Speakers urged upon the youth of coastal areas of Sujawal and Thatta districts to enhance their skills in the fields of fish farming, poultry, livestock management and kitchen gardening to fight the poverty and improve socio economic condition. These two coastal districts are termed as the most poverty and climate change-hit areas due to sea intrusion and shortage of irrigation water. The people are most vulnerable to face fears of cyclones, tsunamis, high tides, floods and in case of water shortage they feel incapable to cultivate seasonal crops.
They were speaking at a 'Youth Convention: In recognition of effective participation in learning activities and their contribution in sustainable development', under Sindh Coastal Area Development Integrated Program for Sustainable livelihood and income generation. The event was organised by Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) in collaboration with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam premises Wednesday.
The event attracted 450 trained young cadre, boys and girls from disaster-prone districts to show their will to look for marketing of their skills and adopt the innovative technology to cope with global challenges in real actual situation. SAU Vice Chancellor Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai advised the youth to take right direction in digital world and be positive to utilise this social media for their own income generating activities. The VC appreciated the skilled youth belonging to coastal districts of Thatta and Sujawalto look for its marketing at local, national and international level. He said the community level skill enhancement is key to alleviate poverty and earn source of living.
Dr Memon also appreciated the graduates of SAU, who imparted training to this young cadre of disaster-prone areas. He said, "it is a beauty of universities and higher educational institutes, which develop linkages to the communities and this example of well trained youth of coastal areas, who have come here."
He said the university here in Sindh might have produced more graduates as compared to the world institutes but irony is that we see that graduates are unable to show their capability. "You have wider market in the world over to compete with confidence and move ahead with capability," the VC said. Ellahi Bakhsh Baloch, SPO regional head Karachi shared his working of his organisation in disaster-prone coastal areas, where communities are vulnerable in terms of increasing frequency of sea intrusion, degradation of lands, hitting cyclone, floods, high tides, floods and droughts.
He said this initiative of skill enhancement training can support to earn and improve their livelihoods for sustainable development. Baloch said they have trained 800 youth in various trades, including fish farming, poultry, livestock management and kitchen gardening. He hoped that this is a good chance for the youth to change their lives through these trades and there should also transfer the gained technology and knowledge to the poor community people for their economic development. He said they have introduced small models for prosperity to show the government to launch similar schemes and implement the same to benefit the poor.
Professor Ismail Kumbhar of SAU, who led the capacity program through training of these trades spoke that agrarian youth are the main assets and their capabilities can be utilised for the betterment of the community. He added that coastal communities are deprived of opportunities in many areas but this trained youth can help them out of these difficulties. He focused that SAU has developed linkages with communities and civil society.
Kumbhar said poverty can be alleviated through development of human resources and this training will contribute for the national cause to utilise the youth, engaging them in economical activities. Mustafa Baloch of SPO regional Head Hyderabad, Huda Bakhsh Behrani, Social Welfare Officer Thatta District, Moula Bakhsh Umrani, Raheema Panhwer and youth members of local social organisations from these coastal districts also spoke on the occasion.