yasmeenlari

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

Click the following link to view the PowerPoint presentation:
One Million Shelters Presentation

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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.

Earthquake proof shelter training for Islamic Relief employees and community representatives from Harnai Balochistan

A 3-day extensive training was conducted at HF’s Zero Carbon Cultural Centre (ZC3), Makli. Where 7 trainees from Islamic Relief and 9 trainees from representatives of local community from Harnai, Balochistan participated. Some of them were skilled masons, therefore it was beneficial for them to learn zero carbon construction technique and add to their expertise & experience. Training was conducted by HF’s Master Trainer Mr. Naheem Shah and Senior Architect Ashfaq Ahmed. Participants were energized and thrilled at learning such valuable techniques and methods of building earthquake resilient structures using detailed step-by-step demonstrations from online video tutorials along with printed drawings and banners.

20. Flood Blog by Ar. Yasmeen Lari - Adopt a Village - Pono Cluster Completion Phase I December 2022

CAMBRIDGE, 6th November
Introduction
The Phase I defined in my earlier blog is nearing completion in 13 villages
in the Pono Cluster. This means that major development effort towards
emergency relief, recovery and rehabilitation would have been achieved in
a short of span of 12 weeks.
Beginning in September which included identifying 13 villages, getting
basic information regarding the number of households, lists of households
in each village, determining the strategy of what should comprise Phase I of
adopt a village porgramme, which would ensure that basic necessities for
living become available as well as steps for disaster preparedness.
Co building and Co creation by Communities
The work in all villages is in hand and with the collaborative arrangement
with different village communities, much progress has been made towards
transformation of their own environments.
As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, it is costing a mere Rs.
15,000/household to achieve this amazing progress.
At the same time each village has now become expert in specialized
barefoot products, some of which are being sold in surrounding areas,
among the other poor. Thus, trickle of small amounts of funds for some of
the villages is already happening. There are encouraging reports from some
villages where they are moving forward quite rapidly – the instant shelter
barefoot entrepreneur already able to afford a motorbicycle, some others
able to now get cell phones.

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19. Flood Blog by Ar. Ysmeen Lari - Climate Volunteers – Students/Others

BEGINNINGS AT UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Being with students, and to see their enthusiasm for Pakistan, has been a refreshing experience. I met a number of students on 25th October, led by Syeda Hanniya Kamran and coordinated by Dr. Rihab Khalid. We were fortunate that pro-Vice Chancellor Kamal Munir was also able to attend. The meeting was held in a committee room at West Court, Jesus College, arranged by Lucey Couch, Assistant to Master Sunita Alleyne, OBE.

The meeting had been convened by PakSoc to work out ways to help Pakistan at this juncture. Since they had been considering arranging for fund raisers to send funds for relief and rehabilitation work, and since I don’t believe in charity, I was able to share my alternate point of view.

I believe it is important to provide expression of empathy and solidarity with those who are today in a destitute state. Some funds are always useful if they are provided in a manner to help them towards path of self-reliance, but what is important is to provide opportunity to those interested to provide them to assure the communities of their support.

Among the most important aspects at this time is to provide hand holding, support and encouragement to help them rise above adversity themselves.
Link: https://bit.ly/HFClimateVolunteers

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