Pakistan is characterised by high levels of violence and insecurity, poverty, inequality and religious intolerance, which have been exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 and floods in large areas of the country. An estimated 60 million people in Pakistan are poor and approximately 25 million live with a disability. Girls and women face particularly severe disadvantage. Poor women, and women from religious minorities, or who are disabled, are doubly and triply disadvantaged – contributing to their social and economic exclusion.
The programme targets some of the most excluded people through interventions including increasing the representation of women, people with disabilities and minorities in district and village forums, working through 33,114 community social activists to identify, reach and work with marginalised communities to access local services and grants and support locally led approaches to reducing conflict.
Key results have included:
- 57,510 individuals from marginalised groups have benefited from access to information, identity documentation particularly for women and people with disabilities and referral to services and grants
- Increased representation of excluded groups in consultation and decision-making bodies - ensuring that their voice is central to the identification of needs and shaping of government services
- Pre-emption of 16,687 conflicts at an average cost of £18 per case, that could have otherwise resulted in huge social and economic costs to the community.
