Article by: Mr. Hameed Ullah Sherani
I remember the great saying of Rick Warren,” the only way you can serve God is by serving other people.” Here is the inspirational story of a man who serves people, helps the poor and works on the reduction of poverty in Balochistan. I am talking about the most caring and well-wisher, Mr. Nadir Gul Barech (Chief Executive Officer of BRSP).
Nadir Gul Barech belongs to Barech tribe. He completed his early and higher education in his hometown, Quetta. Mr.Barech is Law graduate. He did his master in International Relations and sociology from the University of Balochistan. Nadir Gul Barech has two brothers. He has no political background; just serving people on non-religious and non-ethnic basis. He has visited more than fifty countries of the world and represented Pakistan. Reading books, long drive and listening to music are in his hobbies.
While talking about his life story, Nadir Gul Barech told that the achievements in his life and success were due to prayers of people whom he served and his hard work. “After completing my master, I was appointed as Assistant Director Field in a local NGO. After that, I was promoted to the post of Deputy Director in same organization. I served Public Health Engineering Department and served there for two years years. Actually, I was feeling unfit in government jobs. Later on, I decided to resign from the post.” He added.
The inspirational personality, Mr. Nadir Gull Barech has been working in different national and international NGOs. Many times, he rejected offers of international job. June 2007 heralded the appointment of Mr. Nadir Gul as the CEO (BRSP), who returned from Islamabad to his home town, after completion of his assignment UN Agency, to nurture and bring into reality the dream of a “Balochistan; free of poverty”. His two years job in Islamabad served to heighten what he claims was his “natural tendency to gravitate towards bringing prosperity in the lives of much disadvantaged populace in Balochistan Province of Pakistan.
Following the philosophy of Mr. Akhtar Hameed Khan and Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Mr. Barech transformed Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP) as the most serving institutions in the province. This Non Governmental Organization has achieved many goals in different sectors of Balochistan. “In earlier times, BRSP was working only in one district from 2001 to 2006, but now with the help of almighty Allah, it is working in twenty-five districts of the province.
An essential feature of the RSP approach is developing community level institutions that are built upon the values of ‘self-help’, transparency, good governance, social inclusion, accountability, Mr. Barech explained. A second dimension of the RSP’s approach, he added, aiming with the enhanced capacity to articulate their needs and advocate their interests. The third dimension is taking into account the spatial and contextual dimension of poverty through an area-based approach at the Union Council level. This approach requires prioritization of the poorest areas (Villages, Union Councils, Districts) and make interventions context specific. To ensure objective and transparent targeting of the poorest areas, they make use of Poverty Sore Card (PSC) methodology at household level. Social Mobilization, he explained, is a holistic approach including human resources development, credit and savings and an interest free community investment fund, technical assistance in natural resource management, development of local level physical infrastructure and linkage of the institutions of the poor with government departments, local councils, NGOs, commercial and development agencies.
There are many achievements of BRSP. We established PPHI in the province resulting in strengthening more than 400 Basic Health Units. We currently strengthening malaria response through 729 public and private health facilities in Balochistan.
BRSP served 2.3 million in 12 districts of Balochstan during 2007, 2010 and 2013 flood and 2008 earth quake in relief and early response.
BRSP’s small scale Physical Infrastructure interventions based on local needs and demand driven approach transformed the lives of rural poor and improved livelihoods through increasing crops yield, labour productivity and market access, while decreasing the probability of disease, famine and economic shocks. PITD successfully implemented 28,470 infrastructure schemes pertaining to; Irrigation water storage pond, water channels, PVC pipelines, head walls, aqueducts and wires, Integrated Water Resource Management schemes; Karez improvement for Drinking and Irrigation purpose,
Forest development, Poly tunnels, water shade management and high Efficient Irrigation system, soil/Land Conservation like; (Land reclamation, land leveling and flood Protective works aerated, Accessibility infrastructure like; Rural link roads and culvert, 1,123 Drinking water system; construction of Hand pumps, well development, supply pipelines, water storage tanks & rehabilitation of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) schemes which improved the access of over a million Individuals to clean drinking water including, Sanitation schemes; sewerage systems, street pavements, constructed Latrines, Model Villages,
Community Centers and Sport ground facilities, 10,150 One room shelter, 1,121Social Sector Services Infrastructure; Health and Education facilities repaired and renovated, 132Renewable Energy projects; Wind, Solar & Hydro energy, 8,503HHs have improved access to green energy. This has benefitted more than 1.5 population, Mr. Barech explained.
“With the help of government we will improve livelihood, health, nutrition and education. We will work on women empowerment and persons with disabilities.’’ He further explained.
Leader known for non-violent opposition Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan “Bacha Khan”, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Alama Muhammad Iqbal, Akhtar Hameed Khan and Shoaib Sultan Khan are the ideal personalities of Nadir Gull Barech.
Mr. Nadir Gull’s message for youth is that ‘’ Do not waste your time and do give focus on education and sports. Secondly, he suggested the youth that it is not necessary to have government job, good skills can also be source of employment.
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