01 About Us Expertise SPARC's Work Contact Information 08

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2 01 About Us Expertise SPARC's Work Contact Information 08 01

3 SPARC (Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child) was registered in December 1992 as a nonprofit organization under the Societies Registration Act 1860 (RS/ ICT/174 of 1992). It has been working on a broad range of rights based issues including the girl child and violence in all perpetual forms and prevalent challenges. SPARC is certified by Pakistan Cneter for Philanthropy (PCP) with membership of international forums including Forum Asia's Executive Committee, SAIEVAC, Defence for Children International, Pakistan Coalition for International Criminal Court (PCICC) whereas it is in consultative status with UNECOSOC and Department of Public Information. SPARC works on the national level and has extended its outreach through regional offices located in Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Hyderabad. Additionally, SPARC has project offices in Abbottabad, Haripur, Rawalpindi, Multan with presence in Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh. The head office is based in Islamabad. It has above 3,000 trained- rights based volunteers in different areas of Pakistan. 02

4 Awareness Raising Lobbying and Advocacy SPARC has long been actively engaged in human rights advocacy campaigns where lobbying with stakeholders including government line departments, parliamentarians, law makers, judiciary is an integral component. SPARC has long been running advocacy campaigns by mobilizing the media to act as a pressure group to advocate human rights and support relevant legislation that can help bring about positive change in society. SPARC works with like-minded NGOs on collaborative ventures. SPARC fosters communication and information exchange through its various publications including researches, newsletters, calendars and website. Capacity Building We build the capacity of organizations and professionals to help them actively participate in advocacy, service delivery and other initiatives tied to the development sector. SPARC has conducted various types of trainings over the years, ranging from trainings of government departments including social welfare; prison staff to IT related training sessions for students to initiatives to empower individuals at the grass roots level. Community trainings is another essential component of our programs. 03

5 Education SPARC employs a combination of advocacy, research and service delivery in education. Every year, under the banner of Education for All, SPARC celebrates Global Campaign for Education Week in April with the involvement of students and activists. SPARC with the support of AAWAZ-Response funding carried out a research study to identify the barriers to girls' education from the ages of 5 to 16 years. The research was undertaken by Ms. Sadia Hussain in three targeted districts of South Punjab: Multan, Muzzafargarh and Bahawalpur. SPARC engaged stakeholders including the parents, children, school principals, teachers and officials from the targeted districts and provincial departments. SPARC undertook the Project titled `Promoting Child Friendly Classroom Environment' in the period. SPARC trained 5,239 teachers on alternatives to corporal punishment in schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Furthermore, the Director of the KP Education Sector Reforms Unit (ESRU) issued a notification of setting up a Grievance Redress Mechanism in the Education Directorate and EDO offices of the province. A major breakthrough was reached when the Regional Institute of Teachers Training (RITE) incorporated contents related to classroom management, positive discipline and harmful impacts of corporal punishment in its syllabus. With the support of KNH, it took a project to improve School Enrolment and Retention Rates in the Flood Affected Areas of KP. The project duration was October 2011 to July SPARC renovated 42 schools in Nowshera and Charsadda providing play facilities and infrastructure support; training 50 teachers and 28 Parents Teachers Councils; community sensitization and production of informational material. Increased enrolment was recorded with 310 new enrolments in Nowshera schools while in Charsadda, 444 new admissions were recorded. With the support of Terre des hommes Germany, a Project to Rebuild Schools in Flood Affected Areas of District Badin from January 2014 to December 2014 was undertaken. SPARC provided infrastructural support to ten damaged schools in Badin and undertook disaster preparedness trainings benefitting more than 300 students and 11 teachers and carried out community awareness campaigns on importance of education. From December 2013 to March 2015, a Project titled `Communities Taking Charge: Bringing Quality Back into Primary Schools' supported by DAI Europe targeted 64 private and public sector schools. Its key tasks included conducting a research to identify gaps in public sector schools, dissemination of results and lobbying with key stakeholders, including government and School Management Committees (PTCs). SPARC conducted a research on identification of Barriers to Girls' Education in Target Districts of the Punjab during In the following year 2016, another research on 'Impact of Secondary School Stipend on Girls' Education' was conducted. 04

6 Livelihoods, Skill Development and Enterprise Development SPARC works for empowerment of young girls and women including the ones married off at early ages through open and distance learning, non formal education, skill and vocational trainings and entrepreneurship with market linkages and job placements as well. During March 15, February 28, 2017, SPARC reached out to improve sustainable livelihoods for 6,000 disadvantaged young women and girls in different cities of three provinces- Multan, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Peshawar and slum areas of Islamabad. Increased skills among girls with acquisition of knowledge about their health, social rights were the key objectives of the project where SPARC catered to the beneficiaries through its already established centers in the target cities. In the long run, the project would help addressing the issue of Child Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM). Support of various entities including APBAW (All Pakistan Business Women Association), Punjab and Sindh Technical and Vocational Training Institutes, run under the auspices of government, was a part and parcel of this process. Currently, SPARC is training 5,000 girls and young women in Multan through increased technical and vocational skills and awareness and aspirations for employment opportunities. We cater to girls and women victimized by child early and forced marriage through skill provision and technology based learning. Currently SPARC is training 5000 girls in Multan region on vocational and business skills. In addition to this, since 2006, SPARC has been working on empowerment of street girl child through psycho-social counseling, non formal education with subsequent mainstreaming in schools, skill and vocational training with livelihood opportunities. 05

7 Youth Engagement, Peace and Social Resilience SPARC has also been engaged in working for promotion of positive discourse among youth through initiatives to counter violent extremism. SPARC carried out a project on VE with the financial support of Karachi Youth Initiative in The project created Youth Rights Clubs in Karachi University, with students from the sociology, psychology and visual studies departments. Project created awareness amongst the youth about their rights and responsibilities via leadership and blogging trainings, guest lectures on countering violent narratives and exposure visits to worship places for peaceful coexistence. A project advocating on tolerance, peace and coexistence was carried out with the support of the Canadian High Commission ( ) where consultative seminars/dialogues were held in Karachi and Hyderabad with the involvement of religious leaders, scholars, academia and civil society representatives. reformed citizen, rather they revert back to violent extremist activities. The result of the project was reduction in the number of prisoners, overcrowding and the prevailing violent situations in selected prisons. In another project on CVE, SPARC with support of Karachi Youth Initiative reached out to above 1500 students in schools of vulnerable locations of Karachi where teenager students were oriented on harms of VE and need for co-existence. This involved both technical (trainings) and in-kind support to students where libraries were established and books on peace promotion provided. An MoU was signed between SPARC Center of Excellence for Women's Studies, Department of Social Work, University of Karachi where SPARC extended support to the promote child / human rights and countering conspiracy theories which create misunderstandings among youth and trigger violence in Sindh. SPARC ( ) completed a project titled Countering Violence in the Prisons of Punjab with the cooperation of US Embassy of Pakistan INL Program. The project was implemented in nine jails of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Sahiwal. The project focused on 'preventive measures and narratives' on the basis that overcrowding in prisons leads to many UTPs coming into contact with dangerous criminals and extremists who manipulate and radicalize them thereby transforming them into hardened criminals rather than rehabilitated and refined individuals which in return, do not turn out to be a 06

8 Training of Women on E-Commerce SPARC has trained 200 women and girls on e- commerce in Multan, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Haripur and Peshawar. Women were trained on basics as well as potential benefits of e- commerce. The resource material including a manual is also available on our website for easy access. Gender and women empowerment Gender is one of the cross cutting themes in SPARC programs and overall approach. The organization sticks to its gender policy with refresher courses for the staff. SPARC Board of Directors is headed by a prominent female legislator whereas the organization is run by a female Executive Director with women in leading roles in program side. SPARC enjoys working relationship with National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and Women Welfare Departments in Sindh and Punjab together with Parliamentary Women Caucus & Inter Parliamentary Ministerial Group on Women Rights with support to girls and women to break out of perpetual harmful circumstances. In the domain of girls and women empowerment, SPARC has advocated for; Right to minimum wage to females in agrobusiness in Punjab and Sindh Raising minimum age of marriage for girls in Sindh through effective lobbying with member provincial assembly Safe spaces for girls and women victims of violence and abuse Rights of minority women and protection form forceful conversion or marriage 07

9 Islamabad House 98,Street 5, MPCHS, E-11/1, Islamabad Telephone: E Wahidabad Islamabad Avenue 1, Waheedabad, Pandorian, Islamabad Jhangi chowk, Gujarabad. Pando Road, Peshawar Ph: Hyderabad B-73, HDA Extension, Phase II, Qasimabad Hyderabad. Phone: