Islamabad, August 3, 2006: The Productive
Assets pilot program is helping 3,300 households
from areas high above the Siran Valley to restart
their lives after the devastation caused by the
October 8th 2005 earthquake. The USAID-funded
program managed by Catholic Relief Services with
the Pakistani Community Uplift Program provides
each household in target communities with vouchers
worth 6000 rupees to be spent on goods that assist
families as they rebuild their livelihoods.
Program manager Raza Ul Haq explained, “Village
households have differing needs and priorities,
and household members are the ones who know their
own needs best. This program is so successful
because it takes advantage of people’s knowledge,
allowing them to make their own decisions. At
the same time the program limits the goods that
can be purchased to those that will help them
create and store value.”
In each household, the vouchers are divided evenly
between the husband and wife, who spend them during
‘Voucher Days’ in the nearby market
town of Shinkiari. Popular goods include livestock,
tools, seed, roofing sheets and storage trunks.
The earthquake caused Ghulam Ghous’ mud-roofed
livestock barn to collapse, killing his five water
buffalo. Since the quake Ghulam has been working
to gradually restore his assets. With his USAID-funded
productive assets vouchers he is buying corrugated
iron roofing sheets and using basic earthquake-resistant
construction techniques to rebuild an animal shelter
to protect his two goats and his brother’s
growing flock of sheep.
 Another
livestock herder, Kunihal Ozi bought his adult
son Mohammed Said a 3000 rupee sewing machine
with his vouchers. Mohammed has experience as
a tailor but was unable to piece together his
old broken machine. Now, he will help his family
by tailoring and repairing their clothes and earn
income for the family sewing outfits for his neighbors.
Several store owners were trained in the use
and processing of the vouchers to keep prices
of goods competitive. Each purchase is tracked
and will be entered into a database to assist
future voucher programs.
The program has shown not only that each household’s
needs are different, but that households are grouping
together to spend their vouchers in complementary
ways. The voucher program has contributed to people
working and planning together to make life high
on the mountain a little less difficult.
USAID support is aimed at revitalizing the economy
of earthquake-affected areas over the next three
years through its Earthquake Reconstruction Livelihoods
program. Activities will range from programs helping
remote farmers and ranchers to activities that
help industries generate employment by becoming
regionally and internationally competitive.
The United States, through USAID, is providing
more than $1.5 billion in development assistance
to Pakistan over the next five years to improve
education, health, governance and economic growth.
In addition, the United States has pledged a total
of $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction
efforts to assist the people of Pakistan and to
support Pakistani government efforts.
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