Al Mehran Rural development organization

Water, Sanitation &Physical Infrastructure

There are strong links between WASH and the economic and social development of communities and nations. Poor hygiene, sanitation and water exacerbate poverty by reducing productivity and elevating health-care costs. Safe water sources near homes reduce the time-wasting drudgery of fetching water (a burden borne disproportionately by women and girls) and provide opportunities for poor families to engage in small-scale productive activities such as market gardening.

Armed conflict and natural disasters that prevent households from using safe drinking water and practicing hygiene especially impact on the most vulnerable, including women and children. Communities consistently cite reliable and accessible water sources for household use as a development priority and increasingly stress the importance of sanitation as well.

A clean living environment, including access to sanitary means for excreta disposal and adequate water supplies for washing, is linked not just to well-being but to the dignity of families and communities. AMRDO with the support of local government, RTI Misereor, Australian High Commission and TVO constructed 471 pit latrines, distributed 1975 medicated mosquito nets and distributed 2740 Health hygiene kits in the flood damaged villages of district Matiari and district Jacobabad. AMRDO with the support of RTI Misereor and TVO installed 549 hand pumps in the villages and small towns of respective districts to help rehabilitate and ensure the availability of safe drinking water to the communities.

*WASH*	*ACHIEVEMENTS*
Pit latrines	471
Mosquito nets	1975
Hygiene kits	2740
Hand pumps	549
Community health & hygiene sessions	1068
School health & hygiene sessions	219

During the flash floods emergency in district Matiari; AMRDO started spray for flood affected areas on 19th September 2011 in District Matiari as the area was severely surrounded by mosquitoes. Because of prevalence of heavy stagnant water around the affected villages in the area, AMRDO conducted spraying of mosquito repellent chemicals in the affected villages of UC Bhale Dino Kaka, Shahmeer Rahoo, and Zair Pir in Taluka Saeedabad. Some 120 such villages were sprayed by the AMRDO team and saved some 5000 families from the threat of Malaria & Dengue.

Drainage System:

The flood 2010 had a heavy affect over the physical infrastructure of all the districts that were directly hit by flood water, District Jaffarabad and Jacobabad remained the worst flood hit districts in the whole affected area. AMRDO while ascertaining the base line survey found strong need for repairing the drainage systems of the villages to restore their beauty and routine civic life. With the support of UNDP Pakistan (ODA JAPAN & USAID) AMRDO has constructed 14374 Rft sq meters drainage system in Taluka Garhi Khairo District Jacobabad Sindh and Taluka Osta Muhammad Jaffarabad Baluchistan.

*ENVIRONMENT*	*ACHIEVEMENTS*
Drainage	14374 Rft
Debris Cleaning	1,300 acres

Debris Cleaning:

After the heavy floods in 2010, the city of Ghari Khairo with the population of 40,000 human souls became a town with buildings turned in heavy debris thereby posing higher risks for human lives, When AMRDO initiated its activities, the local population strongly insisted for clearance of the debris from the town and its surroundings to save the local population from health and environmental hazards.

AMRDO attached extra ordinary importance to the clearance of debris as its first most important activity during the implementation of the project in Taluka Ghari Khairo, AMRDO engaged 178 working labor to clean the polluted area and bring it on the pre flood position at its best. AMRDO also utilized tractors and trolleys to clear the demolished debris from outside the town to the specific allocated place for debris shift. These gigantic and continuous efforts took more than two weeks to clear the area from heavy rubble and debris. After the clearance, the area turned into a much clear environment and became free from all health and environmental hazards.

Community Physical Infrastructure

The infrastructural issues are finding bid loop holes in our social structure dividing our masses into haves and have not’s from required shelters, roads, water supply and sanitation facilities. The AMRDO played a role of a change maker body by prioritizing the work for the backward masses in the context of their infrastructural needs such as providing them access to required shelters, roads, health care facilities, educational facilities, water supply and sanitation facilities AMRDO envisions providing following facilities from infrastructural point of view to play a vital role in speeding up holistic development of rural communities:

To rehabilitated by reconstructing the metalled link roads, big streets.
Construction of drainage systems in villages and slum areas of urban societies.
Providing safe drinking water through hand pumps and dug wells in the areas with water scarcity.
Construction of small bridges and culverts on need basis.
Facilitating masses on construction and renovation of buildings for community schools, community dispensaries.
Providing required assistance for the construction of low cost houses in the backward areas on need basis.

Al Mehran Rural Development Organization (AMRDO) in collaboration with UNDP Pakistan has implemented the restoration of basic community infrastructure, sources of livelihood and social protection in the flood hit areas of Taluka Garhi Khairo District Jacobabad and Tehsil Osta Muhammad Jaffarabad Baluchistan. Both areas were massively hit talukas/ tehsils of Sindh & Baluchistan which came under alarming situations during the floods 2010.

The Community infrastructure including houses, community centres, religious places, hospitals, communication facilities such as roads, streets, bridges, culverts, and other similar necessities were up rooted and damaged by the floods 2010. AMRDO with the support of UNDP Pakistan (ODA Japan & USAID) restored the basic community infrastructure, livelihood and social protection avenues to ensure sustainable infrastructural facilities and livelihood resources.

Following is the list of activities identified by AMRDO staff during the base line surveys and coordination with the local Taluka Administration and District Governments both in the Jacobabad & Jaffarabad districts.

*COMMUNITY BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE*	*ACHIEVEMENTS*
Foot Track	23 Km
CC Block	6000 Sqm
Link Road	s50.5 Km
Brick Payment	19000 Sq, m
Community Centers	15 nos.
Culverts	250 nos.
Bridges	68 nos.

Shelter & NFI distribution

AMRDO with the support of RTI, MRDF (Homeless International) & Misereor Germany provided 769 Low cost Shelters in the Kacha area of new Saeedabad, and Hala of district Matiari, Keeping in view after the flood people has lost their water recourses, 73 Hand pumps are also provided with shelter where needed than in the second phase 200 low cost shelters has been provided to flood affected people of District Matiari.
In district Mirpurkhas partnering with IOM-OIM AMRDO has distributed 1000 Roofing kits, 700 winter kits and more than 2688 NFI kits in Taluka Digri, Jhudoo, Mirpurkhas and Sindhri.

AMRDO with the support of IOM-OIM supported 4388 families with non food items; this support has proved to be a great source of relief to the most vulnerable people of Taluka Digri, Jhudoo and Sindhri district Mirpurkhas. After the heavy floods, people were at the mercy of weather shifted to temporary shelters with bamboos and plastic sheets AMRDO-IOM has provided them Blankets, Shawls, Solar Lights, Raised beddings, Mets, and kitchen sets, Quilts and Ropes. This support proved to be a remarkable shift to the affected communities to get back normal life. Though this support was not 100% but was enough for an emergency Relief.

*SHELETR & NFI*	*ACHIEVEMENTS*
Low Cost Shelters	769
Hand pumps with Shelter	73
Roofing Kits	1000
Winter Kits	700
NFI Kits	2688

Mission & Vision

AMRDO’s vision is Socio Economic Empowerment of poor communities through participatory development.

AMRDO endeavors for marginalized masses of Pakistan, to enhance empowerment through institutional development, Social and Financial services and other sectoral programs.

Geographical area of operation

The Organization’s over all focus has been on Sindh and Baluchistan provinces.

AMRDO has been unceasingly serving the rural backward communities in the districts of Matiari, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Umerkot, Jamshoro, & Tando Allahyar in Sindh and Jaffarabad in Balochistan.