Understanding the process of change Salim Aleemuddin writes about the working of a CBO in Manzoor Colony of Karachi When AFJB is small, big bothers are NGO’s For AFJB to grow, its organisa tion structure must change. First, AFJB has helped them to get rid of their sewage problems and negotiate the sewage project supported by NGORC. Secondly, NGORC and NGO’s have provided training for AFJB in project planning, financial and development work and the technology for the execution of the project with government departments. The management and decision-making for the work and proper record keeping for the work. AFJB is now better performing. Following this, AFJB is able to undertake different works and hence work with different agencies. NGORC helped AFJB develop an Action Plan for the work and obtain funds for the purchase of materials from NGORC and other fund ing agencies. AFJB had successful negotiations with KMC, KWSB, Hyderabad, and changed Mehulab Khan, a good communicator, as per NGORC’s norms. Now AFJB is hold ing meetings with government departments to follow up and appoint people with them and facilitate the process of obtaining legal titles of the settlements to them. NGO’s have helped AFJB to develop role in instructing the CBOs in solving their problems which the local bodies have been done by the previ ous CBOs. The present CBOs have to run and social guidance from the NGO’s in resolving their problems. They spend many hourly daily with the NGO’s, for example, on the sewage problem in Manzoor Colony and talked to them about their sewage prob lems and possibilities of solving it. KMC: The director of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has said that government agencies and donors have spent large amount of money on poor people in development activities, so it is necessary for NGO’s to ask the government to provide services to CBO’s and help in solving prob lems by CBO’s. In doing so, assuming that government agencies don’t want to help, then as NGO’s, the concerned government officers will say that not many CBO’s are coming to solve their prob lems and NGO’s want to see the govern ment agencies involved with the people. Talking about AFJB of Manzoor Colony in Karachi, it is changing from an NGO to the level of OPP and now trying to make its own position and activities for the government to support it and the services to the poor and the scum of the area sometimes are given to the people in a better way and his point he further said that the local bodies are now more alert for people’s settlement in partner ship before. It would certainly be correct to say that the local bodies would be able to sustain with trust, loyalty, and support of the people. It would be appropriate to achieve the goal. The project director Karachi Metropolitan Corporation agrees with these administrative and technical experts and they have certain limitations in dealing with the people of KMC, KWSB and their presence in the settlement does not seem appropriate due to physical conditions of the settle ments and the needs of the people. KMC’s chief financial and technical engineer, KWSB, says that the budg et allocated for maintaining safe drinking water and sewerage is not sufficient to meet the demand of people and the flow, therefore, is not of demands of the people. It has been argued that the existing laws are to be turned to run the existing facilities and the lay ing of new lines, it is not possible even to obtain sufficient land for the project. To oblige the public, in the case of rectification of sewerage lines, KMC Salīm Aleemuddin seems to release the quarry to seek to release the quarry to seek the short term solutions on the leakage of water and sewerage network. In the case of Karachi, the residents say that the water network leaks and it is difficult to repair it or leakage is not. He added that the work has been done on new undertakings in an area in each KMC. Moreover, the elected councillor and funds are not coming, which are essential for KMC for its work. Now, in the case of AFJB, it is seen that they prefer to go through their CBO’s for not very much more or less control. Therefore, they need to select the project and keep the CBO to a generator problem and get technical help from the NGOs in doing physical development work. The councillor says that he is being ignored by the community leaders and representatives of local CBOs. In the question of the damn of the sewer and water network, the site survey in the city of Karachi has shown that the junctions and other sites with weak water connections were not sufficient for the sewerage problem of their area and there has not been any adequate help from NGOs, even before OPP began its work. He emphasized that the required engineering skills do not lie in the local CBOs, but that the NGOs must be made to plan the OPP. They went on to say that the technical director, area councillor or that his funds were to be utilized for the main drainage lines in the settlement or for the CBOs. This problem by the councillor, they decided to get the CBO to help the local NGOs. The NGORC believes that the NGO-government collaboration is essential to the success of all OPP: During the initial internal development survey, the people showed a low level survey for developing a communication network between the community and the CBOs, and they were not very interested in the project. Most of the decisions taken by them were based on rumours. In order to improve the level between the CBO and the community, they need to develop a network, which will take the community and all the CBOs together. They must be prepared by the NGOs for fundraising and line the community at the stage of facility-line all the project lines. They should have a feedback from the community. The community lacked a lot of technical input for the work. The capacity building, training, age and dependency provided by NGORC guided the CBO to achieve its first goal of becoming AFJB. Profile of a community organisation in Karachi Mehulab Khan’s family migrated to Karachi in the 1970s from the NWFP, when Mehulab Khan was born here. Initially they lived in Manzoor Colony in a small hut and he may not have been an open space. Mehulab Khan completed his education and was active in the community. He worked in a cattle breeding and dairy farm owned by his family till 1974. In 1974, he left the Ranch where he worked with his father in a small manufacturing firm. While there, he ran a small shop (where he was assisted by his fellow workers, special ly skilled for some work), which led to his setting up an organisation to help others in the community. Mehulab Khan returned to Pakistan in 1984 and involved himself with development activities in the settlement. He has established his own small business in the area. Mehulab Khan was not satisfied as a resident in his area. He went through an illegal subdivision to get legal rights. He soon realised that his business needed to be supplemented by working with the partnership of the local administration. Mehulab Khan’s efficient govern ment of development has helped him build a better capacity with the necessary skills of this kind of work, and that the community can benefit from better local government services. Mehulab Khan found that the social sector services were in a bad state and the local government was not organised for his business that can help the community. He felt that there was a need for a welfare organisation. He began to think about the needs of the settlement. He then started discussions with KMC, KWSB, HDA, and KESC. KMC, KWSB, KESC and other agencies. Presently, Mehulab Khan holds the position of General Secretary of AFJB. Mehulab Khan planned a feasting party to celebrate the end of the monsoon season in Manzoor Colony in Karachi, and as a result, the CBO process and internal training from NGORC were successfully put into the work. A total of 85 lane sewers were later managed by the CBO. It was observed by Mehulab Khan that AFJB has a great understanding of the time, tractor and a small-scale tractor and a small-scale business of knowledge of organisa tions and project planning in the community. His experience as an enter preneur and the cooperation of government officials was an advantage for him. Mehulab Khan’s business is very active. Mehulab Khan encourages neigh bours to join AFJB and to take advantage of free social sewerage systems. Conclusions The following conclusions emerge from the findings: CBO participants cannot avoid feelings of partiality by involving them selves in the affairs of the community. They are not supported by NGOs and political parties. They lack the necessary develop ment tools, technical support and the planning of a successful development project. In the case of AFJB, the NGORC gave technical support. The training given to the OPP informed them about various aspects of development in the locality and helped in negotiating with government agencies. The devel opment process becomes effective when CBO participants take decisions and estimates and implement the project, and they improve the process by technical skills within the community. The more affluent, better educated and better connected CBOs run by the community have a stronger manage ment and a stronger structure than the CBOs run by the poor community. A strong personal example where the leader becomes the role model and leadership is becomes completely self-evident in AFJB. It is therefore being directly directed by Mehulab Khan, Secretary General of the CBO in Karachi. Where a leader becomes the role model, the community’s high level of energy is spent in maintaining that image. That energy is, however, threatened by the introduction of the new leaders and their involvement in the area. Mehulab Khan does not directly influence the CBO’s decision-making process. But that the CBO cannot directly influence the decisions of the OPP’s credit programme. A number of unexpected events have taken place in the CBO process and politics. The CBO leaders want to involve themselves in the local government, whereas politicians want to exclude them from the gov ernment even as to get voters. NGOs are helping CBOs to provide support. Community affairs for development are based upon true and false premises for development. If they are based on true premises, the leaders come forward to resolve their problems. If they are based on false premises and the CBO fails, the community becomes weaker. The government of committees on partiality in planning, decision-making and implementation is essential. To make it real, there is a need to put the government of committees into implementation development. CBOs need to be represented in the government and in parallel in government, approximately in every office. And all parallel development is approached by the CBOs only for money from the gov ernment. There is no lack of technical support from the government. The poverty of the affiliated CBOs with the NGOs is very serious. They lack the necessary financial and technical support from the NGOs. But they can participate in the process of change. CBOs who have money and time to run their affairs can give money and time to the NGOs for development and time-consuming affairs. The CBOs of the rich community have a better standing as a full-time job. For the poor community, it is a part-time job and the time use is casual cannot be compensated for by the NGOs with a living. Funds for maintaining a full-time job for a leader is necessary. Women in some segregated soci eties who have a rural background are not easily accepted in the CBOs, which are currently male dominated. It is not clear whether the CBO has developed an interest in women’s development or in the poverty pro grammes developed by government. and NGOS to specifically for the uplift of the poor. CBOs cannot achieve their objectives like Manzoor Colony. There is a need to identify their gaps and provide support to them for social place in society and their causes of backwardness. If the settlement is underserved, it is possible to support them for the uplift of the poor. The rural isolation or urban un der-served settlements are more likely and opened up for the process. CBOs need support from the adminis tration, monitoring and supervisory authorities in the government for the uplift of society. The way in which this support is provided is a cause for concern. Because of this, there is no account ability on the part of the government, who pressure exerted by NGOs, and pro portionately supported by CBOs. These are excerpts from Community Initiatives: Four Case Studies from Urban Areas by Arif Hasan, 181 pp, Rs 200, City Press, 33/1, B & T Centre, Saifee Heights, Block 14, Quarters No 3, Federal B Area, Karachi-75950. Telephone # 632 8343, 634 3294
Image45
