PPRP – A silent revolution in rural Sindh

Poverty levels in Pakistan are alarmingly high. According to the World Bank’s recent report on poverty projections, the poverty rate in Pakistan surged to 25.3% in 2024, pushing an additional 13 million people below the national poverty line.

Cumulatively, over recent years, the national poverty rate in Pakistan has grown to nearly 40% -- meaning more than 95 million people are living below the poverty line.

This reflects vulnerability of the poor to the economic shocks given the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, catastrophes like 2022 floods that affected more than 33 million people, bad economic policies and the subsequent stringent IMF-imposed financial measures that have disproportionately impacted low-income households.

Pakistan has long struggled with poverty, economic disparity and social inequality, mainly in its rural areas having 61.18% of country’s population – as per 2023 population census. Yet, poverty alleviation has not been at the core of national policymaking.

On national level, Pakistan has only one safety net i.e., Benazir Income Support Programme aimed at providing financial assistance to millions of the poorest. Luckily, it has sustained the recurrent political maneuvers for its roll-back since 2008 due to the constitutional protection provided under 18th amendment.

After 18th amendment, social protection is primarily a devolved subject, making the provinces primarily responsible for rural development vis-à-vis poverty alleviation, yet the provinces, apart from Sindh, have mostly failed in adopting any sustainable poverty alleviation policies.

Making the most of the devolution of power, Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government took up the challenge of poverty reduction and invested in the programmes for rural development and poverty alleviation. Sindh launched its flagship project: Peoples Poverty Reduction Program (PPRP), a comprehensive initiative aimed at fostering economic empowerment, social mobilization, financial inclusion, skill development, and infrastructure improvement for the rural population.

Implemented through Sindh Rural Support Organization, the programme is a development initiative focused on uplifting underprivileged communities in Sindh and is aimed at uplifting poorest of the poor by equipping them with the tools necessary for sustainable development and financial independence. Since its inception, the program has transformed the lives of millions of households across 24 districts of Sindh.

Implementation of PPRP is being conducted in phases. Initially, the programme was started in 2009 as pilot project under the name of Union Council Based Poverty Reduction Programme (UBCPRP) Pakistan’s first poverty reduction model – which targeted 2 districts: Shikarpur and Kashmore-Kandhkot, and later expanded to another 2 districts of Jacobabad and Tharparkar. Then in collaboration with European Union, the programme was expanded further as Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support (SUCCESS) – targeting 8 new districts including: Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sujawal, Matiari, Tando Allahyar and Tando Muhammad Khan. Later in 2017, the programme was expanded further and renamed as PPRP which is now being implemented in three phases.

The 1st phase included PPRP expansion to Khairpur, Sanghar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Thatta Badin. The 2nd phase targets Sukkur and Ghotki districts; while the 3rd phase expands the programme outreach to Naushehro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad and Karachi Rural.

Unlike the conventional development programs that follow a top-down approach, PPRP empowers communities at grass-root level to take charge of their own progress. The initiative consists of 7 key interventions: Community Investment Fund, Income Generation Grant, Low-cost Housing, Vocational Life Skills Training, Enterprise Development, Village Improvement and Kitchen Gardening.

In PPRP’s 1st and 2nd phase that target 8 districts, almost 1 million rural households living below the poverty line were organized under the crucial PPRP component, Community Investment Fund, that focuses on provision of interest-free microfinancing. A revolving loan facility is managed by women’s community organizations and is helping around 250,000 women-led household’s financial support to establish small businesses. More than 170,000 women have successfully established their small businesses so far in these districts and now financially support their families independently.

Apart from interest-free microfinancing, PPRP is addressing the issue of unemployment, particularly among women and youth. PPRP has invested heavily in skill development and vocational training, providing thousands of individuals with hands-on training in trades such as sewing, embroidery, carpentry, masonry, hand-crafting, digital literacy etc. Sindh Government is not only providing the skill training but also the equipment to utilize the learned skill. To help the handmade products reach urban markets to generate revenue, SRSO organizes Sartyoon Sang Crafts exhibitions in urban centres of Sindh where the rural women get the opportunity to market their products.

Moreover, beyond financial empowerment, the initiative has significantly improved rural infrastructure, enhancing the quality of life for thousands of families. PPRP has resulted in the construction of thousands of low-cost climate resilient housing units for families living in make-shift homes, developed water supply schemes to provide clean drinking water, and improved sanitation facilities. Under its Village Improvement Programme, PPRP is developing 103 model villages in these 8 districts. These villages represent a picture of modern rural life where communities are led by the women and families have been able to break free from generational chains of poverty.

I recently had the honour of inaugurating a development scheme in my home district Ghotki under PPRP’s village improvement scheme at Azeem Mainik – a small village consisting of above 100 homes that is now fully self-sustainable with its own drainage system along with a solid waste treatment unit, livestock shed, developed streets and more. Hundreds of villages like Azeem Mainik, that were previously in poor condition with no service infrastructure and with the residents living in make-shift homes, have now been turned into developed and self-sustainable communities through PPRP.

PPRP’s expansion to Ghotki was launched in 2021 by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari whose vision and party manifestos are centered around the very idea of the state as the caretaker of public welfare. Despite the catastrophic floods causing unprecedented socio-economic damages to Sindh, in a span of 3 years only, Ghotki’s rural population and particularly the women have achieved a remarkable growth as women from 5,600 households have received income generation grant; 6,000 have been trained with vocational skills so far and are utilizing the same for a living; 1500 climate-resilient houses with ownership titles with the women have been completed while 6,200 under construction.

This is the story of one out of 24 districts that PPRP in working in.

Most importantly, as PPRP aims to empower rural women, 5 out of 7 PPRP interventions solely target the women from rural areas, while 2 of the interventions benefit both women and men. Women, who are otherwise marginalized in rural economic structures of Pakistan, have gained access to financial resources and stand as socially empowered in Sindh – as evident in district Ghotki.

The United Nations SDGs highlight financial inclusion, skill development, and infrastructure investment as critical components for ending poverty and PPRP actualizes it in Sindh. However, this initiative is more than just a poverty reduction programme; it is a lifeline for millions of households across Sindh.

By prioritizing community-driven development, financial inclusion, skill enhancement and infrastructure improvement, PPRP is bringing a silent revolution in Sindh that has successfully uplifted up to 1.5 million households out of poverty and has laid the foundation for a more prosperous and self-sufficient rural population. Like Benazir Income Support Programme, the Peoples Poverty Reduction Programme reflects and realizes the ideology of “Roti, Kapra, Makaan”- a slogan that embodies long-standing commitment to uplifting the poor by ensuring access to basic needs and economic opportunities.

The writer is a spokesperson for the Government of Sindh and board member at the Sindh Human Rights Commission.

He tweets at @SukhdevHemnani_