Read about some of the grass-roots projects we supported in Asia, and how they have sustainably improved life for local communities.
Water and sanitation for slum communities in Bangladesh
The Halcrow Foundation part-funded a pilot project to provide sanitation facilities and a clean, reliable water supply to 3,000 slum residents around Dhaka. It was the first stage of a wider scheme managed by not-for-profit organisation Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), of which Halcrow was a founding member. In 2007, WSUP reported the impact of this programme in India and Africa saw 1.86 million people with improved water services, 760,000 people with improved sanitation services and 5.75 million people with improved hygiene practices.
Education and training in India
Working with the British Asian Trust (BAT) we supported the Katha Lab School in Delhi, India. The school is in the Govindpuri slum area in Delhi and supports over 1,000 students a year, providing quality education to children and young people. In 2013, BAT reported that less than 15 per cent of children living in Delhi’s slum communities completed school and half of eight year olds could not read or write. As part of a group of funders, we supported Katha Lab School to provide full-time education to children of all ages, a creche for parents and older siblings to work or attend classes, and preschool education and nutritional support for children up to the age of four.
Supporting sustainable livelihoods in Pakistan
We supported British Asian Trust’s (BAT) Livelihoods programme that helps vulnerable groups, particularly women and young people, find reliable jobs and create sustainable businesses. In 2016, BAT reported that less than 10 per cent of Pakistan’s 45 million young people would have the skills or education to find formal jobs by 2030. So the programme works with non-governmental organisations to develop people’s skills, boost entrepreneurship and help them access the job market. Our funds supported three organisations who work directly with these groups in Pakistan and help them achieve reliable, sustainable incomes: Kaarven Crafts Foundation, The Hunar Foundation and LABARD.
Village regeneration programme in Thailand
We worked in partnership with a non-governmental organisation called Population and Community Development Association (PDA) to support a village in Thailand. Over six years, we funded a range of grassroots, community-led projects including tree-planting and health programmes. This long-term support also shaped the way the village worked together, helping to establish a youth council, council of elders and a bank that encouraged income-generating activities and savings.
