About Us – GHSD

All about us

We are professional women who are associated with various organizations. We thought to contribute for communities of Nara belt through taking various initiatives in health, education and skills development.

The organization is grown out of the community development workers and professionals who served the target through various plate forms including OMV- Pakistan. In fact one of the reasons of the establishment of the Golden Hands of Sand Dunes سونا هٿ ڀٽن جا is to strive of continuity of the OMV activities in education, health, women empowerment and water and sanitation sectors through the community participation. Team posses 20 years rich experience of the community development and understand fully dynamics and context of the area. Team also well aware that what works and what not as for as community projects is concerned.

The organization is registered under the society act 1886 and led by the women group.

Vision
Empowered and independent communities through helping women/men to acquire the education, skills and resources necessary to build self-sufficient prosperous lives.

Mission Statement
To increase literacy, promote health, socio-economic development and status of vulnerable and disadvantaged women, children, youths and men in community settings offering alternatives models of the development

Goal
Striving for the sustainable developed of the Nara through partnerships with multiple actors

Governance

GHSD is governed by the community led board. It is mix match of the professionals and the community representatives. Every three years we an election of the board. Board ensures transparency and accountability at all levels. There is gender balance in the board

Thematic Areas

Education
Health
Livelihood
Agriculture
Natural Resources Management
Disastrous Risk Reduction
Water and Sanitation

Cross Cutting Themes

Women empowerment
Youth empowerment
Environment
Research and advocacy

Objectives

To increase rate of enrollment, retention and completion of primary and high schools through various interventions
To reduce maternal/Infant morbidity and mortality rate by strengthening primary Health Clinics/Outreach clinics and other health awareness
To increase income of the men and women through various livelihood intervention/ sustainable livelihood models
To protect and promote natural resources of the Nara belt

Our Approach
Golden Hands of Sand Dunes considers women, children and youth as a priority in its every intervention along with the environment. Further Golden Hands of Sand Dunes believes in teaching fishing rather than giving fish that is why entrepreneurship and skills development is a heart of the organization. Golden Hands of Sand Dunes also believes in specialization and partnerships with various stakeholders such corporate, government and the civil society organizations for energized results therefore always open to collaborate for the socio-economic and political development of the Nara belt Golden Hands of Sand Dunes also believes in local birds in hands rather than depending on mainstream donors

Beneficiaries

Women.
Children / Youth.
Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
Community Health Workers / TBA / VHW
Traditional / Religious /Community Development Associations CDC, CBOs.

Values we cheris

Honesty
Integrity
Transparency
Efficiency and effectiveness

Our Strategic Direction

Communities of the Nara live in nature environment. Women have craft skills but lacks accessibility of the marketing. Men are depends on the oil exploration companies rather than diversifying their livelihoods. Youth are devoid of skill. Communities cannot be blamed for that because opportunities in context of Small medium enterprises (SMEs), infrastructure development, innovation in agriculture, access to education were not created by the Public and private sector around them. We also realized that these communities have potential and capacity in terms of natural resources and skills but needs support in terms of networking and further capacity building initiatives so decided to push and pull them up.

Our future plans of next three years ( 2019-2022)

20% increase in rate of enrollment, retention and completion of primary and high schools through various interventions from the baseline
30% increase income of the women and 40% increase from the baseline of men through various livelihood intervention/ sustainable livelihood models, skills development programs and market linkages
To protect and promote natural resources of the Nara belt including cropping indigo
To support health department government of sindh to reduce maternal/Infant morbidity and mortality rate.
To build resilience of the communities through their capacity building on disastrous risk reduction

Core Program Areas

Education

Primary and post primary education is our current focus. For the suitability purpose we have decided to support the exiting government schools in Nara particularly girls schools. We want to educate children of the Miano (desert area of district Ghotki and Sukkur) where access of education is a real challenge. We are also aiming to literate skilled women at least at post primary level. Our approach in education to work with the like minded expert organizations through mutual collaboration such as field support or piloting the projects in the remote areas.

Women Empowerment and Livelihood

OMV (Pak) an oil exploration and Production Company have invested a lot on the skills development of the women particularly in local handicraft development. These women posses’ skills but lack access to market and finance. We want to bridge this gap through various initiatives such as capacity building on the entrepreneurship, their partnership with similar organizations, support them in marketing and linkages development. We also diversify livelihood options of the communities through working on multiple sectors

Health

Women health is poor in the area because of the early marriages and the high fertility rate. Access to health facilities particularly in Miano area is another challenge. We want to work on family planning education and awareness with the support of the like minded organizations. We will advocacy to health department to increase the budget of the Nara belt. Our approach in health sector is to enhance out reach of the public and private sector to the Nara belt. We are ready to work as an arm organization for family planning, immunization, TB control and polio control programmes in the area. We are also ready to offer Research and Development services in health sector in the area.

Agriculture

Low productivity, lack of innovation, inorganic farming, and deforestation area the key issues in the agriculture. GHSD has implemented INDIGO project in the areas and enhanced income of the farmers. We want to focus on innovation in agriculture and environment and tree plantation, water conservation etc with the support of like minded organizations.

Natural Resource Management

Natural resources are dying particularly species, trees, and bushes. The Nara canal area, a chain of some 200 freshwater, brackish and saline lakes and marshes stretching for about 150 km along either side of the Nara Canal from Sorah in the north to Sanghar in the south, is known to be of great importance for wintering waterfowl and other wildlife. GHSD aims to protect the natural resources of the Nara desert with the support of World Wide Fund and other similar organizations. We will also work for Ecotourism and participative eco conservation and wild life management.

Water & Sanitation

Water is a scarce commodity in the rural Sindh, especially in the eastern desert region. Communities face challenges in access of the drinking water for home as well as animals. Conserving water in the rainy season for longer period of time requires commitment and skill. GHSD aims to work with communities and committed institutions to help communities overcome the hazard of lack of water in the dry seasons.