Pushing people power in Pakistan
Related pages: Pakistan
country profile
 In
January 2005, DFID contributed £2.75 million to the Devolution Trust for
Community Empowerment (DTCE), an organisation which since 2001 has been helping thousands of
citizens across Pakistan to get involved in decisions that affect them.
Pind Kirgo Khan is a remote village in Pakistan's harsh North West Frontier
Province. Before 2004, it had only one source of drinking water: a contaminated
open well. The people of the village knew the dangers of drinking contaminated
water, but lacked the knowledge and expertise to deal with the problem. Most of
them live below the poverty line, so bottled water was not an option. Then, the community found out about DTCE and
decided to take advantage. The villagers formed a Citizens Community Board, or CCB, and got funding
from DTCE to renovate their well. As of late 2004, the well is working properly
and 2,100 people have access to
safe drinking water.
How did it work?
 First, the Citizen's Community Board prepared a project worth Rs. 75,000
(about £715) to safe-guard their drinking water. The community
contributed Rs. 15,000 or about 20% of the total cost towards the project.
Then, the project was approved by the local government and submitted to DTCE
for funding. The funds were used to brick-line their well and build a boundary
wall to prevent rainwater from seeping in and contaminating the water.
It's exactly this sort of outcome that the architects of DTCE had in mind
when the Trust was established as part of Pakistan's 2001 Local Government
Ordinance. The Ordinance was designed to give greater opportunities to citizens
to hold local governments accountable for service delivery through community
participation in development decision-making.
The UK High Commissioner, Mark Lyall Grant, said:
"Giving ordinary people a say in how local government should allocate
its development budget is a fundamental component of Pakistan's devolution
process and its embedding of democracy. It is also fundamental to the prospects
of bringing sustainable and enduring benefits to the poor, which is why the UK
Government is pleased to support this initiative.".
DFID is currently considering further support to this initiative.
Key facts
- DTCE, so far, has helped register 7445 CCBs and has funded 2,914 community
development projects. Training in financial management has been provided to
30,043 CCB members.
- DFID's Country Assistance Plan for Pakistan (2005-7) emphasises working
with the provincial and district governments to better assist with the
delivery of essential services to the poor, and to work with civil society
to empower communities.
 Back to top
| 
Directgov |
