HYDERABAD: With an aim to empower Thari women and promote girls’ education and bio-saline agriculture in selected areas of district Tharparkar, Thar Foundation, and Human Development Foundation (HDF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Under the MoU, Thari women shall be trained to operate drinking water RO Plants and provide transport to promote girl’s education, and make grants to poor farmers to install solar submersible pumps.
Thar Foundation is a non-profit organization and a subsidiary of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) while Human Development Foundation (HDF) is a renowned social-development organization. Together, Thar Foundation and HDF will launch a series of resourceful initiatives to ensure a better quality of life in the impoverished Thar region, while also improving access to school education for children, especially girls.
As per the MoU, HDF will begin with the provision of two school-vans for students, especially girls of numerous schools being operated by the Thar Foundation. These school vans have been purpose-built and fitted with special equipment, to ensure the safety of the students. This philanthropic programme will also enable a family to graduate out of poverty while providing girls with sustainable access to school.
This programme is being rolled out according to a self-sustained, social-entrepreneurial model, and there will be no continued financial expenses or additional costs, after the initial social investment.
Over the next phase interventions in the areas of agricultural livelihoods and water-sector are also planned. Under the agricultural efforts, TF and HDF will provide solar submersible pumps to local farmers, enabling them to practice bio-saline agriculture at the community level whereas Thar Foundation will support and share its institutional expertise as well.
Under the agreement, HDF will also be adopting Reverse-Osmosis (RO) plants in areas of Dali and Chachro in collaboration with the District Government. Whilst HDF will be responsible for operations and maintenance of the plants, TF will use its technical expertise to empower and train the local women to operate these RO Plants.
While signing MoU Suhail Awan, CEO, Human Development Foundation emphasized, “For 24 years, HDF has worked tirelessly to eradicate poverty with a fully focused approach to health, education, livelihood, and clean environment. Together with TF, we are confident that we will make a positive difference in the lives of people of Thar.”
Syed Abul Fazal Rizvi, Chief Executive Officer, Thar Foundation stated “We are pleased to work in cohesion with a credible institution like HDF, to improve the standard of living for the deprived communities of Thar. We remain committed to enhancing our social footprint in Thar and the communities to ensure that they have equitable access to socio-economic opportunities.”
In the future, he added, Thar Foundation and HDF also plan to expand the scale and scope of these interventions, for building capacity and deploying meaningful interventions in Thar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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