Social Mobilization

Community Capacity Building

Social mobilization is at the heart of SRI’s development model. By creating democratic forums called Village Development Organizations (VDOs), we empower communities to take control of and prioritize their own development. 

Project Goals

  • Facilitate the further development of sustainable, community-based organizations that enhance quality of life through democratic processes
  • Continue to support the development of democratic leadership at the village level
  • Engage in capacity-building of communities through Basic Management Skills Training (BMST) and Advanced Management Skills Training (AMST) sessions
  • Facilitate women’s empowerment, especially through education and vocational training

How we achieve these goals

  • Identify potential activists
  • Organize households into voting blocks
  • Elect VDO representatives and officers
  • Identification of problems by using Participatory Reflection & Action (PRA) Techniques
  • Train VDO members in basic management skills
  • Prepare 5-year Village Development Plans

Projects

VDOs build the capacity of civil society to cooperate and work collectively to advance their communities by improving access to the following:

Education

Preventive Healthcare

Sustainable Environment

COVID-19 Relief

Economic Development

and to safeguard the rights of citizens, especially women and girls.

Social Mobilization Photo Gallery

Swat Relief Initiative is unique because we make every effort to ensure that our work is effective and follows the ideal concept of charity

DONATE

100% OF DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TOWARD PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. SRI’S BOARD MEMBERS PAY FOR ALL OVERHEAD COSTS FROM THEIR PERSONAL FUNDS.

Letter from the Founders

Dear Friends,

We have always felt a debt of gratitude to the social institutions under which we grew up: Pakistan in the 60’s.  Today, unfortunately, those institutions are but a pale semblance of what they used to be. We were privileged but came from families that, despite their station in society, gave and taught us to give of ourselves to those who were less privileged.

This background, and our subsequent achievements in life, put us in a position to help the most needy people in Pakistan.  We are most effective in Swat:  This is in the region we are from, this is where we best know the people and this is where the people know us well.

We started Swat Relief Initiative at a time when the people of Swat went through the first major trauma of three major disasters: the 2008 Taliban takeover, the ensuing 2009 war and the 2010 mega-floods.

The most vulnerable segments of Swati society are the women and children – they are our focus.  We bring the men along too, for they are key to helping develop a milieu in which women and children can grow into fully contributing members of society.

We have a holistic approach to social growth with programs in Social Mobilization, Health, Education, Economic Development and Sustainable Environment. While working in these areas of social development we partner, when necessary, with individuals and organizations that can supplement our expertise and impact.

Of course, we cannot do any of this without the help of your continuing generous contributions, which we continue to pledge will go directly to where they are needed the most: programs and projects on the ground that provide the greatest opportunity for less fortunate women and children to thrive.

Thanks,

Zebu and Arshad Jilani