ISLAMABAD: United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) on Wednesday launched a livelihood project aimed at providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for both Afghan refugees and Pakistani communities.

The livelihood project is estimated to be worth Rs320 million and, in addition to the 3,000 Pakistani households benefitting from PPAF’s regular livelihood programme, it will help another 3,000 households.

The programme will be mainly implemented in Mansehra and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaghi in Balochistan.

Under the project, the most vulnerable households will be provided with intensive coaching in the area of agriculture and entrepreneurship, various packages, including livestock, to support such initiatives as well as access to financial services.

Afghan refugees, Pakistani communities to be provided coaching in areas of agriculture, entrepreneurship

The UNHCR project is complementing government’s flagship ‘Ehsaas’ programme and benefiting the people targeted by the government for poverty alleviation and their economic development.

UNHCR representative in Pakistan Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, said that such projects will have a significant impact in the lives of vulnerable people living in extreme poverty.

She added that this initiative will help lift the Afghan refugee population and members of the host community out of poverty and provide them with sustainable livelihood.

“Once refugees have acquired a set of skills, they can work to build their self-reliance and be empowered. They will not only give back here but also play an important role in the economy when they return to Afghanistan,” she said.

PPAF Chief Executive Officer Qazi Azmat Isa said: “In order to graduate vulnerable households out of extreme poverty, sustainable livelihoods are essential. This will improve their overall capacity and enable them to become financially independent.”

The poverty graduation approach targets families living on less than $1.25 a day and with no access to basic services. It brings innovative and market-based methods together to help people become self-reliant by providing them with livelihood opportunities.

Last year, UNHCR and PPAF launched a pilot project worth $1.2 million in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pishin in Balochistan.

The project benefitted 2,000 households, of which 70pc were Afghan refugees and 30pc were Pakistani host communities.

PPAF’s poverty graduation approach merges elements of social mobilisation, livelihood development and financial inclusion, combining support for immediate needs with longer term support for the development of human capital and assets.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2020