Topic: news blog

3-Days Training of 12 BEEs for Rotary New Central sponsored village at Pono Colony, Mirpurkhas, Sindh

A 3-days training was conducted under supervision of Heritage Foundation of Pakistan’s Master Trainer, Mr Naheem Hussain Shah at Lari Barefoot Academy (LBA), Pono Colony, Mirpurkhas for BEEs (Barefoot Eco Entrepreneurs) of village Ram Nagar, Mirpurkhas i.e. a Rotary New Central, Karachi’s sponsored village.
All 12 trained participants started carrying out their respective activities in the designated village for its rehabilitation and development. Training was carried out on 11-13 May, 2023.

Exhibition: Yasmeen Lari - Architecture for the Future

Yasmeen Lari is Pakistan’s first woman architect. She designed iconic modernist buildings before initiating a zero-carbon self-build movement for climate refugees and the landless. This exhibition uses Lari’s oeuvre as an example to show how the relationship of architecture to the future has changed.

Exhibition: Yasmeen Lari - Architecture for the future

Publication: Yasmeen Lari - Architecture for the future

Consul General of Germany H.E. Mr. Rüdiger Lotz and his wife visited Pono Colony along with Senator Nasreen Jalil.

On Thursday, 2nd February, 2023 Consul General of Germany H.E. Mr. Rüdiger Lotz and his wife visited Pono Colony village along with Senator Nasreen Jalil. They enjoyed the village hospitality and local food with great enthusiasm. They highly appreciated Heritage Foundation of Pakistan’s efforts of rehabilitation and development of flood affected communities.

Zero Carbon School Rooms: Co-Built Classrooms for Immediate Use

INTRODUCTION:

Millions of people are without any cover after four and half
months of a major flood disaster in Pakistan. Although
much has been done with emergency supplies and provision of
tents but most remain in a state of desperation. Similarly school
children almost in Sindh are also bereft of any school buildings.
It is estimated that over 22,000 original school buildings in
Singh are partially or fully damaged and can no longer be used
for holding classes. Thus school going children in the provincce
have been without any learing possibilties for the last several
months. If the poor state of education because of COVID
closures and the usual ghost school sydrome is added to the
problem, it would seem that several million children have suffered
throughout this period and are today without a smattering
of learning. Do they have any chance of survival in the competitive
21st century?

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25. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - Food Solar Drying II

KARACHI
It is good to know that Naheem Shah and his team have acted immediately, and the first prototype of spinach and banana chips drying has been started.
The methodology adopted is to make a bamboo frame fixed wth bamboo lattice made with waste bamboo pieces. The bamboo frame is lined with muslin first and then the items for deyhydration are spread on it.
This is the first time that we have been able to get it started in Pono village. If women are successful then the dehydration process should be spread as far and wide as possible.

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24. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - Food Dehydration Platforms

KARACHI
The more I think about the condition of millions now left to fend for themselves the greater I feel a sense of despondency. After a frenzy of fund raising and ration distribution there is a pall in all activities. I am told donor fatigue has set in.
I think it is also because everybody feels that they have done their bit for charity and the helpless millions are not their responsibility any way. The fact is that if you follow the usual path of charity, there is only so much anybody could do and eventually the state has to take on the responsibility.
Another fact however, is that all state organs seem to be absent from the depths of rural Sindh. In such a case, and it is not something that has not been clear for some time, that state institutions are not really engaged in welfare of the poor, would it not be appropriate for some of us who have an understanding of the vulnerable condition of the abandoned communities that we need to work on methodologies to see how we could help them survive.

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23. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - Basic learnings

KARACHI
Introduction
The first group of Climate Volunteers that arrived from Vienna Technical University, Vienna and University of Lahore, Lahore did a fremarkable job of interacting with the villagers in the Pono Villagee group of 13 villages that are on their way of full recovery after the floods.
While resising in the village in the first week of December, they have managed to co build a school room. They also made a gift of a monitor and a solar panel to faciliate learning in the school.
The school room has replaced a makeshift class room where some classes were being conducted. Educationist AFroza Bhamani, Director of Heritage Foundation and owner The Hampton School, has trained four young people from the village into teaching the basics to village children.

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22. Flood Blog by Ar Yasmeen Lari - Scaling up Fish farming

KARACHI
I am picking up the flood thread again as I am back in Karachi during vacation. Much has happened where Heritage Foundation teams have worked hard to make 1,000 households as close to self-sufficiency as possible.
Based on the success of the Fish Farming village Kewal Goth which has been successful in making a success of fish farming in much neglected pond close to their village. The success is phenomenal. Beginning with literally nothing in the first week of October -- when they were provided some basic training due to the good office of Project Manager Naheem Shah by identifying a fish expert in the area. The process was begun with little hope of success, as hardly an attempt had been made in the past to use the much-neglected ponds in a fruitful manner.

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21. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - First Climate Volunteers - 15 December 2022

KARACHI

I am happy to report the visit of the first team of Climate Volunteers. On 30 November 10 students and 2 faculty members from Vienna Technical University and another 9 students and 3 faculty members from University of Lahore arrived  in Karachi.

They were taken to the Pono Hospitality village to spend 6 days in working with close collaboration with village communities.

Many activities happened during the eventful days in the midst of the flood  affected area.

Pono Hospitality village is part of the pilot consisting of 13 villages and 1,000 households that has been taken up by Heritage Foundation to demonstrate how application of BASA Barefoot Social Architecture holistic approach can transform lives of people within a short period of time and at an extraordinary low cost.

The two teams worked jointly on various aspects. While they conducted research on various aspects, they also built a school room in collaboration with the community, designed some interesting bamboo furniture for the guest cottages, and also participated in a festival that had been arranged to market barefoot goods to surrounding communities and indeed among the 13 villages themselves.

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Pakistan Flood 2022 - 1 million Households, Building Sustainable Communities Immediate Recovery/Rehabilitation

Heritage Foundation and the Bank of Punjab hosted a press conference at a five-star hotel, to throw light on Heritage Foundation’s endeavours for a Zero-Carbon Alternative Model to build sustainable communities and rehabilitate one million households. The media showed up in large numbers for the conference. With Arif Bahalim performing the duties of MC, the speakers included Prof. Yasmeen Lari, CEO Heritage Foundation Pakistan, Dani and Ramu from Pono Colony Village Mirpurkhas, Safeeyah Moosa, CEO Spiritual Chords/Dadabhoy Foundation and Zafar Masud, CEO Bank of Punjab.