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Years of cyclical drought have devastated 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 the remote areas of Tharparkar, Sindh. We have been addressing the complex challenges brought about by drought through a project that focuses on its effects on livelihoods, food supply, crops, livestock, hygiene, and security in a sustainable and robust manner.
In Tharparkar, 1.6 million people lack access to safe, clean water. Crops do not survive long enough to nourish families, livestock perish from malnourishment and disease, and women routinely trek four to six hours per day just to fetch water, often bringing small children along with them.
During our visit to the area with the Anzal Begum Foundation, we encountered the stark reality of 1.6 million people living without access to safe, clean water. In Tharparkar, crops fail to provide sustenance for families, livestock suffer and die from malnutrition and illness, and women spend hours each day fetching water, often accompanied by their young children.
These communities are so isolated that no other charity operates in the region where we are working, making our project life-changing for the villages we support and 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, ensuring the best chance of success and sustainability.
If we were to provide these villages with only livestock or training on kitchen gardening without a sustainable water source, the project would fail. Similarly, if we provided a solar-powered water well but did not train the community on drought mitigation or drought-resistant agriculture, the project would also not succeed.
By integrating all elements of this project in a holistic manner, we are not just alleviating the effects of drought today but equipping the community to cope with and adapt to drought for years to come.
What are the different interventions in each village?
After successfully piloting the transformation of one village in Tharparkar in 2021, which resulted in marked improvements in health, livelihoods, and nutrition, we are now replicating this success in other villages. To date, we have completed the transformation of 66 villages. We consult with local communities and organizations to select the villages where this project will have the greatest impact, working to provide innovative, life-changing solutions.
This is how your mercy lives on.
Tharparkar Projects:
In Tharparkar, we have successfully revitalized 66 villages overall, with 19 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 toolkits and seeds for kitchen gardening to 4,700 farmers. 264 stand posts (4 in each village) have been constructed to supply water to households at the nearest point. Additionally, our efforts included providing agricultural and livestock management training to 5,000 farmers in these 47 villages, as well as deworming and vaccinating the livestock in these communities. Furthermore, the tanks have a storage capacity of 10,000 gallons of water, and each tank can be filled within 45 minutes. The refilling of water tanks is based on need; generally, the tank is refilled 3 to 4 times a day in summer.
How do we ensure sustainability?
Every village we work in has a dedicated civil engineer on-site, ensuring that all construction, earthworks, and structures are safe, resilient, and built to last. Our civil engineers are supervised 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, utilizing long hours of sunlight to ensure continuous operation, combined with analyses of the groundwater to provide a plentiful supply for years to come.
We coordinate with government departments, such as agricultural and welfare agencies, to ensure our efforts align with local programs. The farmers we work with receive training in livestock management, empowering them to apply the changes we implement independently in the future.
In each village, we establish and train a local committee, equipping them with the skills needed to maintain the new facilities. All materials are locally sourced and easily replaceable. After project completion, we monitor and assess the progress of each community, allowing us to improve future initiatives and continue supporting the most vulnerable.
When you support this project with your generosity, you’re not just providing a well or vaccinations; you’re empowering an entire community with the resources, skills, training, and tools necessary to build a brighter future—one with abundant water, sustainable incomes, and improved health.
As one of the few charities working in Tharparkar, Human Appeal is proud to showcase the transformative power of your generosity. This transformation provides over 17,000 liters of fresh water every day from 41 solar-powered pumps and has resulted in the installation of 940 solar-powered street lights and the construction of 564 toilets to date. We are changing the lives of more than 60,000 people and counting, forever. This is how we maximize the impact of your generosity.
Snapshot of our impact so far …
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.
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.”
