HYDERABAD: A delegation of the European Union (EU) visited three villages of Jamshoro and Dadu districts on Thursday and Friday in connection with the ‘Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support (SUCCESS)’ programme for which they had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sindh government.

The EU would form a women’s organisation under SUCCESS in Sindh’s eight districts.

The EU would form women-specific organisations each at the mohalla level which would be called community organisation and the second tier would be formed at the village level while the third tier at the union council level, which would be called a local support organisation. This structure would be adopted at the taluka and district level as well to be called joint committee, to be headed by the assistant and deputy commissioners concerned at the taluka and district levels.

According to a press release issued on Friday by the Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), which is partnering with the EU and Sindh government, the EU is committed to play a role for reducing poverty and food insecurity in rural Sindh.

Mr Amaury Hoste, the team leader for rural development of the EU delegation, said the union was working with the Sindh government, TRDP and other partners for integrated rural development, nutrition, economic empowerment and land rights for alleviating poverty in rural Sindh through women.

He, along with Mr Georges Dehoux, development adviser of the EU delegation, Ms Genevieve Hussain, policy adviser of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), visited the villages of Khamiso Khan Khaskheli, Hari Camp, Thariri Jado Shaheed of Jamshoro and Dadu districts.

The delegation met representatives of community organisations of women formed by the TRDP. They said the EU had taken first step to build base in the shape of women community organisations. Once strong base was built, the EU would support with diversified inputs to reduce poverty.

The delegation said that there were 57 per cent poor households in those districts and appreciated passion, enthusiasm and willingness of rural women to escape poverty. It discussed root causes of rural poverty with communities and assured them that the EU was committed to work with them for reducing poverty, providing food security and nutrition; this would all be done by women and for women.

It urged the FAO to work in collaboration with the TRDP for nutrition and food security in rural Sindh. It said that there was need to build synergies between all poverty-reduction programmes, including the Benazir Income Support Programme for better results.

Allah Nawaz Samoon of the TRDP, FAO representatives, government officials, local elected representatives were also part of the visit and discussions with women community members.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017