Development is now a most debated
topic. In development, participation of beneficiaries is seen as a better
approach. Although it is pretty difficult to insure local participation where
donor and mediator agencies originate projects. They have their own set of
aims, objectives and time frames in which they have to complete projects. They
themselves most of the time became barrier to participation. A better type of
development in which self-help groups initiate projects themselves for
themselves is required. There is a self-help group based in Islamabad achieving
great outcomes. These outcomes were never against their needs or wants. The
project became successful in a pretty short time span. It became an example for
the entire community. Through their journey, they have faced many challenges
but still with unity, successfully got out of those. Other communities should
also learn from their experiences.
In this project report; a member
of the community is interviewed to know what they do, how they do, and how they
started. The interview was entirely qualitative but covered some quantitative
aspects as well. During interview, the park was visited to witness physical
appearance of the park and how and to what extent community is getting benefit
from the park.
Environment is now one of the
greatest concerns of humanity. With the changing weather patterns, lives of
millions and millions of people are being effected. This change is destroying
livelihoods of many. Countries with less resources to counter climate changes
are effected the most. Although they were never the sources of such devastating
changes. Still they are paying the price. Droughts are becoming severe,
rainfalls are unpredictable, and sea levels are rising and so on. Floods became
frequent, land sliding, soil erosion, temperature rise, smog, increased
pollution in cities especially, causing diseases, less opportunities for outdoor
entertainment, disturbing socialization and much more. Internationally the
steps are taken in the shape of agreements to counter all this. Developed world
can afford to do so but poor countries cannot. All the innovation is done today
is taking place in richer part of the world. This innovation is most important
to challenge human practices that produce environmental challenges. Technology
is expensive for poor countries to imitate it into their system. There is a
great debate on why developed countries should assist developing countries in
terms of research and development and technology transfer. Otherwise it will be
pretty difficult for them to take initiatives themselves on the national level.
Only agreements to counter climate change cannot achieve targets on the global
level. Policies on national level will also require some effort of local
community to achieve targets both on national and international level.
Kachnar Park
In Islamabad, locals formed a
self-help group to uplift their local park named “Kachnar Park”. The park is
one of the biggest in the city; 2km long and about 300 meters wide. It was
built in 2003 by local administration. Motive was to provide nearest
entertainment and outing facilities to the locals. The park was well built but
later authorities did not gave attention to it and lost its original shape. With
the passage of time, the park was shaped into a forest like structure. Crimes
became more frequent near the park and people used to visit less. Drug addicts
and thieves used to do illegal activities here. It became a no go area after
sunset for the people. No maintenance was done and most of the park assets got
stolen. Families were not found in the park even at the day time. Jogging
tracks got disappeared by growth of shrubs near them. Benches got broken and
lights got stolen. This all was the condition of the park till 2015.
Friends of Kachnar Park
Later the locals formed an
organization to uplift the park themselves. It was must for them because the
illegal activities were taken place in front of their houses and they lost a
place where they and their children could play. There is a common saying; “Do
not watch fire burning the house of your neighbor silently, it will ultimately enter
your house and you will not be able to save yourself then”. They started all this
very simply. A local resident use to walk in the park early morning. She used
to collect garbage on the way through garbage picker stick. Every time she gets
in the park, she used to clean her way. “It is very difficult to pick garbage
of others” says a member of the community. She was alone doing it courageously.
Later like-minded people saw her doing this and got motivated. They started
picking garbage the same way she used to do. “People want to do something for
the community but they feel reluctant to start” a member said. People who saw
her cleaning garbage on her way started doing the same. This is a successful
example of a women mobilizing the community. Later they realized that this is
not enough at all. People used to throw garbage any way. They then made a group
of like-minded people, who can actively work to uplift the park. Youngsters,
females, senior citizens, everybody joined them. Today they are a group of 200
active members. In such a big park, Capital Development Authority only
installed 4 garbage bins. Today, FOKP have total of 12 garbage bins installed
in the park. They then worked on every aspect from sensitizing to advocacy,
from collecting garbage to planting trees, from mobilizing community to
engaging authorities. They started as an organization in October, 2017. They
collect funds from their members and other volunteer donors later on. Initially
they installed garbage bins all around the park, colored benches for
beautification, planted indigenous trees and initiated cleaning campaigns.
Cleaning and advocacy campaigns helped them a lot in reducing garbage littering
around the park. Visitors got sensitized; “We initially got to collect weekly
around 30 large bags of garbage from the park but we now only collect 4 bags at
max weekly” a member told us in the interview. This shows how successful they
got in sensitizing people. They cleaned the shrubs in which drug addicts used
to consume drugs and hide. People then started coming to the park fearlessly.
Another problem was, youth used to ride bikes on the jogging tracks. What they
did is, they made parking areas and boundary walls around it. Sensitizing was always
an important integral part of all of their initiatives. They planted fruit
trees so that poor can eat out of it. They planted ornamental trees for
beautification purposes. Total of 4000 fruit and 2000 other trees are being
planted by FOKP till date. They numbered every tree in the park to track the
number of trees and if any of them fall or die, so that they can replace them
with the right amount and kind of trees. Other than tree plantation, when the
autumn season comes; trees shed off their leaves and people used to burn them.
Friends of Kachnar Park used to do composting on the community level of organic
waste and use it on the further plantation campaigns. They made water outlets
at different places so that they can easily water plants. The water they use is
recycled from ablution water source of a mosque in the park. They made a
storage tank, which is linked to underground supply lines in the plantation
area. Other than that, they bought a three-wheeler on which they fitted a water
tank. It is used to water plants that are far away from the water outlets.
Kachnar is the tree mostly found in the park which is indigenous to the local
environment and provide a healthy vegetable for poor and other locals as well.
In the harvest season, people used to climb up the trees destroying their
branches. Friends of Kachnar Park provided stairs for them to easily pick the
vegetables without harming the trees. This shows they have been working
holistically in each and every sector to help improve the park and ensure
maximum attendance of visitors. They have built canopies and benches under them
to increase the number of sitting points. They used to invite schools in their
painting competitions to engage children and get the paint of benches done.
Competitions like these were very fruitful to innate the motivation of social
work in the children. During plantation campaigns they invite college and
university students to teach them the importance of environment friendly acts
at individual and community level. There is a group in Islamabad promoting body
building without going to gym. Friends of Kachnar Park (FOKP) invite them for
push-up competitions to promote healthy exercises among youth. They also made
houses for birds out of plastic bottles and hanged them on trees. Recycled
plastic baskets and made garbage bins out of them. “We have three acts for
plastic; refuse to use, reduce the use, reuse, and recycle” their member said.
What they have done is, they distributed non-woven cloth bags in the local
markets free of cost to reduce plastic shoppers use. They contact authorities
frequently to help them improve the park further. Capital Development Authority
started a project of building sports facility in the park. Healthy amount of
one million was spent by CDA. Now authorities are actively listening to the
FOKP and doing the needed for the improvement of the park. On the other hand
FOKP never stopped doing what they have been doing to uplift their local park.
Today they are a successful example for many activists. They never blamed
authorities but mobilized themselves actively to get the work done. Later they
automatically got listened by the authorities, which shows it is never
impossible for individuals to form groups and for groups to mobilize
authorities. They got the attention of national media as well.
Today all ages, sexes and classes
come to the park. During our visit; we saw youngsters playing guitar, families
playing cricket and doing picnics, students studying, wedding photo-shoots were
being taken place, from children to senior citizens to women were walking and
jogging, some of them were sitting and enjoying the sunshine of winters, some
were doing exercises and so on. The park was presenting the fragrance of
beautiful and peaceful society in which everyone is happy and enjoying their
lives at most. Garbage bins are installed at few footsteps. Benches are
properly painted and taken care, lights, jogging tracks, exercising spots and
everything on the whole is well maintained. Their future plan is to build a
small dam. There flows a small river of rain water, they have now planned to
make a dam themselves on that river to increase their storage capacity of water.
Earlier in monsoon the river water used to flow faster; resulting in soil
erosion. This dam will not only make them avoid soil erosion but will enable them
to water plants through the reservoir.
This local self-help group is a great example for individuals and their alike groups as well. They transformed the entire park themselves. They got access to local authorities and were able to mobilize them as well. But it is clear that even today, authorities are not much effective in solving all the issues. Major reason is authorities were not indigenous. But now with the formation of Metropolitan Corporation in the city, it is easy for the locals to reach their elected administration. Even with the most efficient and effective form of government, self-help groups are always required for a society to progress. Alone they even cannot do everything, formal and informal institutions are always important for such groups to initiate.
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