Shaheed Benazir Park in Talhar taluka (sub-district) of Badin district in Sindh province is now open to visitors, thanks to Marvi Abida who raised her voice to ensure that local women and men have access to the public facility established using development funds. More importantly, as a result of Abida’s efforts, two days of the…
Sarwar Bibi, a 46-year-old mother of eight who has never been to school, broke the cultural barriers when she contested and won the 2015 local government elections on a women’s reserved seat in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The extent of her achievement is best explained by the fact that the community…
When the management of Divisional Public School (DPS), Sahiwal increased the tuition fee by 20% in September 2015, the parents of the students were outraged. It was the third time in a single year that the school’s management had increased the fee. However, both the school’s management and Board of Governors paid no heed to…
On March 01, 2016, USAID Citizens’ Voice Project’s partner organization Pak Women presented the draft proposing amendments to the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 1988. The amendments proposed by the Mardan-based organization are designed to improve the performance of the legislature and legislators; and strengthen the participation of citizens,…
The education sector in Pakistan has traditionally received little attention from the legislators. In Punjab, the most populous province of the country, the role of the legislators in contributing to educational governance has been limited at best. The lack of legislative oversight of the education sector can be attributed mainly to: (a) limitations of the…
The Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA), a USAID Citizens’ Voice Project partner organization, has been successfully managing a toll-free helpline to facilitate the citizens in exercising their constitutional right to information. The helpline has been functional since March 2015, when a memorandum of understanding was signed between CGPA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to…
USAID Citizens’ Voice Project, continuing with its long-term commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s legislative governance, supported an advocacy campaign that led to two amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997. The modifications will improve legislative governance in the province by bringing assembly proceedings in line with citizens’ needs. In…
“Baba, look at my uniform! I am drenched in sweat,” said the daughter of Zaman Khan, the naib nazim of Katti Garhi Union Council in Mardan district, after returning from school one day. It motivated the 36-year-old father of four to approach the authorities for the electricity provision at the Girls’ Primary School, Katti Garhi.…
In a patriarchal society like Pakistan’s, working women face multiple problems. However, the societal limitations imposed on these women also bring out the best in some of them. Uzma Bashir, a member of the Mansehra District Council, is a prime example. After attending the training sessions organized by USAID Citizens’ Voice Project (CVP) for local…
April 10, 2017, will always be remembered in the legislative history of Sindh. On this day, the Governor of Sindh at that time, Mohammad Zubair, signed the Sindh Transparency and Right to Information (RTI) Bill, 2016 into law, ushering in an era of enhanced transparency by securing the right of every citizen of the province…