NAWABSHAH: Anna Bejerde, Managing Director of the World Bank, has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting Sindh government’s flood recovery efforts, praised local peoples’ resilience and emphasised that sustainable community-level rehabilitation is achievable despite climate change challenges.

Ms Bejerde, accompanied by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho and WB Country Director Najy Benhassine, visited a flood rehabilitation housing project in Nazr Mohammad Laghari village, and a Basic Health Unit in Jam Sahib, Shaheed Benazirabad district on Friday.

During the visit of the village, Ms Bhutto-Zardari and Ms Bejerde distributed ownership rights certificates to women homeowners and met with female members of the Village Reconstruction Committee, who showcased their handicraft work.

The committee briefed them that 32 homes were destroyed in the village, all of which had now been rebuilt under the Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affected (SPHF) program.

Anna Bejerde, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari distribute ownership certificates to women in Nazr Mohammad Laghari village

Ms Bhutto-Zardari highlighted that granting women ownership rights under the SPHF project was a historic socio-economic empowerment initiative by the Sindh government that significantly benefited rural women.

The chief minister noted that over 2.4 million homes were destroyed in the 2022 floods. The WB initially provided $500 million to kickstart the recovery, later increasing funding by $450 million over two years. This support had helped construct 778,000 homes and allocate $54.92 million for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) benefiting 66,691 families in 1,000 villages, he said.

At BHU Jam Sahib, the chief minister and the WB team toured the BHU, where they engaged with health workers and patients to gain firsthand insight into the healthcare services being provided.

Minister of Health and CEO of PPHI, Javed Jagirani, briefed the delegation on the services of various departments within the BHU. The delegation conducted thorough assessment of the BHU’s infrastructure, including its eight-room building, and found it generally satisfactory.

Overall, the delegation was briefed on the quality of human resources and basic facilities, which they found to be of a good standard. The various departments of BHU were reported to have active and usable facilities, making the institution a reliable healthcare provider for the local community.

The chief minister praised the BHU, describing it as an excellent facility that provided quality health services to people of Shaheed Benazirabad.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2025