Islamabad, 17 November 2022 (TDI): Waqar; Lives in Dignity Grant Facility was established to improve the lives and healthcare of refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity Grant Facility was established on 1 June 2020. The facility’s mission is to advance ideas and solutions to recent, ongoing, and chronic displacement situations that are development-oriented.
It provides funding for creative initiatives that improve displaced people’s quality of life by empowering community members through basic services and livelihood opportunities.
This project is intended to prioritize the dignity of individuals affected by displacement in cross-border areas of Afghanistan & Pakistan by assuring their active participation throughout the project cycle. Waqar means dignity in the Urdu, Pashtu, & Dari languages.
With the aid of community-led selection committees, Waqar hopes to provide income-generating and service-providing activities to more than 280,000 persons in Pakistan and Afghanistan who have been affected by the relocation.
In order to change gender stereotypes and increase access to microcredit, the project will set up Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), which will contribute to a body of knowledge about how to assist the lives of women affected by war.
Water supply systems, including solar-powered tube wells, will be repaired or installed in communities and healthcare facilities by Waqar.
These systems will be maintained by already-existing village committees, supported by a VSLA Social and Community Investment Fund, and supported by WASH entrepreneurs who will offer services to communities.
Youth and women will enroll in vocational training facilities, assisting them in getting access to apprenticeships, training in life skills, and job prospects.
In order to increase household earnings, participants will also receive help from already-existing agriculture companies as well as instruction on farming techniques and food processing.
The international non-governmental organization CARE International (USA) through CARE Afghanistan and CARE Pakistan, as well as the locally-run Afghan Women’s Resource Centre, will work together on the Waqar project.
Both organizations have a long history of operating in Afghanistan & Pakistan. The project, which is in line with the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees, proposes a multi-country approach with significant participation from those affected by displacement.
It focuses on innovation in service delivery, the creation of public-private partnership models, and the encouragement of local health and WASH entrepreneurs.
CARE International (USA) via CARE Afghanistan and CARE Pakistan and the Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC) will be the implementing organizations for projects.
