Muqadas Citizen Community Board
Muqadas was founded in 2004 in the Ahmed Rajo village of Badin District to alleviate poverty and empower women. Since then, Muqadas has been actively involved in areas of agricultural development, women’s empowerment, education and rural development. Some of their projects include: CULVERPF Shamsi Tavanai (Solar Power), Link Road, LHDP (Laar Humanitarian Development Program), a Poultry/Livestock/Nursery CCB, and construction and development of a one-room school building for the local government on a self-help basis.
Muqadas has applied lessons from the project management trainings to improve the lives of their target population. The CCB has distributed plant seeds that balance high salinity in soils to local farmers. Muqadas has developed a coordinated system to collect the community’s agricultural produce and sell it in bulk in the market to obtain a higher income for each household than they could obtain individually. In addition, Muqadas has also started to collaborate with other development institutions that can help with its specific needs.
Muqadas has recently trained a number of women in the district in handling livestock, kitchen gardening and wheat harvesting. These women will now be able to make notable contributions to the farms that generate their families’ income. Muqadas now has plans to harvest one acre of land as a model for the community to emulate in various areas; training and assisting selected farming families and helping farmers make more beneficial transactions at markets.
The projects carried out by Muqadas have improved many lives. Farmers have been able to harvest greater yields, women have begun making greater contributions to the farms and households are able to sell their produce for higher prices. Muqadas’ efforts have helped many in their district attain a higher standard of living.