Project Financial Assistance Proposal

1. Basic Information

Project #.
Name of the Organization / Society for the Empowerment of the People-Vehari
Project Title / Gender Justice through increased women participation in political system
Project Duration / One Year
Sector: / Human Rights
Legal Status of the Organization: / Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies Ordinance, 1961
Registration No. / DD SW (MD) 261
Year and month of registration? / 13TH MAY 1996
Contact Person Authorized by:
Society for the Empowerment of People – Vehari. / Mr. Albert Patras
Executive Director
Habib Plaza 28/D Upper Building National Saving center Club road Vehari
E-mail:
Project Budget:
Local Contribution USA $ / $ 3070
Donor Contribution / $ 93000
Total Budget (Rs.) / $ =96070

1. Basic Information

History of the Organization:

Background and History

Society for the Empowerment of the People is a non profit, non government and non partisan organization striving for development of the marginalized communities and women of District Vehari Pakistan without any discrimination of caste, creed and faith. The organization came into being in January 1996 and is registered under Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control Ordinance, 1961 (XLVI of 1961) since May 1996. SEP drawing its strength from communities' active involvement in needs driven development process through a participatory development initiative.

Organizational Background

The Organization was established in January 1996 by a group of committed young people after getting training from Caritas Pakistan-Multan and was gathered for the achievement of some common set of goals. Initially it took step as Christian Co-operative Credit Society. The organization was Warmly Welcomed by the people and they generated some handful amount of funds on self-help basis. In the inception phase the core members of the organization organized different seminars on subjects of saving and co-operative self-help, which were highly welcomed by the communities. It was then felt that some other social problems needed to be dealt and solutions need to be drawn. Their movement towards local development problems and adoption of approach to mobilize and aware people, especially marginalized sections including minorities, gradually changed their outlook in the community. So they changed their name to Society for the Empowerment of the People (SEP) and took step to launch awareness campaigns on the social basic human rights and economic issues being faced by the society.

In November 1996, linkages were extended to South Asia Partnership, Pakistan and were selected for a year long training program called Resource Development Program (RDP). This training program helped in widening the vision of SEP and all developmental needs were designed with different ideology.

Vision:

To strive towards just based society leading to interfaith, social harmony, peace and social justice

Mission

To serve the poverty stricken & down trodden segments of the society regardless of caste, color, creed, language, status, gender and economic background

Goal

To strive in order to ensure equal political, social, democratic and economic Opportunities for all citizens”

Aims &Objectives:

1To strengthen & empower vulnerable and marginalized groups through provision of basic political, human and social & democratic rights based education.

2To work for the improved socio-economic status of the vulnerable, indigenous & poor communities

3To promote preventive and curative health facilities in urban slum and the rural areas.

4To work for the restoration of equal fundamental rights for deprived segments of the society particularly women & children based on equity, equality and social justice

5To develop sensitivity on child related issues, inter-faith, social harmony, Peace, justice & human rights.

6To work for the Environment protection, water and sanitation in rural and urban areas

7To enhance the potential and hidden skills of youth according to their natural aptitude and interest in order to meet the challenges of this modern era.

SEP STRENGTHS

  • Democratic & supportive leadership
  • Excellent & Skilled staff (those who are available are skill as per their Responsibilities)
  • Committed and solid volunteers base (trained + untrained)
  • Efficient accounts management system
  • Proper documentation of activities
  • New ideas and experiences of staff are encouraged and incorporated for better results.
  • Office place is available on rent
  • Training expertise and capacity building for the staff
  • 27 Trained volunteers regarding emergency dealing

Membership/Network/Coalition/Accreditation Status

SEP enjoys membership/network/coalition/accreditation status of various National, Regional & International organization

SEP Vehari has been working as Regional Coordinator of CEHR (Community education for Human Rights) Group (NCJP Lahore )

SEP Vehari has been working as District Coordinator of PACFREL (Pakistan Coalition for Free, Fair & Democratic Election)

SEP Vehari has been working as District Coordinator of NCE (Network for Community Empowerment), comprised of 112 active grassroots level organizations working in Punjab Province

SEP Vehari has been working as District Coordinator of Pakistan Social Forum

Partner NGO of Minorities Commission of Pakistan

Partner NGO of South Asia Partnership of Pakistan

Partner NGO of Caritas Pakistan Mutlan

Collaborative member NGO of World Social Forum (WSF)Brazile

Partner NGO of Gender & Water Alliance (GWA) P.O.Box 114, 6950AC Dieren the Netherlands

Membership Status with Fresh Water Action Network –South Asia (FANSA) India

Collaborative member NGO of International Peace Beuru,,Switzerland

Membership Status with Citizen Commission on Human Rights ,USA

Team Structure:

A Currently SEP is operating all over the Vehari District and contains a large scale membership of the persons belonging to every strata of life. The organizational structure is comprised of two main councils i.e. General Council and Executive Council. Executive Council consists of 9 members (4 female& 5 male). The General Council consists of 65 members who comprised of laborers (sanitary workers), journalists shopkeepers and other common men and women belonging to other faith & belief. Members of the Executive and General Council meet on regular basis.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Program Unit

1Women & Children Empowerment Program (Human rights education, Gender sensitivity, Violence against women & children, Legal aid Services)

2Advocacy, lobbying &Networking (addressing different issues regarding human rights violation, sanitary workers rights etc.).

3Health Program (Preventive Health Education, Reproduction Health Care Center)

4Capacity building Program (Awareness Seminars, Trainings, Workshops on community building and leadership)

5Democratic Support Program (Peace throughinterfaith &social harmony and Good governance)

6Researches & Publication (For all type of documentation ,Report Writing & Publication)

INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT

Objective of the Project

Gender Justice through increased women participation in political system project mobilizes men and women to collectively act to end violence against women in rural areas of Vehari through increased women participation in political system. Through community-based activities, the project seeks to:

  • Increase women’s awareness of laws and rights related to gender equality;
  • Build capacities of women for active participation in political system;
  • To promote women participation in political activities as a tool for promotion of their rights;
  • Engage men, including perpetrators of violence, in changing unequal gender norms and practices;
  • Research on reason lack of women participation in political system

These community segments & groups will part of this project;

  • Women (direct beneficiaries)
  • Men (direct beneficiaries)
  • Minority groups (direct beneficiaries)
  • Poor families (direct beneficiaries)

This project will covered district of Vehari along with three sub-districts in 10 selected union council of each sub-district. The project shall be implemented in the districts of Vehari with a focus area. The participants shall be identified through women groups and shall include minorities/poor groups and women in associations involved in promotion of women’s rights through increased women participation in political system. Vehari district has been identified due to the high rates of Gender based Violence with initiative to establish GBV committees that need strengthening.

Project Design and Methodology

Violence against women is an extreme manifestation of pervasive discrimination against women and girls because their potential and active participation in current political system is very less and questionable. It occurs in all Pakistan as well as in district Vehari at all stages of development, and threatens the rights, health andwell-being of women—rich and poor. Many women – in some parts of country as many as one in three – are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Women and girls are still disproportionately affected in situations of conflict and other emergency situations, where they face high risks of sexual violence. The impact of this and other forms of violence that women and girls suffer in war can persist and impede recovery many years after conflicts end. The majority of the hundreds of thousands of people trafficked/abuse each year are women and children, and most of them are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Less participation of women in political system and violence against women can contribute to the live in vulnerable conditions whole life as a dependant. Most victims suffer in silence, with little or no recourse to justice, care or support. The responsibility for action is incumbent on all governments/CSOS/media and policy makers as well.

Many women interviewed said the police and judiciary often fail to enforce laws that protect women’s rights and take a selective rather than impartial approach to administer justice. They often pursue cases where women are perceived to have transgressed social norms and fail to act when women report violence or, for example, in cases of child marriage claiming these are “private matters.” This situation is demonstrated by the large number of women detained in prisons for “moral crimes.” When social and cultural circumstances do not allow women and girls to oppose harmful traditional practices, or to escape violence, they sometimes run away from home. “Running away” is not a crime under Pakistani law. Yet law enforcement authorities often arrest, jail and prosecute girls for running away from home.

This project aims at increasing women’s participation in electoral process, capacity and active involvement in political system to prevent and respond to Gender Based Violence through different activities, involvement of men & women and advocacy campaigning against Gender based Violence, confidence Building and skills development. Main activities will be as under;

Awareness rising as a preventing tool;

Monthly meetings will conduct at the village/UC level to raise awareness about women’s rights, importance of active participation in political scene and laws pertaining to violence against women. Members of Core Women’s Groups (CWG) organize 30 meetings at UC level where they disseminate information on the women rights and importance of women in development.

Engaging Men

  • Members of the Core Men’s Group (CMG) will organize meetings at the UC level, engaging men participants. Topics will be cover included gender relations, women participation in political system masculinity and the intersections of domestic violence and women rights.
  • To reach male perpetrators of violence who avoid attending these village-based meetings.
  • The CMG will meet with men to raise awareness about the impact of rigid gender roles, active participation in political scene and traditional masculinities that justify violence against women, as well as identify links between domestic violence and women development issues.

Advocacy

From the onset of the project, SEP will work with public officials to secure their support for the project and its success and sustainability. SEP will adopt first approach the district & sub-district level bodies to present the proposed project and the benefits of collaboration. These contacts will help to mobilize officials from the district to sub-district and UC levels to support and monitor the grassroots work and active participation in political scene of women without any discrimination and gender biasness.

Officials from the district to sub-district and UC /commune levels will then invite to participate in a Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) for each of the three communes. Each PMC will visit the UC/commune and villages at least once every three months to monitor the progress of activities and to identify possibilities for improvement. They also carry out ongoing advocacy at government meetings and will available between visits for specific support that the community groups might need in liaising with authorities.

On behalf of victims, For example; in several instances, the PMCs will help to pressure the police to respond to complaints that will not being addressed in a timely manner. Once a year, the three PMCs meet to share lessons learned regarding project implementation and advocating for better law enforcement.

Capacity Building

  • The PMCs will help to oversee the implementation of awareness-raising activities as well as advocates for improve law enforcement and collaboration between communities and local authorities.
  • To prepare them for this role, PMC members will receive training on gender equality and legal framework to protect women and girls.
  • Awareness raising and build capacities on active participation in political scene of women
  • In addition to the collaboration with the PMCs will organize a series of workshops for other local authorities to improve participants’ gender awareness and legal knowledge and to cultivate their support for the project's activities and for ending violence against women in their respective settings.

This project will change lives in women life as;

(a)This project will improve women’s political status and change to a better life in target area by improving service providers and law enforcement responses to cases of violence against women and girls.

(b)The project will also change the responses and attitudes of law enforcement and policy makers according to the provisions and implementation of the EVAW law. The long term change will be in law enforcement attitudes and overall well being of women

(c)Core Women’s Groups will have greater knowledge about overall implementation and obstacles and responses from law enforcement agencies.

Project Management and Monitoring

The project shall be implemented in a period of 12 months. This Project will be put in place for the life time of the project monitoring responses and attitudes of different stakeholders. Production of quarterly briefings papers and annual reports with information on ratio of violence, cases registered and number of cases taken for consideration. The briefings will identify mayor issues and concerns and will provide recommendations to the relevant authorities. Issues will cover; nature and reasons of violence, responses from law enforcement agencies and other influential stakeholders to violations

SEP will use different methods in order to monitor the project progresses and its effect by using pre and post questionnaires among the trainees before and end of the workshop, interview with the victim of violence, spot checks with law enforcement agents to asses change of attitude.

Core Men’s Group & PMC will organize follow up meeting with the senior management of law enforcement staff. At the same time SEP Monitoring and Evaluation staff will also be responsible for monitoring missions this can be including of interview with the victims of violence, distributing per and post questioner to find out the status of project implementation and evaluate the impacts.

Total Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 1530(Core Women’s Groups=30 each group will consist 20 Women, Core men’s Groups=30 each group will consist 20 men and 30 Project Monitoring Committees will be form at UC level and each PMC will consist 7 members) and one group of CSOs, one group of UC secretaries and one group will media representatives and one group will political activists of different parties (each group will consist of 30 members).

Total number of direct male beneficiaries: 818.

Total number of direct female beneficiaries:712

Indirect Beneficiaries of the Project

Total number of Indirect Beneficiaries: 180,000

Total number of indirect male beneficiaries:100000. Total number of indirect female beneficiaries: 80000

Innovative Content of Proposal

The project Innovative Content/ factors will include:

  • Active involvement of women in political system through sensitization of men as a supportive medium
  • Existence of associations and GBV committees already involved in GBV prevention and response.
  • The existence of supportive policies and legal framework for promotion of gender equality and women’s rights.
  • The project implementing organization partnership with other service providers including political parties, police and CSOs for promotion of women’s rights and responding to GBV partners is an added value for project implementation.
  • Having a team of trainers experienced in women’s rights. Training and participatory community dialogue techniques.

Assumptions and Risks

Violence against women is seen as a sensitive issue within the family and is not usually thought to involve people from outside the family unit. Most conservatives believe that violence against women is an internal family issue and should not be discussed in public. The rate of literacy and understanding of both Islamic and Legal Rights for women’s protection is comparatively low in target areas. This will tackle use of as per situations & groups. Expected assumption & risks will be as under;

Assumption 1:Stable political situation, sustained political commitment, and adequate financing

Risk: high

Assumption 2:All segments of society and government effectively resist anti gender equality ideologies/practices proactively.

Risk: Medium

Assumption 3:Suitable and capable organization(s)/CSOs come forward to lead this effort/carry on in future