Afghan Refugees camps of District Haripure and Mansehra

Project Introduction: Funded by the US Consulate Peshawar, this project was implemented by GEESE in Union Council Kaghan and Union Council Mahandri of District Mansehra. The project which started in September 2022 and ended in July 2023, aimed to contribute to the economic empowerment of local communities through eco-tourism and environmental protection, promoting sustainable development and community-based management. The project was designed to generate awareness among local people and stakeholders to participate in eco-tourism and environmental protection in a sustainable way. Key activities included project staff hiring, inception meeting, designing the FGDs tool kit, focus group discussions, broad-based community meetings, identification and training of environmental volunteers, plantation drives, training on hospitality management and environmental protection, community meetings, awareness sessions in schools, waste bottle collection and disposal, and linking trained youth with financial institutions. The project has yielded significant achievements, including the collection of 103,450 waste plastic bottles, the plantation of 7,000 trees, the training of 30 environmental volunteers and 51 beneficiaries on hospitality management and environmental protection, and the facilitation of 30 trained youth in linking with financial institutions for interest-free loans. Activities: - Project staff hiring - Inception meeting - Focus group discussions - Broad-based community meetings - Training environmental volunteers - Training beneficiaries on hospitality management - Plantation drives - Waste plastic bottle collection and disposal - Linking trained youth with financial institutions - Awareness sessions in schools - Community meetings to promote eco-tourism and environmental protection

UNDP Pakistan's SCORE project, with local partners, enhances disaster resilience in 30 KP, Baluchistan, and Sindh communities. It shifts from external aid to community-led action through skills training, local collaboration, and mitigation plans. In Tharparkar, with UNDP support, GEESE-CRI's ICBDRM project focuses on six high-risk villages in UC Mithrio Bhatti and UC Vejhiar. Government representatives and GEESE-CRI staff received CBDRM training, leading to inclusive VDMCs prioritizing vulnerable groups. VDMCs were trained in risk assessment, using tools to identify drought and animal disease as key hazards. Collaborative DRR plans and vulnerability surveys were created. The project highlighted Tharparkar's need for structural mitigation due to climate change's impact on water resources and livelihoods. Restoring livelihoods via vocational training, livestock management, and improved health through initiatives like kitchen gardening is crucial for resilience.