Peshawar: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) have launched a project to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities and Afghan refugees residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan districts, according to news sources.
As per the official press release, the project is estimated to cost PKR 320 million and will assist 3,000 Pakistani households; in addition to the 3,000 households already benefiting from the PPAF’ existing livelihood programme. This initiative will focus mainly on Mansehra and Peshawar districts in KP and Chaghi in Balochistan.
Under this initiative, vulnerable households will be given intensive coaching in agriculture and entrepreneurship areas. They will be offered various packages (including livestock) and access to financial services.
The UNCHR initiative is complementing the government’s flagship Ehsaas programme aimed at alleviating poverty and boosting economic growth in the country.
UNHCR Representative in Pakistan Ruvendrini Menikdiwela spoke at the occasion and said these projects would significantly improve the lives of people living in extreme poverty. She said that refugees, when equipped with a set of skills, can become self-reliant and positively influence the economy of their host country and that of their homeland when they return.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
