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Social Development Program

Social Development Program's main emphasis is to promote long-term development and sustainability by encouraging communities to be self-reliant and to maximize their own resources. This ensures empowerment at the grass root level and involves the community as an important stakeholder. Currently, the program focuses on Education, Health & HIV/AIDS, Women Empowerment, Peace and Harmony and Human Rights.

Fostering AIDS Initiative that Heal – Project Faith

Pakistan is the second largest country in South Asia that stands only a few steps behind India and Nepal in terms of HIV epidemic regardless of many efforts, the HIV infection rate has increased significantly over the past few years. In fact, the country has moved from a low prevalence to concentrated epidemic with HIV prevalence of more than 5% among injecting drug users (IDUs) in at least eight major cities. Other most-at-risk groups (MARPs), such as male sex workers (MSWs), hijra sex workers (HSWs) and female sex workers (FSWs). Almost five million individuals are in direct sexual contact with these groups and are exposed to HIV infection through unprotected sexual activity.

There are a number of social and cultural values that have checked the initial pace of HIV epidemic in the country. However, on the other hand, factors like silence and denial can easily fuel the epidemic by limiting the scope of awareness programs and efforts to mobilize communities and resources. Similarly, stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) and marginalized populations and general community can be the most serious obstacle to an effective national response. The challenges that the religious leaders face throughout development of effective religious values and strategies to address stigma in the religious circles and in the community.

There is a need to develop values of love, compassion, care understanding and inclusiveness. Religious leaders need to talk more openly about HIV/AIDS and to support those who are infected with HIV. All interventions express a strong interest to be more involved and recognized the necessity. However, in order to perform as effective role models, they need to be given the right tools, such as information and training. They also need to be given the material and organizational support by the government as well as civil society organizations.

The project aims to involve religious leaders, theological seminary students of both gender from Christian, Hindu, Muslim & Sikh communities in the national response to reduce discrimination and stigma toward HIV-positive people and help them face the challenges of the epidemic courageously by providing information, skills and services necessary for HIV prevention and control among stakeholders.

The project will change the behavior of individuals, religious leaders, theological seminary students and community practices and ensure the basic human rights and improve access to HIV/AIDS related education, care and support to PLWHA and services reducing to stigma and discrimination.

Reducing Stigma & Discrimination about HIV/AIDS

Stigma often leads to discrimination and this often leads to human rights violations for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their families. They hinder prevention and care efforts by nourishing silence and denial about the disease as well as reinforcing the marginalization of PLWHA and those who are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. Since HIV/AIDS is linked to social taboos, such as sex, drug use and death, there are enormous levels of ignorance, fear and intolerance about the disease in most communities. And it is partly because of these fears and prejudices that people stigmatize and discriminate.

Discrimination occurs when people or institutions take, or omit to take action that treat a person unfairly and unjustly on the basis of their presumed or actual HIV/AIDS status. Some examples of discrimination include hospital or prison staff denying health services to a person living with HIV/AIDS; employers terminating a worker from his/her job on the grounds of his or her actual or presumed HIV status; or families/communities rejecting those living with, or believed to be living with HIV/AIDS. Such discriminatory acts, based on presumed or actual HIV status, are a violation of human rights

The project determined to improve the quality of life through reducing the stigma & discrimination and ensure a secure environment for all people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and enhanced access to information, skills and services necessary for HIV prevention and control among stake holders in Lahore. During the project different intervention e.g. media campaign, distribution of IEC material, establishment resource center, group discussions, cultural and art performances, training workshops and school based events were organized to reduce stigma and discrimination.

Lesson for Life Campaign

The world now has the largest population of adolescents in history, with 1.7 billion adolescents between the ages of 10-24 years (The World's Youth, 2000). There are nearly 30 million adolescents (23.3% of the total population) in Pakistan, with almost a quarter of these are between the ages of 10-19 (Durrant, 2000), over 50% of all new HIV infections occur in young people under 25 years of age.

Young people are a particular vulnerable group because of their age, and lack of knowledge, skills and access to health services, taboos on sexuality, sexual violence/exploitation, and the risks of exposure to sexually transmitted infections, Peer Pressure, Drug Use, and Lack of awareness about safe sex etc. According to Population Council of Pakistan young people, particularly girls, have poor access to information and services and they lack power within sexual relationships. Youth deserve special attention because they have the highest rate of new HIV infections. Young people face many special constraints in adopting safe sexual behavior.

Generally, the school going children at this stage where they start to be sexually active, eager for adventure, and under the influence of peer pressure, are more susceptible to be the victims given the proliferation of inducements catering to worldly pleasures and consumerism. Young people are prone to regard these as the "in-thing" to do. Sex, drugs, imitating movies, idols, playing rich and famous, as these condone irresponsible behavior leading to situations which render them vulnerable to HIV infection.

Lesson for Life Project is reducing HIV transmission and therefore prevent a generalize epidemic, and to enhance the quality of life of young people in schools. The project motivate young people to talk openly about sex, provide good-quality education on reproductive and sexual health, HIV/AIDS and life skills and train young people and teachers as Peer educators on the issues.

Participation of youth in all stages of project implementation, interactive activities and capacity building initiatives resulted in providing a sound friendly environment to the youth and they would have attained empowerment. The youth gained the knowledge and skills about HIV/AIDS and STIs and myths and misconception towards HIV/AIDS and STIs preventive measure get cleared. Regular mobilization and engagement will bring behavioral change.

NARI Empowerment Initiative

Women globally are most marginalized, if women are not educated or skilled, they will remain marginalized as per the case of women and girls in Pakistan. In slums of major cities, people have migrated from rural communities and are unskilled due to which they are unable to find jobs or have not other means of earning and ultimately women have to earn for their families. Majority of the women of the areas are working in the houses of rich people, factories and small units of industry etc. They are leading miserable lives as they have to earn for their families. They have double working load as they have to perform duties of child bearing, child rearing, earning, house maintenance, cleanliness and washing of the family. Besides this, they still do not have access to basic education, health facilities and mobility. Appropriate functional literacy programs, provide women with training that will help them to increase their income and meet their basic needs, and enable them to participate actively and fully in the cultural life of the community.

Education is one of the most critical areas of empowerment for women. The right to education is a basic human right enshrined in the convention on the rights of the child and also the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women. However, millions of women throughout the world never have a chance to learn to read, write and add numbers. The inferior position assigned to women jeopardizes not only their future status in society but also the future of society itself. A World Fertility Survey discovered 'Women's ability to read and write was more closely related than even their income to their fertility, use of contraception - and their children's health.' An educated woman is more likely to marry later in life and have fewer children. International research indicates that an extra year at school for girls reduces fertility rates by 5 to 10 per cent.

Working girls and women are marginalized and have no access to basic education and skills enhancement. They are unable to express their state as they do not have right to say, and also do not know where to approach for their rights. There is dire need to educate and enable them to read, write and enhance their skills to earn respectfully in the society. It will enable them to lead happy and prosperous lives. The following skills trainings are being provided at NARI Empowerment Center:

• Dress Making
• Beautician Training
• Community Midwifery Training
• Handicraft & Embroidery