Chitral local support bodies reorganized

Report Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: Local support organisations (LSOs) set up under the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Chitral, have been reorganised to enhance their functioning.
This was stated by regional programme manager of AKRSP, Sardar Ayub while addressing a meeting of the board of directors of the LSOs of Ayun and Kalash valleys (named AVDP) here on Saturday.
He said that AKRSP had set up more than ten LSOs across the district as the umbrella organisations of their respective village bodies for which financial support and training facilities had been provided to make them self-reliant.
Mr Ayub said that the credit of organising the scattered villagers into social organisations went to AKRSP which was launched in the district in 1983 with the task of rural development. He said that now time was ripe for these organisations to gain self-reliance.
He said that to achieve this objective, the AKRSP grouped the village organisations into LSOs and provided them with financial support, well-established offices and imparted extensive training to the office-bearers. They were also provided with exposure visits to the northern areas where the system was functioning successfully.
Expressing his confidence over the functioning of the LSOs, Mr Ayub said that they were generating local resources to meet their requirements.
He said that the LSOs were also promoting democratic culture because all the decisions were made after open discussion.
Regarding development work in the Kalash valleys, he said that a foreign funded livelihood programme had been launched there to bring about tangible change in the life standard of Kalash people who were suffering from poverty.
Mr Ayub stressed on the board of directors of AVDP to make the programme a model for other LSOs and work for its success with full dedication and sincerity.
Chairman of AVDP Rehmat Ilahi, senior social organiser of AKRSP Fazle Malik and others also put forward their suggestions to make the programme a success.