Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari, on Friday visited a flood rehabilitation housing project in Shaheed Benazirabad district of Sindh accompanying a delegation of officials from the World Bank.

The WB officials included its managing director Anna Bejerde and country director Najy Benhassine. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also accompanied them as they visited the flood rehabilitation housing project in Nazar Muhammad Laghari village in Shaheed Benazirabad district.

This project, under the Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) programme, aims at rebuilding homes destroyed by the 2022 devastating floods, said a statement by the CM House.

During the visit, Aseefa and Bejerde distributed ownership rights certificates to women homeowners, and interacted with female members of the Village Reconstruction Committee, as the latter showcased their handicraft work. The committee was briefed that 32 homes were destroyed in the village and had now been rebuilt.

Bejerde reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting the Sindh government in flood recovery efforts, praising the resilience of the local people and the leadership’s dedication.

She emphasised that sustainable community-level rehabilitation is achievable despite climate change challenges.

Aseefa highlighted that granting women ownership rights under the SPHF project is a historic socio-economic empowerment initiative by the Sindh government, significantly benefitting rural women.

The Sindh chief minister noted that over 2.4 million homes were destroyed in the 2022 floods. He said the Bank initially provided $500m to kick start the recovery, later increasing funding by $450m over two years. Murad said this assistance helped construct 778,000 homes, and allocate $54.92m for water, sanitation, and hygiene, benefitting 66,691 families in 1,000 villages.

SPHF CEO Khalid Mahmood Sheikh informed them that 104,822 homes were destroyed in Shaheed Benazirabad; about 60,000 are under construction, while nearly 40,000 are completed.

He said across Sindh, over 111,000 disabled people are receiving accessible homes, and more than 800,000 women have opened bank accounts for the first time, thereby promoting financial inclusion. He elaborated that the programme provides safe shelter to over six million people and creates more than a million new jobs.

They later also visited the Basic Health Unit Jam Sahib in Shaheed Benazirabad.

Earlier this month, Aseefa distributed ownership documents of houses to flood-hit people in Mirza Farrukh Baig village of Daur taluka.

Accompanied by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, she visited the village and met womenfolk of the flood-hit families. She sat with some of the families in their newly-built houses and inquired about their problems.

Aseefa distributed ownership documents of the houses among female beneficiaries of the free residential project. The women apprised her of their issues which she assured that would be resolved.

“I have come here on behalf of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to give you the ownership documents … now you have your own roof with the ownership rights … I have fulfilled the promise made to you by my grandfather and former prime minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” she said.