Latest news with #SindhCommunityFoundation
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- General
- Business Recorder
SCF launches District Disaster Response Network
HYDERABAD: In a proactive move to strengthen community resilience against climate-related emergencies, the Sindh Community Foundation (SCF), with support from Pathfinder International, successfully trained 102 young people, aged 18 to 29, from 10 villages across Thatta, including coastal areas, in first aid and emergency response skills. The initiative was conducted under SCF's ongoing SURMI Project, which focuses on climate resilience and youth empowerment. Over the course of four three-day workshops, participants received hands-on training in CPR, bleeding control, burn management, electric shock response, and fire safety, alongside in-depth sessions on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation, and interpreting early warning systems. 'Communities are always the first responders during disasters,' emphasized Javed Hussain, Executive Director of SCF, during the closing ceremony. 'Training youth equips villages with immediate support mechanisms while creating a bridge with institutions like the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to enhance coordinated response and reduce risk.' Retired Commander Naeem Yousuf, the lead trainer, conducted rigorous drills and simulations, preparing the youth to respond effectively during climate-induced crises such as floods, cyclones, and heat waves now more frequent and intense in Thatta due to climate change. Senior district officials including Additional Deputy Commissioner-I Ghulam Dastgeer, Assistant Commissioner Shakir Faheem, and Dr. Rahena from the District Health Department praised the initiative. They emphasized the growing urgency for community-based disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions like Thatta. Humera Ali, SCF's Project Manager, and MB Khaskheli, Cluster Coordinator from Pathfinder International, appreciated the participants' commitment and energy. They highlighted the transformative potential of engaging youth in localized climate action and emergency response. The culmination of the fourth training batch marked a significant milestone: the formation of the Youth Network for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response. The network consists of 29 trained young leaders—both male and female—who will now take on formal roles as community-based first responders, emergency educators, and local coordinators for DRR activities across Thatta. This youth-led network is designed to engage young people in awareness, preparedness, and response actions for disasters and climate emergencies, while fostering stronger linkages between local communities and government disaster management systems. It represents a model for climate-adaptive, community-driven resilience—one that places youth at the forefront of building a safer, more prepared Thatta. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Women agri workers to launch climate literacy campaign
HYDERABAD: In a major step toward advancing climate justice and labour rights, women agricultural workers and leaders from women-led cotton workers' trade unions in Matiari district have united to launch a district-wide climate literacy campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness among women workers and growers about the rising risks of climate change and the urgent need for safer, more dignified working conditions. The initiative emerged from a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on Climate Change and Health Literacy, organized by the Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation, held in Matiari. The workshop brought together 42 women from 21 villages, equipping them with essential knowledge and practical skills to become climate campaigners. The training focused on addressing the impacts of climate change on health, livelihoods, and productivity, empowering these women to lead awareness and action in their communities. The training was inaugurated by Javed Hussain, Executive Director of SCF, who stressed that 'Climate change is not only an environmental crisis but a gender and justice issue. Women agricultural workers are on the frontlines of this crisis, and they must be at center of its solutions.' In two days training participants explored fundamentals of climate change and its specific impacts on women in agriculture. Javed Hussain opened the technical sessions, followed by Dr. Hira Arain, who addressed the effects of rising temperatures on livestock and rural livelihoods. Zubaida Turk spoke on climate-linked working conditions, while Dr. Bakhtwar focused on the health consequences of heat stress, including low blood pressure, heatstroke, and reduced productivity. She also highlighted that extreme heat is contributing to menstrual irregularities, uterine health issues, dehydration, mental health challenges, and even increased breast cancer risks all of which impact women's long-term wellbeing and ability to work. Learned how to stay safe during heatwaves, engage effectively with local communities, and conduct awareness sessions. By the end of the workshop, the women had developed a collective action plan to roll out localized climate awareness activities. Afroz, a cotton worker leader from one of the villages Long Khan Jiskanai, shared, 'We now understand how climate change is harming both our health and our livelihoods. If we don't act now, the situation will only worsen.' She urged growers to increase vegetation cover in the fields to provide shade and protect workers during cotton picking in the scorching heat. Workers also emphasized the urgent need to set a minimum wage for cotton picking. 'Without fair wages, and better working conditions' they said, 'it becomes a serious violation of our labour rights, especially as climate conditions make our work even harder.' With renewed confidence, all 42 women will now serve as local climate campaigners in Matiari. Launching a Climate Literacy Week, they aim to reach over 1,000 women cotton workers, advocate for eco-friendly shade structures, and demand stronger occupational health protections marking the beginning of a women-led climate resilience movement in rural Sindh. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Business Recorder
Int'l Labour Day: SCF organises series of community awareness sessions
HYDERABAD: On International Labour Day, the Sindh Community Foundation (SCF), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation, organized a series of community awareness sessions in Ibraheem Khaskheli and Meho Machi villages in district Matiari. The sessions aimed to address the decent working conditions and the impact of climate change on women cotton workers, with over 70 women actively participating. During the sessions, Javed Hussain, Head of SCF, underscored the compounded challenges these women face due to labor rights violations and the increasing vulnerability to climate change. He pointed out that despite being the backbone of the textile industry, women agricultural workers continue to suffer from a lack of basic climate safety measures. Rising temperatures in the region, which have reached 49°C, and more frequent heatwaves are making it difficult for workers to maintain productivity. With no shaded rest areas, insufficient water access, and the depletion of trees in cotton fields, the workers are forced to labour under extreme conditions, which jeopardize their health and earnings. Hawa Khaskheli, a leader from the Paras Trade Union of Women Cotton Workers in Ibraheem Khaskheli, and Zubaida Machi, a representative from the Sujagi Trade Union of Women Cotton Workers in Meho Machi, shared their struggles, saying that despite their critical role in cotton production, they continue to face exploitation in the form of low wages, lack of health compensation, and no protection from the rising temperatures. The women workers, along with SCF and the Paras Trade Union, demanded several urgent reforms, including the provision of shaded workspaces, clean drinking water, heat protection measures, and health compensation for workers during extreme heat. They also called for orientation for growers to increase awareness about climate safety and labour rights, and for social protection systems to ensure that these workers are financially supported during climate-related disruptions. Hira Arain, SCF Manager, emphasized that the sessions were part of an effort to build awareness around climate adaptation and labour rights protection, and urged the Sindh government to take immediate action to bridge the income gap and protect the livelihoods of these women. SCF continues to call on the Sindh government, Labour Department, implement comprehensive measures to safeguard the health, safety, and livelihoods of the women who are at the frontline of the climate crisis and the cotton industry. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
