End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
end hunger, achieve food
security and improved nutrition
and promote sustainable agriculture
As pilot projects, the Foundation is currently partnering with some of the best organizations available including Karachi University; Pakistan Agricultural Research Centre (PARC); Xinjiang University in China & Tando Jam University. The Foundation is working in close collaboration with the local farmers to help develop their capacity to farm using saline water.
bio-saline
pilot project
The Thar Foundation has also conducted projects with local communities, which has yielded highly promising results. The initiative ensures that the occurrence of drought will not affect agriculture in the region or yearly incomes. A pilot Project initiated in Nov 2016 and different species like Guar (Cluster Beans), Bajra (Millet), Fruit of Gidro (Melon) and Moong (Lentil) Pea have been successfully grown. Seeing positive results, Project was expanded to larger scale with addition of sunflower, moong, Toriyo, Janmho, lady fingers and other crops. Thar Foundation has joined hands with Pakistan Agriculture Research Centre (PARC) to conduct further research and mainstreaming of bio-saline agriculture in Thar. Deliberations underway under as “Cooperative Farming Model” with Agriculture Department and Livestock and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh, and other donor agencies to scale up the pilot with proactive involvement of local communities.
fish-farming – aqua-culture
in the heart of the desert
Followed by the successful Bio-saline agriculture at Thar Block II, the Thar Foundation has initiated breeding fish in the man-made Gorano Reservoir, where brackish and saline ground water extracted from the depth of 180 m, containing 5000 ppm is stored.
About 7 species of fish including Morakhi (Mrigal Carp), Rohu (Labea Rohita), Theli, Kuriro, Gulfam, African Catfish, and Dangri (Barramundi) are being raised in the project. Around 100,000 small fishes of these species were released, as seeds, at the outset of the project which have now been grown into fully mature fish. The fish raised at Gorano are purely organic with no artificial chemical used at any point of breeding and has been declared fit for human consumption by medical laboratories. The extension plan has already been launched under “Desert Fisheries Initiative” in collaboration with Livestock and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh where 200,000 seeds have been released in May 2019. In the first year, 12,000 KGs of fish catch was cultivated. The fish catch is distributed to local villages free of cost every year. The fish farmed at the reservoir will be used as a source of livelihood as well as nutrition for the local population specially the students of Thar Foundation schools.
bashir ansari
green park
Thar foundation has built the Bashir Ansari Green Park, the first park in the region, to promote recreational activities for children and adults alike on 65 acres area. More than 80,000 saplings are planted till date and every day it is increasing. Domesticated Birds Conservation is also being done at the park with species like ducks, deers, peacocks etc. A mini zoo is also developed inside the park for visitors and kids. A very purpose-oriented Kids Playing area is developed with a variety of kids swings.
The park is being converted into a public-recreation place. Motorized Merry Go Round has also been installed and mini food street is in progress. Play area for families has been developed, which is being visited by many local people and visitors.
end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
health for all,
a humanitarian imperative
Tharparkar district in Sindh is ranked as one of the lowest in the country with regards to health indicators. It continues to make headlines for the high number of maternal and child deaths due to malnutrition and poor health care. Lack of health education and the practice of early marriages lead to girls giving birth starting as early as age 12. The current Maternal Mortality Rate is as high as 297/100,000 live births while the Infant Mortality Rate is as high as 87/1000 live births.
Malnutrition and stunted growth are by products of poverty, negligence and lack of awareness in terms of community healthcare. In addition, due to its desert environment, Thar is frequently in danger of a drought.
For the sustainable development of Thar, the Foundation’s goal in collaboration with the Government of Sindh, is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people of all ages. It aims at improving health indicators in the desolate Thar region with long term sustainable interventions. In order to do this, Thar Foundation’s main partner in implementing its health programs is The Indus Hospital, Karachi.
In underdeveloped and remote regions like Thar, great determination, passion and resolve is needed to bring about improvements. The Thar Foundation and Indus Hospital are working tirelessly to bring much needed change for the people of Thar and their better health. Thar Foundation aims to make Islamkot a model Tehsil for health conditions and facilities in Sindh – a model that can be followed by others.
marvi clinic
Two basic OPD facilities for mothers and children has been in operation which has improved the lives of thousands of Thari women and children. The Marvi Mother and Child Clinic was started in 2015 at Thar Coal Block II, followed by Gorano Mother and Child Clinic started its services in 2018. Clinic operations are managed by The Indus Hospital through the Indus Hospital Network and are focused on providing primary health care.
Clinics under this flagship program are established considering different aspects so that best part of the surrounding communities could benefit from the free medical services. It is constructed near the vicinity of project interventions at a point where it could cover a radius of 20-30kilometers. Thar Foundation has worked with its implementation partner the Indus Hospital Network to ensure presence of female doctors across all its medical interventions in the community. Moreover, the clinics also provide free of cost EPI facilities, laboratory tests and numerous outreach programs aimed at providing access to better healthcare. Some of these programs include free vaccination, cardiac health camps, pediatric consultation camps, awareness sessions of preventive healthcare and disorders amongst others. As part of our outreach efforts all residents of Thar Block II have been screened for diseases such as TB, Hepatitis B and C with diagnostic treatment under way for patients tested positive for the said disease. Currently the Marvi Clinic is operational at two sites – the Thar Block II and Gorano with almost 130 OPD patients at each clinic with a total coverage of approximately 50-60 kms.
Understanding the importance of community health, the clinic also has a specialized outreach team. This disseminates health awareness as well as holds specialized sessions on seasonal and preventive healthcare.
thar foundation
hospital, islamkot
As a longer-term goal towards contributing to SDGs, Thar Foundation has launched its OPD services at Thar Foundation Hospital Islamkot. The services are part of the phased wise construction for operation of 250-bed hospital in Islamkot town – the main hub of commercial activity and central location in Thar. OPD of the hospital has already been started from July 2019. In 2021, Accidents & Emergency and Gynae & Ops will sections are expected to become functional.
The hospital will be a collaborative project between The Indus Hospital and Thar Foundation.
The hospital facility will:
- Focus on Mother and Child Health Care and other medical facilities relevant to the needs of the area.
- Be linked with Indus Hospital at Badin and Karachi for emergency and advanced treatments ensuring a swift referral system.
- Be constructed and functional, in stages, by end of 2020
- Be actively seeking funding partners and donors
- Launch its first phase of 82-bed hospital by the end of 2018
To fulfill our promise of a better healthcare provision for all Tharis, the Thar Foundation Hospital will strive to be the most efficient and affordable tertiary care hospital across Thar.
mobile clinics and
auxiliary programs
The Thar Desert’s vast terrain is sparsely populated, and clinics are only accessible to a few. In order to ensure that medical care is provided to all, Thar Foundation is developing mobile clinics. Each is to be fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a dedicated team. This will ensure penetration in even the remotest communities, without having to invest in infrastructure and clinic development. Thar Foundation’s first mobile clinic has started its operations in 2020 in Islamkot Taluka and providing free of cost medical services including the medicines.
screening and
vaccination
Thar Foundation has joined hands with reputable partners like The Health Foundation, Indus Hospital and other in development and implementation of programs for chronic disease-free community Hepatitis-Free Community. Over 15000 screening and vaccination of Hepatitis, 5000+ screening for TB and more than 3000 people screened for eye. 100+ patients have undergone surgery. It has targeted to make Block-02 Hepatitis and TB Free area by the year 2021.
thar tele-help counselling
services on mental health
With an aim to prevent growing trend of suicides in the District of Tharparkar, Thar Foundation is supporting various government agencies by providing proactive counselling/treatment services to the identified patients through a virtual platform.
Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA), Thar Foundation, Health Department, Govt of Sindh, Sir Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Hyderabad (SCIPBS) and Liaquat University of Medical & Health Licenses (LUMHS) and District Administration have partnered and aimed at providing free of cost psychiatric/counselling/treatment services, follow up, free medicines to identified patients under a one-year pilot project. Thar Foundation will contribute by setting up a remote counselling tele-health services in local language, a mobile app for monitoring and reporting of vulnerable cases and other logistical support to SMHA and other contributing agencies.
SMHA will act as coordinating and lynchpin partner in the achievement of the aims of the project and establish Thar tele health services connecting talukas of Thar with Mithi as hub supported by SCIPBS which will provide technical support, expertise from counselling to evaluation and management of the vulnerable cases, training of counselling and predisposing mental health illness management to service providers an institutional care to the chronic and needy cases.
The District Administration will also play a major role to provide support and help in baseline data collection and emergency rescue support, whenever needed. Health Department will provide its infrastructure and community health workforce for training and counselling services and provision of medicines and supplies to the vulnerable patients.
The Thar Tele-Help Counselling Services was launched in January 2021 and will connect mental health patients with health practitioners at various levels through a network of lady health workers working across Tharparkar villages.
covid-19 related
support in thar
At the request of District Administration Tharparkar, Thar Foundation had handed over its OPD Hospital in Islamkot to establish an Isolation Center for potential COVID-19 patients. TF also provided all the available medical supplies and utilities for operating the facility.
Thar Foundation’s human resource was deputed in Islamkot to assist and coordinate with district administration in its fight against spread of COVID-19. Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company had also dedicated logistical support to the district administration during the current lock down period. Community Awareness sessions were organized in the surrounding areas on the prevention of Corona outbreak while ensuring social distancing and keeping our employees safe. Thar Foundation also provided transport support to the community individuals who are coming from Karachi and other area for screening at its Marvi Clinic. Thar Foundation has also published Corona awareness material and distributed in surrounding communities.
Thar Foundation distributed ration package to 2730 families in Islamkot taluka after conducting a scientific and consultative field survey. The quantity of ration was sufficient to cover basic needs of a family for 6-8 weeks.
Moreover, SECMC, EPTL and all contractors working in Thar Block II were ensured continuity of jobs of 3000 unskilled and skilled labour force belong to the local area so that they should not get negatively impacted due to the lockdown. All the labour force were trained to take preventive measures from COVID-19.
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote lifelong
learning opportunities
for all.
prioritizing education,
inspiring change
The region of Tharparkar has long been educationally deprived of quality educational systems since schools are few and enrollment very low. Even in comparison with the rates in other parts of the province of Sindh, students here drop out more frequently to contribute to the limited family incomes. Consequently, the literacy rates are one of the lowest in the province.
Tharparkar is ranked 109th out of 114th reported districts in Pakistan on Human Development Index. When Thar Foundation began its journey in the year 2015, only 3.5% girls and 22.7% boys over the age of 25 had secondary education.The adult literacy rate among girls under the age of 15 was as low as 16.8% and 52.2% for boys. The number of years spent in school was 7 months for girls & 3.8 years for boys, on average. Whereas, only 19% of the girls & 47% of the boys got the chance to complete their primary education. Thar Foundation, in collaboration with Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), is working to make Islamkot the first SDG-Compliant Tehsil in Pakistan. Since education is essential for the successful implementation of all of the 17 goals, therefore, Thar Foundation has made education one of its priority goals.
Today, in Islamkot alone, Thar Foundation – in collaboration with its partners – is operating 27 school units with over 3500 students enrolled & a student to teacher ratio of 1:30. Thar Foundation has signed various MoUs with private sector institutions to provide vocational training and scholarships for higher learning to both men and women of Tharparkar and Sindh. Our achievements give us the strength to pursue our dream of a progressive Thar and with the help of education, by the year 2030 Thar will become the first SDG-Complaint Tehsil in Pakistan.
In order to combat this pattern, SDG4 ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and access to a functional schooling experience for local children and youth - promoting lifelong opportunities for all. The Thar Foundation is establishing a network of schools in the main towns of Thar and around Islamkot, which will focus on providing affordable, quality primary and secondary education.
5000
students capacity
27
school units
03
aduit literacy centres
To this effect, the Thar Foundation has partnered with one of the leading education sector NGOs - The Citizens Foundation (TCF) – a leading organization working in the education sector which has established over 1,500 schools across Pakistan with a focus on providing quality, low cost education to the underprivileged. Together with TCF, Thar Foundation has demonstrated a keen resolve to improve the educational statistics of the region by establishing a network of purpose-built primary and secondary school units which run on solar energy.
Going forward, the Thar Foundation plans to adopt and operate all government schools in Islamkot. At this stage Thar Foundation has setup 24 school units in Block-02, Islamkot and Mithi, having capacity of 5,000 students. Three big campuses are being managed by TCF, a renowned educations sector charity. These campuses consist of three primary and two secondary school units and has the capacity to accommodate 1,000 students each.
Thar Foundation launches the
3 language program
In early 2020, both TCF and the Thar Foundation schools implemented this research-based MTB MLE model in more than 21 classrooms in Tharparkar, starting with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Students in these classrooms will transition through fluency in three or four languages over the course of their education — from diverse mother tongue languages (Dhatki and Sindhi) to the regional language Sindhi, then the national language Urdu, and then to an international language English. The higher education in Pakistan is offered in English, making learning English a necessity.
To nurture the Thari youth to become empowered professionals, Thar Foundation is also working to establish avenues of higher learning for the youth in Thar. In collaboration with the Higher Education Commission, Thar Foundation aims to establish a world-class campus of NED University at Islamkot. NED has started its interim campus in Mithi, which later will be converted into full campus at Islamkot. Development has already begun for this initiative. Moreover, the Thar Foundation has partnered with institutes like the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) to provide various higher education opportunities for the Thari youth.
Thar Foundation provides several merit-based scholarships to the Thari students of engineering, medical and other universities students. The Foundation has also collaborated with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to set up three adult literacy centers for those individuals that couldn’t continue with their education for any legitimate reason. Free basic IT courses and Scholarship programs for continuing the higher secondary school are also being offered to the eligible population of Block-02 and Gorano areas.
The Foundation also focuses on teacher training and to date around 800 training hours have been spent on training the teachers of Thar Foundation schools.
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls
A measure of a truly evolved society is the role and status of its women. The Thar Foundation aims to empower Thari women and reduce gender disparities by providing them with the necessary skills to enhance their employability, and also to provide them jobs through the project and the Foundation-led initiatives.
women dump-truck
driving program
Currently, in a revolutionary step in this remote region, where females do not even know how to drive, the Thar Foundation is providing training for dump truck driving to more than 50 Thari women. 20 of them have successfully completed their training and they are now recruited as regular drivers in the company to transport coal. A true trend-setter for socio economic empowerment of local women and inspired by the success of the pilot program, the project is currently working to commence its second batch of trainees.
women ro plant operators
Following a successful program of women dump truck drivers, Thar Foundation took a new and novel initiative of training and employing Thari women to operate and maintain its RO plants. Thari women once again accepted the challenge and demonstrated their abilities. After a rigorous process of training, Thar Foundation has trained 18 local women in operation and maintenance of RO plants. As of now 10 of them have been employed at our RO plants in Block-2 area. Thar Foundation has installed 18 RO plants including 10 handed over by the Govt of Sindh. These RO plants are providing WHO standard drinking water free of cost to a population of more than 30,000. We are proud that our RO plants are being operated and maintained by able and committed Thari women and our commitment to empower Thari women to continue.
khushhal nari program
Females are also being trained regularly in tailoring and embroidery through the Khushaal Naari program. These trained girls connected to Thar foundation schools for stitching of 10,000 school uniforms yearly. 20 trained women are earning up to 20,000 rupees on every order of uniform stitching. Similarly, after a professional training to cook commercial food, a group of local women have been awarded a contract to provide food to 50 customers on daily basis, which is being scaled up in a phased manner. After success of this project, this model shall be replicated to more women groups.
kaargah
The idea behind establishing Kaargah is to empower women through marketing their handmade products and support them by enhancing their capacity in handicrafts business by eliminating middle men influence. Keeping in view, the Thar Foundation has started to purchase handicrafts directly from working women at reasonable rate and to sell it at the Kaargah Shop and Hunar Gift Shop in Thar Block II. The project has also inked an agreement with Daraz Pakistan to ensure online sales of the Thar handicrafts. Since the Foundation has eliminated the middleman factor by directly placing orders with these artisans, these men and women – young and old – have started earning considerable amount and making their families prosper through increased socio-economic opportunities now available to them.
female solar panel operators hired in Thar Block II
In continuation of our efforts to promote gender diversity in Thar, we've reached another milestone by hiring 5 females as maintenance operators at the 5MW Reon solar plant at SECMC site, Thar. These women have been recruited after an extensive training and following our breakthrough projects of female dump truck drivers and RO operators, this is our latest contribution towards bringing economic prosperity by forwarding gender empowerment in Thar.
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
ensure availability and
sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all
Tharparkar ranks the lowest in terms of drinking water and sanitation access amongst all the districts in Sindh. Although there is prevalence of underground water, it is found at a great depth and it is not easy or affordable to construct wells to extract water for drinking purpose or everyday use. This causes great hardship and health challenges for the local population; therefore, the Thar Foundation aims to provide safe drinking water to the residents of Islamkot.
reverse osmosis plants
Thar Foundation set up around 17 reverse osmosis plants spread across Thar Block II and adjoining areas, out of which 8 are directly managed by the Foundation and rest are looked after by Government of Sindh. The combined installed capacity of the RO Plants is 331300 GPD and the average water provision to the communities is approximately 950,000 Litres per month, reaching out to and benefitting over 18,000 individuals in households and families across our areas of influence. To date, these RO Plans have cumulatively produced 15 Mn Liters of WHO Compliant Drinking Water.
Moreover, in order to ensure that our communities have access to clean drinking water – especially the young children who are susceptible to various water-borne diseases – the Thar Foundation provides clean drinking water to all students in Thar Foundation supported schools reaching out to approximately 5,000 students.
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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
promote sustained, inclusive
and sustainable economic growth
Human resource development by the Thar Foundation is an essential component of sustainable growth. According to the SDG framework, the Foundation’s aim is to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Inspired by our aim to promote sustainable livelihoods, Thar Foundation has instituted some of the following programs:
vocational skilled
trainings
Vocational -Skilled Trainings was most challenging to manage. Due to the lack of industry and commercial opportunities in Thar, the main challenge was to find skilled manpower for both the mining and power plant. To ensure that the Project would empower & economically benefit locals, Thar Foundation collaborated with following technical training institutes and others to provide onsite and offsite specialized vocational training:
- Descon Training Institute (DTi)
- National Logistics Cell (NLC)
- Sindh Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA)
- AmanTech
- Hunar Foundation
- Saylani Welfare Trust- IT programs
khushaal thar
In order to concentrate efforts for providing livelihood opportunities to the local population, the Foundation established the ‘Khushaal Thar’, a centralized facility which registers local Tharis for training and employment through a database was established. The centralized database is linked both to the project for industrial human resource requirements and to the community. Once entered into the database, the individual is trained and then presented for evaluation to be employed. Most of the skilled human resource working on the mining and power project are from Block 2, and the communities around the project. More than 1600 Thari youth have been trained for Scaffolding, masonry, Steel fixing, Pipe fitting and driving.
Considering that the burgeoning industry in the district of Tharparkar cannot accommodate even 10% of the total Thar population, the Thar Foundation has started different skills development programs with regards to engineering and technology – Thar Information Technology Program is one such program which aims at equipping the Thari Youth with the skills required of the modern age.
The Foundation in partnership with the Saylani Welfare International Technology (SWIT) aims at training selected young Tharis in the field of Information Technology to become professional web and app development through a 1-year program for 25 local students covering different modules on Basic IT training, English language, web and Android app development. The personality grooming will be an essential part of the entire program. The Thar Foundation aims to establish a community college to develop Thari Talent pipeline by 2024.
The Thar Foundation in collaboration with the Technical Training College Daharki has started 3-year DAE programs for young Thari students in order to prepare them for potential technical employment opportunities at industrial plants. Thari applicants applied for this 100% scholarship program and, after carrying out the required verification, 619 candidates qualified for the test.
The Thar Foundation is also training 170 young Thari as Diploma Engineers under the Thar Associate Engineering Program (TAEP) on 100% scholarship basis for the final selection, considering different standards of the Thar Foundation and TTC Daharki, 30 candidates were finalized after interviews, medical tests, documents verification and other necessary formalities. They are receiving training at Engro Daharki Technical College, while 140 are admitted to Technical Training College Mithi under Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training (STEVTA) through a transparent selection process. These students are competing with the other students of the College and the records show that they outshine their peers.
One of its kind, the Thar Trainee Engineers (TTE) Program depicts the Thar Foundation’s commitment towards developing and mainstreaming local Thari talent. Through this program, the Foundation has tried to bring the young Thari engineers up to par with tier I university graduates and enhance their market acceptability and employability.
As part of the program, 25 young Thari Trainee Engineers were identified though a transparent and competitive process, after which they underwent a yearlong training program at our site, through several partnering organizations such as IBA Karachi and Carnelian Institute. This is a rigorous process divided into 4 stages: Functional Projects, Quarterly Evaluation, Mentorships and Placements. selected 73 young engineers have been trained in the 6-month O&M Training in China on modules involving theory, simulation, and on-site training. They will now serve as engineers at EPTL’s 660MW Power Plant in Thar Coal Block-II.
khushaal nari
With an aim to empower women of the area, the Thar Foundation has initiated a dedicated project, Khushaal Nari, which trains and supports women of the area to become entrepreneurs and market their products. In its first phase, the Foundation has successfully turned 20 individuals into trained vendors who are now our proud entrepreneurs.
As a first, the Thar Foundation awarded contracts of worth Rs2.1million to these women entrepreneurs to stich student uniforms for the TF Primary Schools – they successfully delivered the first consignment in time.
Furthermore, in order to meet demands of the potential future industrial ventures in the area, the Foundation is training the women entrepreneurs to be able to take up industry-level orders in bulk.
micro enterprise-
businesses to locals
On the entrepreneurial front, Thar Foundation is providing grants to locals for establishing their own small to medium enterprise. We have also developed local vendors and are working on awarding maximum orders to locals to build their entrepreneurial skill set and facilitate them to benefit from new business opportunities unfolding in Thar.
Under local vendor development program, Thar Foundation has capicitated and registered more than 100 local vendors. Over the past three years, Thar vendors have been given business of more than 2.5 billion rupees.
In addition to that more than 50 locals have been allowed to operate small businesses within the boundary of our area of operation. These are mostly dhabaas and small shops.
scholarships for
higher education in china
Engro in collaboration with Chinese universities has sponsored (partially/fully) 22 students for higher education in China. These students are enrolled in 2-3 years Master’s degree program in various disciplines of Engineering and Business Management. 16 students are from Tharparkar district, 5 from Sukkur and one from Quetta.
government polytechnical
college mithi
In partnership with Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Institute (STEVTA), SECMC has adopted Government Poly-technical College Mithi. Each year scholarships are being are being provided to 140 students of Machinal and Electrical Depts for three years Diploma in Associate Engineering. Laboratories are being equipped, curriculum is being updated and Instructors are being trained. Second batch of sponsored students is currently studying in the institute.
skills training for entrepreneurship
and paid employment [STEP] in Thar
Thar Foundation in collaboration with Engro Foundation sets up a workplace-based training program for 425 individuals of Tharparker out of which 175 are females and 250 are male. The project is 80% funded by GIZ and 20% by Thar Foundation and Engro Foundation.
The main objectives of the program are:
- To enhance access to quality skills development that meets the demands of the labor market
- Strengthen engagement of ndustry /enterprises and business for employment of 75% of graduate trainees
- To encourage competency-based training and assessment implementation in-line with Sindh sector study
The Program is in-line with Pakistan’s National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF). All the trainees will be assessed / tested by a relevant Qualification Awarding Body (QAB). The program includes 05 Month Class based and 01 Month On-Job- Training /Internship at relevant private sector organization. All the participants will get 02 weeks training on Entrepreneurships and micro/small organization development.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
build resilient infrastructure,
promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation
Resettlement: Thar Foundation is cognizant of its role to develop Tharparkar into cities of tomorrow. This starts at the micro level from the various villages that formulate the tapestry of Thar. Thar Foundation together with some of the leading urban planners has developed the resettlement framework for the village of Senhri Dars. The new housing community features access to all basic and modern amenities of life and will be a stepping stone in improving the quality of life for the residents of this model village who will have access to the following facilities:
- Schools
- Hospitals & Clinics
- Reverse Osmosis plants
- Parks
- Waste Management system
- and Community Centers
The Resettlement Framework has been critically designed keeping in mind the natural ecosystem, social fabric, lifestyle and traditions of the Thari people.
islamkot master plan
Moreover, to achieve the goal of sustainable cities and communities, the Thar Foundation aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In collaboration with Sindh Government’s Directorate of Urban Policy & Strategic Planning, the Thar Foundation is facilitating a Master Plan for Islamkot Town to ensure that Islamkot becomes an SDG compliant tehsil in all respects. The master plan of the town will:
- Optimize future industrial growth
- Plan residential and commercial areas
- Guide urban, economic and infrastructure development
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Thar Foundation and its associated companies believe in the agenda of good growth and, therefore, works towards creating inclusive development and growth opportunities for the communities that host us. To date through its industrial associations, the Thar Foundation has developed over 100 vendors in and around Islamkot by providing and creating various small-to-medium enterprise opportunities. These vendors are provided with business support; increased project experience to develop their capacity; mentoring to enhance their quality of service; and provision of economic opportunities to create a sustained stream of income.
Together with long term sustainable plans to ensure improvement of social and cultural conditions in Thar, it is important to understand that there are many natural and man-made disasters that the area is prone to. These include earthquakes, fires, drought conditions and famine etc. For this reason, a Disaster Management Cell has been formed under the ambit of the Foundation.
This cell has worked on the rehabilitation of various villages such as Odhani, Vakrio & Bhando Sado amongst others to rebuild new homes and restore their livelihoods following the aftermath of the deadly fire incidents in these villages.
To combat such disasters, the Thar Foundation has established fully-equipped emergency response and rescue teams, thus enabling Thari communities to mitigate and manage disasters as the Foundation continues its work on relief, rescue and rehabilitation in the region – truly rising to the occasion as first responders in Tharparkar.
master plan
for islamkot town
In collaboration with Sindh Government’s Directorate of Urban Policy & Strategic Planning, the Thar Foundation is facilitating development of a Master Plan for Islamkot Town to:
- Optimize future industrial growth
- Plan of residential and commercial areas
- Guide urban, economic and infrastructure development
Policy Board of Urban Planning Unit has approved the Master Plan in Dec 2019.
infrastructure development-
resettlement village
The Thar Foundation also plan infrastructure development in the region. As a first step, the plan is to relocate two villages as part of the mining project requirements under the supervision of the Foundation. Both international and national laws and guidelines on involuntary resettlement have been complied with and a comprehensive plan developed to ensure community led ownership.
In the first phase, the entire population of the village has been relocated. 172 households of village Senhri Dars have involuntarily relocated to the new village. It was done through a participatory approach, including both males and females of the community.
The design and construction process for Phase I (Village Sehnri Dars) has been carried out by renowned housing & town planning experts who will ensure state-of-the-art structures, enhancing the quality of life without compromising the natural ecosystem, social fabric, lifestyle and traditions of the Thari people.
These new facilities not only provide houses but also numerous common facilities such as:
- School
- Clinic
- Reverse Osmosis plants
- Water Supply System and Solarized Wells
- Park
- Waste Management system
- Men and Women Community Centres
- Market
- Streetlights
- Single Unit Solar System
The aim is to create one of the most inclusive and eco-friendly communities, sensitive to culture yet creating a state-of-the-art resettlement village that can serve as a model.
Village
Improvement
Program
Under its initiative to harness the true power of building communities are sustainable, Thar Foundation has also commenced the Village Improvement Program (VIP).
Under this project, Thar Foundation aims to deploy infrastructural improvements to existing villages in terms of providing access to basic amenities and hence improve the quality of life for thousands of people living in these spaces. The VIP aims to provide communities with solar power to increase their access to energy/electricity; establish pit latrines; make street pavements; provide public amenities and drainage & sanitation facilities.
Gorano Bagh is another such initiative created at the Gorano reservoir which hosts an artificial pond with over 100,000 fish species; dedicated play area for children; and Thar’s largest water fountain. In order to promote eco-cultural tourism in Tharparkar, the Thar Foundation has also signed an agreement with Hashoo Foundation which will work towards creating tourist spots in Thar.
bashir ansari park and
gorano bagh
In addition, Thar Foundation believes in creating modern spaces within the infrastructure set up of Tharparkar so the communities can benefit from access to these shared spaces. To this effect, the Foundation has constructed the Bashir Ansari Green Park – a modern recreational park providing communities with a green space to spend time. The Bashir Ansari Green Park has play ground and recreational rides for children with a functional zoo as well.
cultural promotion,
heritage preservation
Thar Foundation has developed a coffee-table book on Thar with the support of Endowment Fund Trust. This includes never-seen-before photographs from as far back as 30 years, selected verses translated by Elsa Kazi and text written by experts on culture and history – undoubtedly one of the finest works on Thar.
thar fodder
distribution project
To mitigate drought conditions of the region, Thar Foundation team undertook a challenging work to ensure timely distribution of fodder in four Union Councils of Taulkas of district Tharparkar. Livestock and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh (GoS) entrusted a task to Thar Foundation and signed an MoU under Thar Fodder Distribution Project (TFDP). To support heard-owner poor households in Taulka of Islamkot, Thar Foundation has successfully completed TFDP with the support of Livestock & Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh. A total of 21,100 households were benefitted from TFDP in 6 Union Councils of district Tharparkar well above the target of covering 4 Union Councils. Beneficiaries were selected through a scientific survey under a fix criterion and distributed 75Kg of nutritious Vanda fodder so that their animals produce healthy meat and milk.
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Take urgent action to combat climate
change and its
impacts.
take urgent action to combat
climate change and its impacts
As the world’s 9th largest subtropical desert, Thar remains dry for much of the year with a high propensity for wind erosion. High velocity winds blow soil from the desert, depositing some on neighboring fertile lands, and causing shifting sand dunes within the desert. While classified as a ‘green desert’, Thar for most part remains an arid region – but Thar Foundation together with its partners is all set to change the parched, desert landscape of Thar; and to this effect has commenced the ‘Thar Million Tree’ project.”
thar million tree program
In 2017, SECMC initiated a way to combat desertification and deforestation faced in the region of Tharparkar in alignment with sustainable development goals SDG 13 and SDG 15 by developing Sindh’s largest private sector nursery having a capacity of 0.5 Million Saplings by the first quarter of 2018. The ‘Thar Million Tree Nursery’ used the Miyawaki technique of plantation on 100 acres at Thar Block-2 Site, where a dense forest was grown to increase greening efforts and promote biodiversity. The tree species include; Neem, Bairi, Sarhain, Moringa, Babur and Kandi. On 5th June, 2021 in celebration of the World Environment Day; SECMC completed its Thar Million Tree Plantation Program in the Thar.
Thar million tree project
thar million tree project
In 2017, SECMC initiated a way to combat desertification and deforestation faced in the region of Tharparkar in alignment with sustainable development goals SDG 13 and SDG 15 by developing Sindh’s largest private sector nursery having a capacity of 0.5 Million Saplings by the first quarter of 2018. The ‘Thar Million Tree Nursery’ used the Miyawaki technique of plantation on 100 acres at Thar Block-2 Site, where a dense forest was grown to increase greening efforts and promote biodiversity. The tree species include; Neem, Bairi, Sarhain, Moringa, Babur and Kandi. On 5th June, 2021 in celebration of the World Environment Day; SECMC completed its Thar Million Tree Plantation Program in the Thar.
