'Aik Hunar Aik Nagar' (Ahan) Company, working for alleviation of poverty, is going to launch a micro-finance scheme for those working with the company to enable them in marketing their products. "Initially, the scheme would be for those working with the company or those who had got training through the company. But, later it would be extended to other people manufacturing non-farm products," said Zahid Ali Shah, Regional Co-ordinator, NWFP.
Under the scheme, the company would release a mark-up-free micro-finance credit up to Rs 15000 for those manufacturing non-farm products, for a period of six months. The initiative launched by the government of Pakistan as a replica of OTOP Thailand is focused on poverty alleviation in the rural and peri urban areas by supporting rural micro and small enterprises engaged in non-farm products including handicrafts, embroidery, ornaments, woodwork, etc.
Zahid said that the company has so far completed 12 projects with total budgetary outlay of Rs 9.2 million in different areas of NWFP including Haripur, Abbottabad, Swat, Lower Dir, Nowshera and Peshawar benefiting total 1545 beneficiaries directly and 2500 through backend training. The sectors included beads jewellery, embroidery, weaving and marble mosaic.
The company also carried out an extensive cluster mapping exercise all over the country in April 2008. The NWFP chapter of the Ahan, he said, initially identified total 109 clusters for data gathering. However, on the completion of the exercise 205 rural clusters of various products were profiled.
Presently, Ahan NWFP has recently launched 9 projects with a budgetary outlay of Rs 21 million in different geographical areas of NWFP. The projects include intervention on Phulkari (Haripur), Weaving (Islampur), Carpet (Mansehra), Marble Mosaic (Peshawar), Justi (Haripur), Cross Stitch and Lacquer (D.I. Khan), Cross Stitch (Haripur) and Filling Stitch (Nowshera).
The company, he said, had trained 3400 people in the manufacturing of various non-farm products. Under 12 schemes, the company trained 1500 people, including 1100 women, while in the present phase 1900 people with ratio of 400:1500 men and women have been trained through acquiring master trainers from different parts of the country.
Ahan, he said, is currently in negotiation with different government organisations including Navtec, Erra, SIDB for different types of projects in various areas of NWFP. The company has also executed skill development training in camps established for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Training on bags making, embroidered bangle making and stitching were carried out in three camps, Sheikh Shehzad, Sheik Yaseen and Mazdoorabad camps.