LSO Convention 2008 starts at KIU, Gilgit
by Zulfiqar Ali Khan
Gilgit, August 26: The ”‘LSO Convention 2008’ organized by Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) has been started at Musharraf hall, Karakoram International University, Gilgit. The convention is scheduled from August 26-28, participated by delegates from different LSOs from Northern Areas and Chitral.
The main objective of this convention is to share experiences, lessons and ideas about strengthening the local support organizations (LSOs), and discuss and develop strategies and actions to institutionalize LSOs as localized democratic institutions of the people, by the people, and for the people.
AKRSP since 1982 has been fostering Village and Women Organizations (V/WOs) as informal institutional arrangements at village levels that served as receiving mechanisms for delivery of public services and creating human, social and material capitals through government, private and civil society support channels. These V/WOs promoted the values of self-reliance, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness using social mobilization, skill development, micro-infrastructure development and micro- savings/lending as key instruments. This approach has been widely replicated in Pakistan and globally.
For the last two years, in order to enable the V/WOs to professionalize their informal voluntary actions into a formal, professional organization and to strengthen and consolidate these basic social units of the civil society democratic initiative, AKRSP is supporting the V/WOs to form a second tier, formal, hybrid organizations known as Local Support Organization (LSO). So far around 38 such LSO are supported in the AKRSP Programme Area.
The Convention brings together delegates from all LSOs and LSO partners from the government, civil society and private sectors.
Further details are available at www.lsoconvention.org
AKRSP has totally changed our life.when it started working in Northern Areas since 1982 .before AKRSP we were unaware of every things specially in Agricultural sectors . and AKRSP has trained the peoples and provided new seeds and plants and the techniques of cutivativating these things,
if we look at the past we have more and more lands for cultivation and the production was not enough from them to satisfy our needs. .there were many causes for this but the utmost thing is of unaware of modern techniques and usage of old seeds.
But this is the blessing of our Imam that AKRSP has changed our life styles In every field of life. but it played a very good role in agricultural sectors. today every one tooks more and more production from their Lands.and potatoes become a main source of income .
AKRSP has also trained us of savings and has made different savings organizations at different villages for the males and females due to this many of the peoples becomed economically strong and poverty decreased down.and the literacy rate increased
but know AKRSP has joined different organizations together and trains them to stand on their own feet,to work without the support of other organization,
I Congergulate to all the employees and specially Mr Muzaffar u din RPM and MR Amin beg of arranging such programs,
Majeed ullah beg
KIU Gilgit
AKRSP is one of the great and well organized Organization in northern areas. due to AKRSP we have found many positive changes in our life. the LSO started by AKRSP had helped the far ruler areas and achieved great success. AKRSP has a huge contribution in out lifes success.
i congratulate the whole team fo AKRSP for aranging such a good event.
Muhammad Anwar
KIU Gilgit.
Dear PT readers,
One of our senior colleagues wrote in his resignation letter that “in AKRSP we are being paid for learning”.
According to one of our village activist and educationist “AKRSP is an informal university”
Well I would say AKRSP has brought unbeliable transformation in geographacially margnalized people’s lives.
Qayyum
Colombo
Dear Qayyum Bahi,
100% agreed with your nice comments, I am always thankful to AKRSP efforts for her contribution in rural development. We are witness to see the impact of AKRSP in poverty reduction through strengthening community institutions (V/WOs), skill enhancement of rural people and capital generation through savings.
I salute for the ideas generators and implementers of LSOs. The Idea of LSOs is wonderful for sustainable development of rural communities. However, as compared to V/WOs the LSO has been given a legal cover and it is strongly recommended and kindly requested to the government line departments to make strong partnerships with the said organizations. It could really make a difference, if the development funds planned and implemented through LSOs. Thus, through the participatory approach, we could be able to ensure good governance, democratic approach, and transparency in financial discipline to avoid from corruptions such as embezzlement, nepotism and favoritism.
As a social worker it is hope that with the help of committed workers and hard working professional we could be able to ensure sustainability and accountability in all walks of life, which is unfortunately lacking in our public and government systems.
I do hope that public representatives and government officials should respect LSOs as supporting hands instead of considering them as threats.
Sharif Khan
i love u kiu ………………………