THE ORANGI WELFARE PROJECT

A model for grassroots sustainable development

Misali Ilaqa Alinagar, Sector 11 1/2, Orangi Town, Karachi

The 
Orangi
Welfare
Project 
(Trust)
786

Orangi Township, on the outskirts of Pakistan's metropolis, Karachi, is the largest informal settlement in all of Asia, with a population close to 1.8 million.

To most people in Karachi, Orangi conjures up images of economic deprivation and lawlessness. In reality, Orangi is home to some of the most successful grassroots development schemes in Pakistan, from the world renowned Orangi Pilot Project to dozens of local initiatives. Boasting a literacy rate of nearly 80%, Orangi is one of the most vibrant and socially active communities in South Asia.

Tucked away within Orangi's teeming agglomeration of bazaars and labyrinthine alleys, is one of the great success stories not only in Pakistan but in the entire developing world: The Orangi Welfare Project (Trust) of Alinagar.

Alinagar, a community located in Orangi’s Sector 11 ½, was, from its inception in the 70s to well into the 90’s, a hotbed of bitter ethnic strife. There was no electricity, no sanitation, no drinkable water, no registered jobs, and an ineffective law enforcement agency. In this state of desperation, the community had become fragmented and all sense of communal responsibility had faded away.

Then, in 1996, the residents of Alinagar decided to take matters into their own hands and initiated the Orangi Welfare Project. Within three years, the people had transformed the district into an exemplary, democratic Model Town, or "Misali Ilaqa," as it is now known. With minimal reliance on outside sources, they laid out their own electricity lines, sanitary facilities, and water systems, and each citizen became a taxpaying member of the community. Schools were set up and led by ambitious young women, including the Orangi Pilot Grammar School where more than 250 students are currently enrolled. Women’s participation in the workforce has become almost universal. A strong sense of community and public responsibility has developed, as both women and men democratically participate in the decision making process. Further, the people of Alinagar have been able to involve government authorities and utility companies in their work, sharing the responsibilities and dividing the labor. The Model Town has expanded exponentially, as neighboring communities, impressed by this success, have joined in. Now a population of 12,000 residents of Sector 11 ½ are benefiting from the OWP.

"Changes don’t occur overnight. They are the result of years of directed struggle, failure upon failure, and the true activist must not be deterred by any failures." Mohammad Allauddin, director OWP

Philosophy

• Apni madad aap (self help)
  
• Grassroots democracy
  
• Universal participation in work
  
• Leading by example

The OWP’s success is based in its philosophy, adopted from the late Dr. Akhtar Hamid Khan’s Orangi Pilot Project, and can be summed up in three words: Apni madad aap, or self help and self reliance. In seeking solutions to problems afflicting the area, citizens must collectively decide which steps to take. Citizens must have a sense of community, and stay clear of political affiliations.

The real work of the Orangi Welfare Project began with an auspicious event which is still recounted by the Alinagaris in passionate tones. One evening a groups of activists, armed with brooms, began to sweep the street. Upon witnessing such respectable members of the community performing a menial task, neighbors immediately offered the services of their children. The activists refused and instructed their neighbors to wield their own brooms and sweep alongside of them. Within an hour, the entire community had taken to the streets, and like an army they covered the entire sector. “The most important thing is to lead by example, and realize that work can never be demeaning.”

In conditions of extreme desperation and poverty, in a community which has never been able to assert itself and demand its basic rights, often people give up hope entirely. They begin to believe that progress and change is impossible. This invariably leads to a fatalistic and stagnant mindset contrary to progress. “They just need to be shown that if you try hard enough, things can and will happen.” The electricity program, which will be discussed later, was initiated by one OWP activist, who promised the community that he could set up a much needed street light in a period of one week. Naturally, he wasn’t taken seriously and often jeered at, but throughout that week he appealed to the government utility and brought together workmen in the community. Lo and behold, he was successful. Upon witnessing this single success, the entire community rallied behind the OWP in working towards sector wide electricity connections. This single event triggered a community wide chain reaction.