Local support network launched at Chitral
CHITRAL (APP) 22, August, 2009: A meeting of Local Support Organizations (LSO) of Chitral was held in a local hotel. The meeting was called by Integrated Chitral Development Program (ICDP) with the aim to review and modify the potential role of the LSOs in changing development scenario in Chitral. Representatives of 12 local support organizations mainly Chairmen and Managers participated in the meeting. District Nazim and officials of Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) Chitral were also invited to give their valuable inputs on the agenda. Following joint decisions were made unanimously by the representatives of LSOs;
A network of Local Support Organizations with the name Local Support Network (LSN was formed. Each LSO will have opportunity to act as secretariat of network on rotational basis and Chairman of the host LSO will act as Chair of the network. Chairmen of the 12 LSOs will be the member of board of network. ICDP was selected as host of the network for one year. Local Support Network will provide advisory/technical support to the local support organizations and facilitate information dissemination and linkage development with the partners/NGOs/Donors. Local Support Network will also help the communities in developing local support organizations in uncovered union councils.
Local Support Network will facilitate effective implementation of development interventions through creating conducive environment by promoting peace and harmony among different stakeholders in the district. Local Support Network will act as voice of the community and play role of advocacy through identifying issues, gathering facts and figures and communicating to the relevant quarters for necessary action.
In addition to the above-mentioned decision following unanimous resolution was also passed on the platform of newly formed Local Support Network;
The Local Support Organizations, legal entities registered under the companies’ act 1984 of Pakistan, are representative organizations of 1390 village based institutions (656 village organizations, 590 women organizations and 144 civil society organizations) with membership of 42491 individuals (24997 male and 17494 female) and providing services to 17 out of 24 Union Councils. LSOs do have well-established offices and cadre of professional staff, volunteers and village activists and providing services to the communities in field of education, health, natural resource management, women development and livelihoods improvement etc. In addition to this, LSOs have also been instrumental in communicating voices of the poor to the decision makers. Being representatives of the communities, through the forum, it is emphasized that the recently initiated project named Chitral Integrated Area Development Program (CIADP) should be implemented in a participatory manner and Local Support Organizations should be taken on board in implementation of the development interventions under the program. The forum also thanked and appreciated the efforts of District Nazim for recommending LSOs as partner in implementation of CIADP interventions. In addition to this it was also decoded to hold meeting with members of Project Steering Committee CIADP and representatives of Norwegian Embassy if required.
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