Food & Education to 500 Homeless Children

Problem :

Despite Pakistan being one of the major food producing countries in the world, 50% of its population is food insecure, said a top representative of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to Pakistan,.

“To me this country has contradictions as far as food is concerned. On the one hand it is the 8th largest food producing country and on the other, its 50% population is food insecure,”

Further he said that 40% of its children are malnourished and underweight due to lack of access to adequate food. “Pakistan produces enough food for its people. But the issue is access of its people to food.”

With the increase in poverty, people spend more on food as compared to non-food items. Within the poorest group, the average household’s expenditure share on food has gone up to 61.6 percent in 2009 against 55.6 percent in 2005-06.

Result of Need Assessment Survey

Muwakhat Foundation did a Need Assessment survey of the members revealed that they not only need financial assistance but also require help in other day to day matters. Keeping this point in consideration a Need Assessment survey was conducted in Lahore and Kasur area. Besides this same was conducted for the households in Swat, which helped us in concluding that:

• 62% of the total household income is spent on food items.
• 90% household purchase food items on daily basis.
• 69% household earn income on daily and weekly basis
• 50% women and infants undernourished.
• Most of families pull out money from their business, ultimate capital dry and business close down

It’s further revealed that daily & weekly wage earning families is serious food insecurity because their purchase of food items link with income earn on daily basis. In case any day breadwinner not gets labour then his family either cook food by purchase items on credit or sleep without food. Facts found from survey which make them more vulnerable and hunger:

• There is no concept of monthly grocery in these households; they are more in the habit of day to day purchases.
• They buy things at market rate which is not even of good quality
• The income is not fixed/stable whereas the house expenses are there and as a result they have to pull out money from their businesses in order to meet their daily expenses
• Daily wagers often borrow money to meet their expenses thus resulting in debts
• In case if the breadwinner of the family dies the family is left with no other option but to beg
• In most of families having no stable income, they take the loan from MFIs and instead of fully investing in the business they use the money for emergency or some other domestic purpose. As a result they fall deeper into the poverty quagmire

SOLUTION:

Keeping in view all these issues, Muwakhat launched the “Feed the Poor” solution to overcome food insecurity of destitute and poorest.

OBJECTIVES OF THE FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM

• Consistent access to quality food for healthy and active living
• Elimination of hunger and malnutrition from the poor families, especially women and children

In order to achieve these objectives, Muwakhat Foundation has launched interest free loans for the food security program so that

• All members get the monthly grocery on the first of each month, all year round.
• Provision of quality products at economical rates
• Asasah provides this food package every month without any additional cost and the members pay back at the time of their convenience.

PROCESS OF SELECTION, DISBURSE FOOD PACKAGE & RECOVERY OF LOAN

Process of Selection:

• Muwakhat Foundation have branch offices located in poor communities. Operational staffs conduct community meetings for awareness of solution for food insecurity and identify potential households meet set criteria.
• CRITERIA:

1)      PPI score should be above 40%

2)      Not able to meet the basic needs of the family

3)      Skilled labor but have no work to do

4)      Sole breadwinner of the family and scarce income

• Staffs form a group of 15 women live in same community and select group leaders who responsible for timely monthly meeting at community center, assure 100% recovery of members and resolve group issue with coordination of members.
• Fill application form by community development officer and branch manager verify and approved food package.

Process of disburse food package:

• Prepare demand of food packages and send to head office
• Head office forward demand of food items to SALWA distributor
• SALWA prepare food package for each member and deliver at Branch offices.
• Branch office disburse food package to members till 5^th of every month

Process of recovery:

• Group leader collect installment from members on every Sunday
• Community Development officer go to community center (place is at group leader home) to collect recovery and write acknowledgement in their passbooks.
• Monthly meeting conduct at community center, all members attend and community development officer share performance of group and register new members if recommend by group

SUSTAINABILITY:

Food Program initiative survives due to sustainable approaches.

Muwakhat Foundation covers operational cost from discounts given by SALWA on food package. These discounts vary from month to month and range between 2.5% to 5% per month on grocery items. Our branch office becomes 100% sustainable in 4 to 6 months by serve to 450 members of community.

TILL TODATE FINACIAL HIGHLIGHTS

# of Food Package Disbursed from July 2013 till sep 2019

22,300

Total Value of Disbursed Package

Rs. 91.1 million

Recovery Rate

99%

Members Speak Out…

• Sajida – Ghaziabad, Lahore – Mughalpura Branch

MUWAKHAT food package has saved us from the daily purchase of one item or another. We had to wait for the daily wages in the evening, get the food stuff and then cook the meals. In case there was no work for the day, then we had to borrow the food item from the grocer. These items, since we were not paying for them, proved to be costly and were of inferior quality. With the MUWAKHAT Food Security facility, now we get our food items in the beginning of the month and pay no extra cost at all.

• Mohsin – Dharampura, Lahore – Mughalpura Branch

Food items included in the package are of good quality. We are now no more dependent on the grocers for borrowing food items. Secondly, it is always better to get the month’s rations in one go.

• Kausar  – Mohallah Qureshi, Lahore

Before the provision of MUWAKHAT food package, I used to buy the food items on daily basis, sometimes since there was no money we had to request the grocer to borrow stuff, due to this fact had to compromise on quality and price. We then availed the MUWAKHAT food package facility and are very happy with this. We now need not buy ration everyday and can cook whatever we wish to. There is no tension of payment and we get the monthly ration all in one go. We are very happy and pray that MUWAKHAT continues to help the poor families for their welfare and betterment. Ameen.