KARACHI - Peoples’ Poverty Reduction Program launched by Sindh government bears significant importance with regard to poverty-alleviation. This ongoing program is not less than a blessing for the residents of Sindh’s six districts – Thatta, Badin, MirpurKhas, Umarkot, Sanghar and Khairpur. Under the program, implemented by the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), poor families are being provided with support in the form of income generation grant and interest-free loans through the Community Investment Fund, with an objective to make them self-reliant enabling them to improve their livelihood

Provision of vocational training to youth was an important part of the Peoples’ Poverty Reduction Program. Training of boat-making to the youth of Abdullah Toyo Village was one of the training programs that were offered to the youngsters of the area, Fifteen youngsters of the village located near Keenjhar Lake who were either unemployed or were trying to make ends meet with a meagre income and part-time jobs were nominated for the training through the Village Organization. The participants of 30-day boat-making training were also given Rs 6,000 as Travelling Allowance (TA) and Daily Allowance (DA). Moreover, the Sindh Rural Support Organization provided the rent of the training place and cleanliness arrangements. These youngsters said that they benefitted from the 30-day training program. These youths living near the beautiful lake said that they were thankful to Allah Almighty and the Sindh government for arranging the training for them. The participants of the training programme were of the view that they were now able to make the best boats as well as they could make their dreams of a bright and successful future true by making the boats and adopting boat-making as a source of income.

SRSO District Manager Ahmed Khan Soomro, while talking about the tasks after the successful training, he said that the training and the manufactured boat was the first step toward the journey of success. “Our objective was to take the skilful youths and their backward families towards the destination,” he added. Ahmed Khan Soomro said that a business development group comprising five families would be formed and that group would receive Rs 250,000. “The business group would be able to use this boat for fishing. For this purpose, the group would also be provided a net and ice boxes,” he maintained.