Current Projects
Two Sujawal Village Projects Launched!
Since 2018, Save the People (STP) International has constructed four villages in Tharparkar, Province of Sindh. The charity foundation has built more than 100 houses and rehoused 500 people, including more than 200 women and children.
STP International’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the establishment of two villages this year under the Integrated Sustainable Village Program (ISVP), namely SABMOH-III (Phase 3) and Dr. Ahmer Syed Karim Goth (Ahmer Jo Goth), targeted to be functional by May 2023. SABMOH-III will consist of 17 houses, and Ahmer Jo Goth will consist of 16 houses rehabilitating approximately 200 people; more than 50% are female. The construction cost to build 33 homes is estimated at PKR 16.63 million (roughly $115,000). The price per house is PKR 504,000 or approximately $3,500.
The Location
The projects are located near the city of Sujawal. Sujawal is part of the Sujawal District of the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is approximately 110 km east of Karachi and about 20 km west of Thatta. Sujawal is an agricultural city with a few industries located nearby. It is a multi-community and ethnic city containing different sects and religions. Sujawal’s climate is moderate; winter is cold, and summer is hot and humid.
Current Conditions
Thirty-three families live in the target area and face various problems, including no permanent housing, poverty, and unemployment. The total population of the targeted beneficiaries is 200, and women make up more than half of the total population. School-age children are a significant portion of the targeted beneficiaries.
Current Living Condition
There are no schools or health care centers nearby. Children cannot go to school, and people face near-death conditions since the nearest hospital is in Karachi, more than 125 km away. The sanitation system is in poor condition. There are no proper roads and no access to clean water.
The nearest school is 2 km away and caters to Grade 5 only. The school building is damaged and does not meet minimum safety standards. Thus school enrollment is below 30%, and only 10% of children complete their primary education.
Water is a big challenge since villagers don’t have access to clean water. Usually, women and young girls travel half a kilometer daily to fill their buckets from the nearest reservoir for domestic and livestock use.
Our Program
The STP International team visited the area and talked to families. The women were robust, resilient, and committed but had serious concerns regarding their current situation.
Our program will build 33 permanent brick houses to rehabilitate 33 families. The underlying principle is holistic development: We integrate health, education, livelihoods, and other essentials, such as drinking water, sanitation, energy, land, and water resource management, to improve residents’ quality of life. The villages under this program will be turned into self-sustaining, profit-generating eco-systems with economic and social empowerment primarily focusing on women, children, and young people.
Our Solution
Under ISVP, STP International aspires to take a holistic approach toward village sustainability by developing an eco-system that focuses on mother and child, sanitation, drinking water, and empowering women. Eventually, the project will provide regular access to health care through mobile health camps; deliver computer, maths, and English classes for village youths; improve skills for women’s self-help groups; and help build capacities for village governance.
Long-Term Impact
In the long term, the health of mothers and children will be significantly better. Overall, community awareness and knowledge will be advanced (through computers, maths, and English). The village’s overall health, nutrition, sanitation, and livelihood will improve. Government programs and services will connect village-level committees. STP International’s long-term goal is to reach 2,000 individuals who will be direct beneficiaries of this program by 2025.