only livestock or training on kitchen gardening, (without providing a sustainable water source) the project would not succeed. Likewise, if we provided a solar-powered water well, but didn’t train the community on drought mitigation, or drought-resistant agriculture, the project would not succeed.
By integrating each element of this project together in a holistic method, we’re not just relieving the effect of drought today, but equipping the community to cope and adapt to drought for years to come.
What are the different interventions in each village?
A solar powered water well, access points, supply lines to sub-villages nearby.
A water storage tank with enough water stored for 2,000 people that can refill in just 45 minutes.
An average of 32 solar panels in each village, which can be rotated to the sun’s direction.
12 toilets for men and women in each village.
Drought-resistant kitchen garden seeds, tools and training, with a model kitchen garden established as a guide.
Solar-powered street lighting, supporting safety at night.
Livestock vaccination and deworming, and livestock management training.
A pair of goats for producing milk to 20 of the most vulnerable families in each village, helping to produce an income.
Each village we transform benefits an average of 1,626 people. After piloting the transformation of one village in Tharparkar in 2021, with marked improvement in health, livelihoods and nutrition, we’re now replicating this success in other villages. To date we’ve completed the transformation of 66 villages. We consult with local communities and organisations to select the villages where this project will have the biggest impact, and work to provide innovative, life-changing solutions. This is how your mercy lives on.
In Tharparkar, we have successfully revitalized 66 villages overall, with 19 of them benefiting from solar-powered water wells exclusively, while the remaining 47 have been developed as integrated villages. Within these 47 integrated villages, we have implemented numerous initiatives, including the construction of 564 toilets, the provision of a pair of milking goats to 940 deserving families, the installation of 940 solar street lights, and the distribution of tool kits and seeds for kitchen gardening to 4,700 farmers. 264 stand posts* (4 in each village) are constructed to supply water wells at the nearest point of households. Additionally, our efforts encompassed providing agricultural and livestock management training to 5,000 farmers in these 47 villages and deworming and vaccination for the livestock in these communities. Further, the tanks have a *storage capacity of 10,000 gallons of water, and each tank can be filled within 45 minutes. Refilling of water tank depends on need bases. Generally, the tank is refilled 3 - 4 times a day in summer.
How do we ensure sustainability?
Every village that we work in has a dedicated civil engineer on-site, ensuring all construction, earthworks and structures are safe, resilient and built-to-last. Our civil engineers are overseen by a highly skilled lead structural engineer with over 16 years of experience. Our solar-powered water pumps are designed with the landscape in mind, with long hours of sun ensuring that they continue working combined with analyses of the groundwater providing a plentiful supply for years to come.
We coordinate with government departments, such as agricultural and welfare departments to ensure our work contributes in parallel with local programmes. The farmers who we work with receive training on livestock management so that they can take the change we implement and apply it independently in the future.
We establish and train a local committee in each village, giving them the skills to maintain the new facilities. All items are locally-sourced and easily replaceable. Once we’ve completed the project, we monitor and assess the progress of each community so that we can improve our future projects and continue to support the most vulnerable.
When you support this project with your mercy, you’re not simply providing a well or vaccinations; you’re helping an entire community to have the resources, skills, training and tools to lift themselves towards a brighter future - one with plentiful water, sustainable incomes and improved health.
As one of the only charity’s working in Tharparkar, Human Appeal is so proud to showcase the transformative power of your mercy.
Transformation that supplies over 17,000 litres of fresh water every day from 41 solar powered pumps. Transformation that has seen 940 solar powered street-lights being installed there and 564 toilets built to date. We’re changing the lives of more than 60,000 people and counting, forever. This is us making the most of your mercy.
You’ve entrusted us with your donation so that we can make the most of your mercy. Let’s hear from Aamir, Human Appeal Pakistan’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Manager on how your mercy allows us to transform one of the most remote, drought – stricken regions of Sindh - Tharparkar.
I joined Human Appeal in 2012 and brought together experts in the fields of engineering, architects, livestock specialists, drought experts and more to work with the government, organisations and research institutes to ensure that all aspects of this project are safe, sustainable and impactful.
We aimed to provide an integrated solution to the local communities because they cater to the holistic development needs of a community and offer a complete solution.
Just as an example, if we provide these communities with the clean drinking water nearest to their households to reduce waterborne diseases and improve villagers’ health but at the same time left them uneducated about handwashing, communities would still become ill and their health would continue to suffer.
This integrated project also allowed us to focus on empowering women and children and improving their safety & security. By building safe and secure points to access water close to their homes, we reduce women’s workload and improve their health and wellbeing. In addition, the safe toilet and water facilities improve the personal hygiene of menstruating women and girls and reduces their risk of harassment and harm.
Our water engineers determine the right location for water pumps and wells; they assess water quality and tell us how much is needed. Civil engineers ensure our construction standards are well met, and the structures we build are lasting and durable and disaster resilient. Solar engineers ensure our systems are sufficient enough to pump water from far off sources and are capable of filling water storage tanks in a minimum possible time to avoid interruptions to the water supply.
Also, food security and agriculture experts ensure the crops we grow and the seeds we provide are drought resistant and consume less water, thereby improving the resilience to drought and extreme temperatures.
From our staff to our vendors, every team member is well trained and sensitive to important safeguarding measures to ensure the protection and wellbeing of the communities we work with.
We also have a well-structured feedback and complaints mechanism that allows our beneficiaries to raise complaints through multiple options, provide suggestions and feedback, and highlight any possible risk related to safeguarding.
Thanks to your support every year we continue to invest in sustainable infrastructure to provide, and to continue to provide for, the most basic of needs for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Your mercy fuels Aamir’s passion and commitment to improving the standard of living for Tharparkar’s village communities. His teams know that an integrated solution, like the one implemented here, makes the biggest impact. It doesn’t take a lot to relieve families living a life of poverty. Thanks to your mercy, the incredible results the team is seeing will live on year after year.
“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.”
Source - Tirmidhi
Julie lives in Ghoghari village with her husband and five children. Like many families in their community, her’s struggled to meet their daily needs.
Before the Tharparkar Smart Village project, they faced many difficulties in their daily routines and duties.
“I had to walk for one to two hours every day to fetch water. And the children left behind would be crying.
We used to draw water and then fill it in pots. It was difficult for us then.”
But now, because of the solar-powered water tank and plumbing system, the hazards and challenges of long treks to collect water are gone.
“Now the water comes from the solar water tank and reaches our taps. We have water on a daily basis for drinking and domestic use; the water is very good.”
Solar-powered technology also affords them additional hours to work at night and secure their family’s safety.
“Before, we could not work at night. Now we can easily prepare food at night and look after our children.
We also could not see snakes or other insects at night. Now we can see them at night because of these solar lights. So, we feel safer now.”
Improved hygiene and sanitation is also making life better for families.
“Before when we had to go out to answer nature’s call, we had to go outside to attend nature’s call, we faced many difficulties. But now we have toilets here so we are safe.”
The complex integration of several projects also targeted livelihoods and hunger too.
“We didn’t have milk before so my children and I drank black tea. But, now we have goats and so we can get milk from them.
We are happy now. My children are much healthier. These goats offer other benefits too as they will reproduce.
Everything is perfect and now our lives are peaceful. I am thankful to those who provided us with these things.”
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