Progeamme Priorities

WASH remains a hallmark working theme of SABAWON since its inception. SABAWON formed partnership with UNICEF by initiating a WASH project in District Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan in January 2003. Since then, with technical and financial assistance of various donors, SABAWON diligently played its role to equip households, healthcare facilities, schools and communal places in poverty stricken areas of Pakistan with quality WASH services and facilities and ensured they have access to clean drinking water, safe sanitation facilities and improved hygiene services. SABAWON has been involved in the responses to all of the major disasters that have befallen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the last 11 years – the earthquake of 2005, the IDP displacement of 2009, the super-flood of 2010, and the displacements caused by Operation Zarb-e-Azb in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, during all these emergencies, SABAWON ensured the crisis affected communities are having access to safe drinking water, safe sanitation facilities and hygiene services. SABAWON played its role in strengthening WASH system by providing expert level opinions to the government from time to time, implemented WASH services delivery projects with sub district municipal service delivery organizations and allocated time and resources to bring quality improvement in water supply, sanitation and hygiene services at national, provincial, regional and local levels.

SABAWON signed a partnership agreement with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) Pakistan and initiated working on a food and nutrition security project in District Bannu and Tribal District North Waziristan in May 2017. The WHH plays a leadership role for increasing food and nutrition security within vulnerable communities by increasing their capacity to improve their food security and fight against huger in different countries of the world. SABAWON implements the “Counter effects of conflict and migration by strengthening socio-economic resilience of communities in district Bannu, (KPK) and returnees of North Waziristan Tribal District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.

Under the project, SABAWON has provided relief, recovery and development benefits to population out of reach of mainstream services, resources and policy making process including returnees of tribal districts and poor communities in other districts to strengthen their resilience and enabling them to participate in development process by focusing on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Emergency Food Security and Livelihood needs.

SABAWON has extensively worked on livelihood improvement projects in partnership with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), CARE International and WHH. The livelihood projects are focused on providing technical and vocational education to youngsters to improve their educational and livelihood status, through assets distributions among ultra poor and vulnerable communities, developing livelihood investment plans, providing trainings to farmers on agriculture management and skills, livestock management and skills and trainings on enterprises and business development.

In alignment with the 2020 WHO Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) and the 2020 UNICEF COVID-19-2019 Humanitarian Action for Children Appeal, SABAWON initiated humanitarian response to COVID 19 in high burden priority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The project focuses particularly on healthcare facilities and prioritized addressing critical issues relating to clinical waste in healthcare facilities through proper waste management practices, engagement with in risk communities to improve their knowhow on hygiene promotion, social and behavior change communication and engagement of local leaders.

UNICEF Regional office for South Asia (ROSA) IPC/WASH strategy focuses on accelerating the infection prevention and control program particularly in health care facilities (HFC) and schools for the safe return of students. In addition, UNICEF Pakistan has prioritized addressing critical issues relating to clinical waste in Healthcare facilities through proper waste management practices. Recognizing the specific impact on women, adolescents and children, the strategy includes engagement with women leaders and organizations to reach communities, and response across sectors. UNICEF in South Asia has stepped up its engagement in risk communication and community engagement relying on its know-how on hygiene promotion, social and behavior change communication and experience from polio and previous epidemics, and engagement of local leaders. The project also strengthens the status of health facilities and improved their services in provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and improves the Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) in high risk districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Swat, Malakand and Dir Upper & Dir Lower).

SABAWON strives to contribute in improving the status of health sector in Pakistan by taking different credible and rewarding initiatives from time to time. SABAWON was one among other 19 civil society organization who partnered with GAVI Alliance and UNICEF for implementing mother and child health improvement project in district Peshawar and Mardan with the support of GAVI CSO support unit Islamabad Pakistan. Under this initiative, SABAWON strived for capacity enhancement of the marginalized communities to collaborate with health sector service providers to effectively increase immunization and reduce morbidity and mortality rates among children and women in Pakistan. The efforts were concentrated in 06 Union Councils of District Mardan targeting 30,000 individuals and in 12 Union Councils of District Peshawar targeting 50,000 populations.

SABAWON implemented a gender responsive health service delivery improvement project in District Peshawar in partnership with Communication for Effective Social Services Delivery (CESSD). Citizen Engagement for Social Service Delivery, Phase III (CESSD III) was a capacity building project. The project goal was to improve the quality of basic health services in Peshawar, and increase access to and use of these services, particularly by girls and women. The expected outcomes are (i) enhanced involvement of citizens in health service delivery supported by the government, and (ii) strengthened and sustained mechanisms and environment for improved services, in health sector.

The project aims to improve health service delivery not by providing infrastructure and grants, but by mobilizing and strengthening local capacity to use local resources effectively. Under the technical guidance of CESSD, SABAWON facilitates dialogue and cooperation between communities and government officials at the local level. SABAWON work together through government mandated Primary Care Management Committees (PCMCs) for health clinics. Networking Committees are the apex bodies of the PCMC at union council, circle, Tehsil and district levels to work for the social services delivery issues collectively at different forums. Networking Committees also highlight the best practices and success stories of PCMCs on different platforms to mobilize resources and strengthen community participation in social services delivery.

SABAWON emphasizes on preventive health through integrating hygiene education components in its different development programs and emergency projects. SABAWON possess a remarkable record on promoting preventive health measures within the under resource and marginalized communities of far flung rural areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.

Since its inception, SABAWON strives to contribute in improving the status of education sector in Pakistan by taking different credible and rewarding initiatives from time to time. A brief description of SABAWON’s initiated education related projects has been given in the following lines;

Keeping in view, the poor malnutrition status, low educational levels of children, the Ministry of Women’s Development, Agha Khan University and Social Welfare Department Government of Pakistan launched Tawana Pakistan School Nutrition Package (September 2002 – June 2005) in under privileged 29 districts of Pakistan. SABAWON worked in six districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan (including Battagram, Kohistan, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Frontier regions including Kohat Bannu and D I Khan) on Tawana Pakistan project. The aim of the project was to improve nutritional status, school enrolment and retention of young female school students to reduce dropout rate of girls and gender gap and to create community awareness for better nutritional status. Tawana Pakistan was implemented from 2003 till 2005.

SABAWON emphasizes on preventive health through integrating hygiene education components in its different development programs and emergency projects and currently works in District Peshawar on achieving the same objectives. SABAWON implemented education Improvement Projects in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan and District Rajan Pur Punjab Pakistan from 2003 till 2004. In addition, SABAWON worked with National Education Foundation (NEF) on implementing Community Schools Rural Support Project in Khyber, Orakzai and Bajur tribal districts from September 2004 till August 2008. The project was implemented with financial support of Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD).

Under the education project in tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, the reasons for low enrolments of both males and females were analyzed. Participatory solutions were sought to the local education related issues with assistance of young folks of the community during surveys, meetings with communities, advocacy initiatives, meetings with relevant government line agencies, behavior change communications,, focus group discussions, seminars, workshops etc. In addition, Course books were distributed among children. Various trainings were arranged for teachers on introducing modern teaching methodology and utilizing the inherent abilities of students both males and females by providing theme an opportunity for personal development and the ability to positively contribute to their families and communities.

Provision of Small and medium scale Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) schemes are a significant component of poverty alleviation projects. Through the CPI schemes, SABAWON ensured access of poor communities to safe drinking water, clean energy and safe sanitation facilities in distant, extremely poor and vulnerable communities with financial and technical assistance of donor agencies like Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and others and with their assistance, SABAWON ensured accomplishment of various CPI schemes including Drinking Water Supply Schemes, Irrigation Schemes, Sanitation and Drainage Schemes, Road and Bridges and Flood Protection works in different geographic regions and areas. SABAWON also installed solar energy systems in selected villages of District Lakki Marwat which are not connected to the national electricity grid system.