Rural Support Programmes Network

Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Vision: Realising people's potential for economic and social empowerment. Mission: Strengthen RSPs to foster institutions of the people. The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) is the largest civil society network of Pakistan representing nine Rural Support Programmes (RSPs). It was established in the year 2000 and has been operational in Pakistan for more than two decades now. RSPN vision is 'realising people's potential for economic and social empowerment' while mission is to 'strengthen and support Rural Support Programmes to foster people's institution'. RSPN is registered under the Companies Act, 2017 and registere... read more Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Vision: Realising people's potential for economic and social empowerment. Mission: Strengthen RSPs to foster institutions of the people. The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) is the largest civil society network of Pakistan representing nine Rural Support Programmes (RSPs). It was established in the year 2000 and has been operational in Pakistan for more than two decades now. RSPN vision is 'realising people's potential for economic and social empowerment' while mission is to 'strengthen and support Rural Support Programmes to foster people's institution'. RSPN is registered under the Companies Act, 2017 and registered as a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) under clause (36) of Section 2 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. RSPN has also been duly evaluated and certified as a non-profit organisation by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP). As a part of standard operating procedures RSPN has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Affairs Division for the implementation of foreign funded projects which is valid till April 2024. RSPN serves as a critical national-level strategic platform for the RSPs and provides capacity-building support to RSPs besides taking a lead in advocating policy advocacy and developing donor linkages. It is geographically well positioned to work with the government and donors at the national level while maintaining an edge through its vast countrywide outreach to rural communities through its partner RSPs. RSPN also serves as a one window operation for large scale donor funded projects. Management Structure The Board of Directors is responsible for setting strategic direction, reviews and approves RSPN's Business Plans and develops guiding policies for RSPN. The Board is a mix of representatives from public and private sector institutions, academia, industry and philanthropists. The Board comprises 23 Directors and 2 Advisors and includes the CEOs and Chairpersons of all member RSPs. Operationally, RSPN has a core office in Islamabad with project support/ management units. In addition, RSPN has field and project offices in selected locations. In partnership with member RSPs, RSPN implement programmes and projects in all provinces across Pakistan. The core office, led by the CEO and supported by the COO and sector specialists, provides technical and intellectual backstopping support to projects and member RSPs, besides ensuring quality standards to deliver projects and services, mobilising resources for expansion/coverage, donor liaison, knowledge sharing, and overall guidance and supervision of RSPN's programme. Community Outreach RSPN, through the Rural Support Programmes (RSPs), is operating in 152 districts working with over 8.68 million poor households (56 million people) that have been organised through a three-tiered social mobilisation approach (figure on right). At the first level (the neighbourhood), rural households are organised into Community Organisations (COs) consisting of members from 10-15 households. Most often, women and men have their own CBOs. CBOs commit to have monthly meetings, start a savings programme and choose trustworthy leaders who are then trained by the RSP. At the second tier, the COs are federated at the village level into Village Organisations (VOs), through their leaders. And, at the third tier, VOs federate at the union council level (lowest tier of government administrative structure) to form a Local Support Organisation (LSO) with representatives from all levels. To date, RSPN has organised almost 8.7 million rural households (58.5 million people) in the form of 535,211 COs, of which 53% are women's COs, 44,762 VOs, of which 76% are women VOs and a total of 2,471 LSOs, of which 45% are women LSOs. The social capital RSPN has developed is in partnership with its member RSPs and is a unique and incomparable resource. The membership of these community institutions is diverse i.e. inclusive of religious minorities, people with special needs, youth, poor and vulnerable populations. By engaging these community institutions, RSPN/RSPs have implemented many initiatives/programmes that have been 'contextualised' and tailored to local conditions, in areas of livelihood improvement, women's economic empowerment, micro enterprise development, family planning, Maternal Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH), Disaster Risk Reduction, agriculture and climate resilience, renewable energy, etc. An existing network of community institutions means that project start-up is quick, and implementation is effective due to RSPN's long-standing relationship with community institutions across the country. Partners in Development Since its inception in the year 2000, RSPN has implemented 127 projects and programmes worth USD 305 million. The long-term relationship with donors, partners and communities is a definitive indicator of RSPN's performance, transparency and accountability. RSPN has worked with a diverse array of donors including UN agencies, national and provincial governments, private foundations, and non-profit and non-governmental organizations including the World Bank, UK-FCDO, the European Union, Gates Foundation, USAID, CIDA, Coffey International, UNDP, UNHCR, UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, OSI, IFAD, Education cannot Wait (ECW), British Council, Asian Development Bank, ASI, PPAF, KfW, SDC and Provincial and Federal Governments. RSPN has a Grant Management Manual, approved by its Board. RSPN implements all projects in partnership with the RSPs by following the Grant Management Manual. Grants are managed, monitored, and evaluated programmatically and financially by the Programme Operations section of RSPN. A strong internal and external audit and compliance system exists to track grants, to ensure transparency and quality. RSPN's internal audit system is self-funded and all projects and regularly audited. Systems and Procedures RSPN relies on well-established management processes developed through RSPN's extensive engagement with various donors and public sector projects, apart from adhering to international standards. RSPN has Board approved policies and related manuals that are available on request. As a compliance protocol for contracts and agreements, renowned agencies and organisations such as PCP, UN Agencies, USAID and KPMG have reviewed and certified RSPN's systems of management and internal controls. RSPN Financial Management system RSPN has well established financial, procurement, internal audit, compliance and human resource management systems and internal control procedures documented in manuals approved by its Board of Directors. RSPN has fully functional internal audit and compliance systems. The Manager Internal Audit & Compliance (MIA&C) periodically audits all projects and visits relevant RSPs and other partners for financial reviews and audits of funds sub-granted to RSPN partners. MIA&C also conducts monthly compliance reviews in accordance with the grant agreements signed between RSPN and the partners. RSPN maintains financial and other records and prepares annual financial statements in accordance with the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and the Companies Act, 2017. RSPN has deployed SAP-B1 for accounting and financial reporting purposes. SAP-B1 has the capability of maintaining project-wise accounts and producing project-wise ledgers, reports and asset listings. RSPN's financial statements are audited annually by an external auditor appointed by its members on the recommendation of the Board of Directors. RSPN's current external auditors are Grant Thorton Chartered Accountants, a top ranked international audit firms. RSPN has always remained fully compliant in the submission of various statements and records required to be submitted under the Companies Act 2017, Income Tax Ordinance 2001 and other applicable laws. Compliance with Donor Requirements RSPN has put in place a sound internal compliance system to ensure full compliance with donor requirements in the implementation of projects. As per RSPN policy, all project staff and relevant RSP core staff is given an orientation on each project and its compliance requirements before implementation begins in the field. RSPN develops a project specific Compliance Checklist which each Project Manager fills and submits once a month to RSPN's Manager Internal Audit and Compliance. Each Project's Finance Officer and RSPN's Manager Compliance undertake quarterly visits to partner RSPs and project districts to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract and review financial transactions, documentation, and processes. RSPN's Internal Auditor also makes two visits per year to each partner RSP to ensure that all processes comply with donor agreements. RSPN Monitoring and Evaluation System RSPN has a core Monitoring and Evaluation section to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of RSPN and partner RSPs programmes. RSPN's M&E section provides technical support to all projects and RSPN's core team. It is responsible for developing project-wise M&E plans as per donor requirements and tracking progress. The section also supports RSPs in developing their M&E capacities through regular meeting of an M&E Resource Group. RSPN's M&E section produces regular/useful knowledge products and shares these with member RSPs and external organisations to enrich learning and contribute to official policies and strategies. Digital, Electronic and Social Media Footprint RSPN has a strong presence on digital, electronic, print, and social media platforms. It produces useful knowledge products e.g. research studies, policy briefs, case studies, impact assessments, success stories, newsletters, video documentaries, infographics which are shared with stakeholders, development partners, government officials and policy makers. RSPN has an active presence on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin.