ISLAMABAD: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is spending $232m on providing grants to communities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA to help them recover from natural disasters and conflicts.
According to available data, the USAID will be spending the amount on Pakistan Transition Initiative in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas from November 2007 to December 2015.
As per details, the Pakistan Transition Initiative seeks to build confidence and encourage trust between the Pakistani government and the local communities in conflict-prone areas of the FATA and KP.
Details also said the project seeks to reinforce stability, counter extremism, and extend the writ of the government in these areas by supporting good governance, encouraging broad-based community participation in decision-making, and increasing public access to information about the government’s social, economic, and political programmes and policies.
Sources said, “The Pakistan Transition Initiative helps install new village water systems in the FATA and supports community-level projects.”
The initiative is meant to increase awareness of government activities, strengthen ability of institutions to support professional media coverage of public policy issues from FATA and KP.
The project will improve the ability of government broadcasters in these areas to engage effectively with the public.
Under the programme, so far 1,679 projects are supported that respond to community-identified needs. A total of four university journalism departments in KP have received technical assistance and support, 13 press clubs and the Tribal Union of Journalists have been renovated and received equipment and training, 1,692 journalists from FATA and KP have received training on various media-related topics and 5 GoP-owned radio stations in FATA and KP have received technical assistance and capacity building support.
According to details, the USAID will also be spending $25,000,000 on the Multi-Donor Trust Fund from July 2010 to December 2015 in Balochistan, KP and FATA.
The fund is providing grants to help communities in Balochistan, KP, and FATA recover from armed conflict and the floods of 2010.
Details said, “The funding activities include restoration of damaged infrastructure and disrupted services, improvement of government service delivery and maintenance of local livelihoods.”
A total of 10 donors have committed a total of about US$140m to the World Bank, which is administering the fund.
The USAID Trust Fund is awarding grants for road construction, restoration of services and infrastructure, augmentation of livelihoods, and improved reconstruction coordination in Balochistan, KP, and FATA.
It is also said that a total of $8 million grant has been awarded for emergency roads recovery to KP, while US$6m for the governance support project to both, KP and FATA and $16m grant for revitalising the health services in KP is pending.
Internews
