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Gidan Tehrik

Lets over come the spreading famine in Balochistan.
Balochistan is facing the most horrible famine of history ill fated hopeless people are migrating, burying households, leaving behind dead cattle, to unknown destinations. 
After starting Arenji relief work, the next step is to start working on long-term actions for food security in Arenji
and all over Balochistan because the whole province is near to face the situation of Arenji. There is no proper rainfall for last three years, so no proper crops, no fodder for cattle, sheep, goats and camels are dying by hunger. Water resorts are dried, under ground water level had gone below 800 ft which was at 80 ft some years ago, In Makuran, Bela, Kharan, Noshke, Taftan, Kalat, Kanak, Naseer Abad, Bolan, Zhobe Harnai famine is knocking at the door. Food supply is the first step to be started and food security is the ultimate goal has to be achieved with the joint efforts of community, Govt. and international support agencies.

GIDAN TEHRIK started in a meeting at Mehrgarh, Sariab Quetta, held to evaluate the efforts done for Arenji as
short-term action and what should be the future planning. Intellectuals, Poets, journalists, artists, political activists, NGO representators participated in the meeting concluded that the threat of famine in Balochistan can destroy every thing here, people have to migrate it is a threat for life and it needs a well organized movement. Gidan is a Balochi word means the traditional tent made-up of goat or camel hair, it is the shelter, the home of our people, which travels with us where ever we go. Gidan Tehrik is a call for a united struggle of existence, it is a life saving effort, all of us inside Balochistan and our friends out side Balochistan will have to defeat famine jointly.

WORK TO BE DONE.

1- Organizing people (men & women) in small groups at village level in whole of the Province.

2.Networking these small groups or CBOs.

3.Train the CBOs for

a.Immediate relief operations
b.Water preservation.
c.Food and fodder preservation.
d.Need assessments/ priority settings.
e.fodder and food crop cultivation, (wheat, pulses, fodder which could be dried up and stored) and food crops in agricultural areas, to secure food

2.Provision of those seeds to the communities which require minimum amount of water to grow.

5- Construction of small dams all over the province.

6.Preservation of traditional water systems e.g., Karez & small dams.

METHODOLOGY.

1.Organizing community at village level will be started with awareness raising and sharing information with a fast tempo.
2.A film will be produced soon, showing what Arenji has experienced and possible activities through which we may overcome threats of famine, experiments from Africa can be included. This film will be copied and send to villages to be shown to the groups with the help of over- head projectors, It will be shown to the International donor agencies, policy makers, it will also be shown on television. 
3.A network of volunteers from the whole of the province will be identified to materialize the program. Support will be taken from NGOs, CBOs, student organizations, labor & peasant organizations, women’s groups to provide volunteers.
4.Communication will be build with government and international agencies to work with a consensus and in a
common direction for the common goal.
5.Funding pool will be established to facilitate awareness raising information sharing, networking, training, relief activities and long term actions.
6.For maintaining transparency and controlling leakage/corruption all the accounts (donations and expenditures) will be publicized through newspapers and internet periodically. Finances will be handled through a joint committee.

We appeal to all of you to join hands in Gidan Tehrik to contribute what ever you can to overcome famine in Balochistan.

"Naela Qadri" naela@cp-shaal.org 

Balochistan Gidan Movement
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 17:05:33 +0500