Capacity Building and Trainings

Programme Implementation Unit Keenjhar lake organized a three days Teachers Training in Environmental Education and Grassroots Comics as a Teaching-Learning Tool from 11th to 13th May 2010 at NRSP Hall Makli Thatta. A total 20 teachers including eight male and twelve female teachers from nine Government and Private schools of Thatta District attended the training. The schools represented the target areas of Keenjhar Lake and Keti Bunder.

In addition to enhancing teachers understanding on various environmental concepts the training provided them an opportunity to learn about a new teaching-learning methodology, i.e grassroots comics. Mr. Muhammad Zafar Khan, Manager Environemntal Education, Indus for All Programme, WWF – P and Ms. Nida Shams, an expert in grassroots comics from the World Comics Network facilitated the training.  Facilitators tried their best to facilitate the training interactively.

The specific objectives of the training were:

1. Enhancing participants’ conceptual understanding about various concepts of environment such as biodiversity, pollutions, population growth, natural resource conservation etc 
2. Improving their understanding about the importance of environmental education;
3. Promoting their knowledge and skills in developing tools and strategies to impart environmental education by integrating it into their schools curriculum, and
4. Enabling them to plan school-based Environmental Education  Programme and implement in their schools.

At the end certificates were distributed among the participants on their active participation in the training. Mr. Ali Ahmed Baloch, EDO Finance & Planning Thatta was the chief guest while a number of media representatives also participated in the ceremony.
           
Mr. Ali Ahmed Baloch, EDO Finance & Planning appreciated the efforts of WWF-P for capacity building initiatives of teachers from the remote area like Keti Bunder. He also did hope that trainees will use these newly learned techniques during teaching. He said that now for each district level capacity building programmes of education sector private schools teachers will also be given an opportunity to participate.

By. Bilqees Umar khatti

EEO-PIU-Keenjhar Lake thatta

Fish Assessment Training for Officials of Sindh Fisheries Department and other Stakeholders

A twelve–day training workshop on Fish Assessment for the officials of the Fisheries Department was held from 10-21 October 2009 at Keenjhar Lake, Thatta. The training was organized by WWF under Indus for All Programme which was attended by 20 participants including three females from various departments and academia viz Sindh Fisheries Department, Marine Fisheries Department, Punjab Fisheries Department, Zoological Survey Department, Sindh Wildlife Department, University of Sindh Jamshoro, Karachi University . The training was aimed to build capacity of Sindh Fisheries Department and other stakeholders in the field of fish stock assessment.
Dr. Prof. Upali. S Amarasinghe from University of Kelaniya and Dr. Elmo Weerkoon from Ministry Fisheries, Sri Lanka were engaged to conduct the training. Prof. Upali being expert in the field of Fish Stock Assessment conducted the training course. However Dr. Elmo demonstrated and installed the Pen & Cage Culture in Keenjhar Lake near Jhmipir with active participation of The Keenjhar Maroara Development and Welfare Organization, a local Community Based Organization. The installation of Pen & Cages was also attended by the Community Based Organizations and staff of Prgramme Implementation Unit, Chotiyari. Sanghar.
Mr. Waheed Ahmed, Director General, Sindh Fisheries Department, was the Chief Guest of the closing ceremony. He thanked WWF – Pakistan’s Indus for All Programme for organizing such a useful training course for the officials from his department as well for other stakeholders.

Training Workshop for Promoting Indus Journalists Forum

A one-day consultative workshop, organized by Indus for All Programme on
environmental Journalism was held on 29 September 2009 at Indus Hotel, Hyderabad. Ms. Sharmeela Farooqi, Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister, was the chief guest on the occasion. The goal of the workshop was to sensitize media in order to create a common understanding of environmental conservation in the Indus ecoregion. A total of 28 journalists from Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sanghar and Shaheed Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah), faculty and students of Mass Communication Department, University of Sindh and six staff members of Indus for All Programme, attended the workshop. The office bearers of Indus Journalists Forum were elected during the workshop. Moreover, an Executive Committee was also constituted.

Master Trainers Training on Environmental Education (EE)
 
Another three-day teacher training workshop on environmental education was organized by Programme Implementation Unit, Keti Bunder from 26-28 September 2009. The training took place in at the Citizen Foundation school (TCF), at Haji Noor Kinnat,Keti Bunder. Total 31 teachers (29 from TCF and 2 from government school) attended the workshop.

 
 Teachers Training on Environmental Education (EE)

A two-day field-based teachers training workshop on environmental education was held from 16 to 17 September 2009 at the Cotton Research Institute Sakrand, district Shaheed Benazirabad. The training was attended by 28 male and female teachers from primary and high schools around Pai Forest. The training aimed to enhance participants understanding of environmental education concepts by referring to the textbooks used at primary, middle and high school levels. Through interactive and hands-on learning approaches like field visits and development of low-cost learning aids, the training session resulted in improving the participants’ teaching and learning skills. Miss Safia Dharejo and Mr. Javed Ansari, facilitated the workshop. All facilitators are master trainers, trained by the Programme during 2008.


 

Training Workshop for Honorary District Game Wardens of Sindh
 A one-day training workshop for Honorary District Game Wardens of Sindh and officials of the wildlife department, Sindh held on 18 August 2009 at Regent Plaza, Karachi. Training was attended by 9 Honorary Game wardens and 7 officials of Wildlife Department including Secretary, Wildlife, Sindh. The training was aimed to build capacity of Honorary Game Wardens in knowledge sharing, management and decision making. The resources persons were subject specialists and experts from Sindh and NWFP Wildlife Departments and other renowned conservation organizations such as Habitat and Species Conservation Project Balochistan and WWF Pakistan.

Training for District Governmental Officials on Environmental Indicators
 A two-day training workshop on Environmental Indicators for District Government officials held at Hyderabad from 26-27 June, 2009.  The training covered various aspects of environmental indicators including introduction, development of indicators lists, framework for environmental indicators, international framework, prioritization of environmental indicators list, sets of core and key environmental indicators. Total 25  (23 male and 2 female) from Forest ,Fisheries, Agriculture and Livestock, Community Development Department and health department of District Thatta, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar attended training.

 
 Environmental Impact Assessment Training   for District Government Officials 
 A three-day training workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for District Government officials was held on 18-20 June, 2009 at Hyderabad. The training was attended by 25 participants which included 18 district government officials from Thatta, Sanghar and Shaheed Benazirabad Districts, where as three representatives from academia and four staff members from site offices also attended the training. The female participation remained two.
The training covered various aspects of EIA including core concepts of EIA, stakeholders and their role, EIA process and contents, scope of EIA report, critical evaluation of EIA report.
The participants were given copies of EIA of the RBOD-II for study and taken to the site to see for themselves the impacts of the mega drain project on local population and ecology.
The participants noted that the government departments were not aware of a legal requirement that EIA should be carried out before executing development projects and it had been noted that generally the departments did not go for EIA that was mandatory under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997. Two documentaries on environmental issues of Sindh were also screened.

 

Master Trainers Training on Environmental Education
Masters Trainers Training in Environmental Education was held on 03-07 May 2009 at SAFWCO Training Unit Hyderabad with the Collaboration of District Education department Thatta. Total 22 teachers from Government and Private Schools including 08 female and 14 male participated in the training. Participants included Principals, HSTs, JSTs, PSTs and SPE.  

The training was aimed to build capacity of school teachers regarding environmental education. To serve the purpose of training teachers were also taken to a field visit to   Miani Forest where they observed the biodiversity of forest and various pressures affecting the ecosystem of forest.

In the last day participants made Action Plans for the Environmental Education Programme of their Schools.

Advocacy for Community Based Natural Resources Management

A three-day training workshop on Advocacy for Community Based Natural Resources Management   was organized from April 8 to 10 at HRD Centre, SAFWCO, and Hyderabad.   25  participants(15 male and 10 female)  which included members of CBO, NGOs from WWF Pakistan’s four Priority sites  attended  training Workshop. The training was aimed   to create awareness about the issues and their possible solutions in local context. The training’s contents were prepared in a systematic way as to build on the capacity of community organizations’ leadership in the areas of institutional capacity-building, awareness raising, managing of knowledge base, and forming of strategic alliances.

 Grass Roots Level NGOS and CBOs Trained to Develop Project Proposal
A three-day training workshop on Project Proposal Development for the community members and other Partner Organizations of District Sanghar was held   from 23   to 25 March 2009 in the programme implementation Unit at Sanghar. Twenty participants from different Community Based Organisations (CBOs)/ Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) of the district, including three females attended the workshop. 
                                                                                                                                                                  The training aimed to enable participants to develop project proposals under various grant programmes. The training focused on project cycle, stages of proposal development, concept and definition of monitoring and evaluation. Zahida Detho   facilitated   the training sessions.
 

 Monitoring Natural Resource use training for CBOs/LNGOs of Keti Bunder
Two days training workshop for CBO members and partners   took place at PIU Keti Bunder from 30-31 December on “Monitoring Natural Resource Use” . The training was attanded by 27 participants from various CBO/LNGOs including five women . The two days training focused on vital monitoring of  available natural resources and the role of stakeholders in environmental conservation at the micro level.

 Master Trainers’ Training in Environmental Education at Shaheed Benazirabad
 A two-day field based training workshop titled ‘Master Trainers Training in Environmental Education’ was held on 24-25   December 2008 at the Cotton Research Institute,Sanghar, targeting the school teachers of District Shaheed Benazirabad. It was attended by 21 teachers from Government high schools and primary schools including 7 females  representing   local girls schools in the surroundings of Pai Forest. The purpose of the training was to develop a cadre of master trainers in environmental education, who would train other school teachers in environmental education in their respective areas. The training also aimed to promote environmental education in schools of target areas (Indus for All Programme Sites) by enhancing the knowledge and skills of school teachers in environmental education.

Master Trainers’ Field-Based Training in Environmental Education at Sanghar
Two-day field -based teachers training in environmental education held from 18-19 December at PIU Office Sanghar.  Total 30 school teacher (18 male and 12 female) from 14 schools and one college mainly from villages around Chotiari Reservoir attended training. The specific objective of this training was to develop a group of trained and environmentally sensitized teachers so that they actively promote environmental education in their respective schools and establish nature club. Training was facilitated by four master trainers.

Training of District Government Officials in Planning Implementation and Monitoring of NRM Programmes

A two-day training workshop  entitling “Capacity Building of district governemt officals in NRM Planning,Monitoring and  Implementation” held from 15-16 December  at Sindh Forest Department‘s GIS lab in Hyderabad. Total 16 participants including 4 women from revenue, Forest, Livestock and Agricuilture departments of Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta ans Sanghar attended training.  Staff of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Department(SIDA) , Faculty and students from Institute of Irrigation and Drainage, Mehran University and Sindh University also participated  participated.The training was facilitated by WWF Pakistan’s resource persons Mustfa Abbasi, Farooq Laghari and Mumtaz Ali Mangi and  covered topics such as GIS, Remote Sensing, Google EaRTH, gps, map Source and NRM Strategies.  

Youth Training Workshop On Environmental Education and Advocacy
Two-day training workshop for youth leaders on environmental education and advocacy was organised from 2-3 December at PIU Pai Forest.  The training was attended by 16 youth leaders (13 male and 3 female). Among these sixteen leaders, 9 were from Shaheed Benazirabad and 7 leaders from Sanghar. The training aimed to educate youths on environmental issues affecting the area, community-based natural resources management approaches and the role of youths in natural resource conservation.
 
Training Workshop on Project Proposal Development Organized for Civil Society Oroganizations 
Three-day training on “Project Proposal Development” was designed and delivered from 15-17 November 2008 for the nominated representatives of various community-based organisations including 5 female CBOs of the District Thatta. By the end of the training workshop participants had gained new skills essential for developing project proposals as well as for facilitating their approval and implementation within their respective organisations. The participants agreed to maintain contact and update the Programme on their progress in developing project proposals and expect support from the Programme in developing and implementing these projects.

Master Trainers’ Training in Environmental Education at Shaheed Benazirabad
A five-day training program for the master trainers, selected from district Shaheed Benazirabad, was held from 12-16 October, at SAFWCO Office Hyderabad. Training was attended by 10 male and 9 female teachers from various public and private schools of district Shaheed Benazirabad. The training aimed to develop a cadre of master trainers in environmental education in the schools who would then train other teachers in their respective locations and promote environmental education in the schools based in the surroundings of PAI forest. Mr. Qamar Shahid Sidiqui, senior trainer associated with teachers training facilitated training sessions. Dr. Ali Murtaza Dharejo also conducted a session during workshop.