DELTA
STRENGTHENING CITIZENS’ VOICE THROUGH ADVOCACY (SVCA)

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Development, Environment, Legal Aid, Technical Support &Advocacy Association (DELTA) is a NGO, registered with the Directorate of Social Welfare since 1996. DELTA has been active on many fronts since the past 17 years in completing social sector projects working with donor agencies like UNICEF, AUSAID and USAID funded projects amongst many others. DELTA is working from its head office in Islamabad and its regional office in Peshawar.

Currently DELTA is implementing a project called Strengthening Citizens Voice through Advocacy (SVCA), supported by USAIDs’ ‘Citizens Voice Project’ (CVP) to.  The project aims at highlighting corruption in key public departments and emphasizes strengthening transparency and accountability mechanisms. CVP is based on the understanding that there is a big gap between the government and the public of Pakistan and overall communication can be termed as weak; and that the absence of substantive public debate and discussion about key social, economic and political issues often impairs the lack of public trust and confidence in government institutions and in civil society.

1. PROGRAMMATIC INTERVENTIONS

The Citizens’ Voice Project (CVP) is based on the understanding that the links between the government and the governed in Pakistan are weak; and that the absence of substantive public debate and discussion about key social, economic and political issues often exacerbates the lack of public trust and confidence in government institutions and in civil society.
DELTA in pursuit of its Mission Statement: To serve humankind, work for poverty eradication, improve environment, and raise quality of life, through empowering people, using the rights based approach, by working for “Changes for the Better”, formulated a project to counter corruption and strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms via inculcating awareness among citizens of their rights. With the support of the CVPA, DELTA is implementingthe ‘Strengthening Citizens Voice through Advocacy (SCVA) Project. The following activities will be implemented under the project.

2. PROGRAM OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES:

Activity	Outputs	Deliverables
1.Consultants Hired to Conduct Research	Listing and Analyses of institutions, policies and legislations and framework for Citizens Charter	Consultants’ report, framework for Citizens Charter and 20 key messages for IEC
2. Awareness Campaigns on Available Forums/ Structure through IEC	Posters/ fliers designed, printed and disseminated	10,000 posters and 50,000 fliers delivered
3.radio campaign	a 4 months campaign designed and executed	outreach to 40,000 listeners established
4.Citizens Groups for Redressal of Issues	Citizens Groups formed for Redressal of Issues	Citizen groups formed and engaged on 3 themes (police/ education/ health/ LG&RDD)
5.Engaging Press Clubs & Associations Effectively:	14 meetings conducted	21- 40 press releases issued + 30 events/ news reported in news
6. Workshops/ Mass Meetings:	5 workshops and 2 mass meetings for community/ students conducted to Contribute to  Citizens’ Charter of Demands	750 participants (500 mass meetings and 250 round table ) attend
7. District Level Round Tables:	4 RTs conducted to Contribute to  Citizens’ Charter of Demands	100 participants attend and contribute to charter
8. Engagement with Elected Representatives of Major Political Parties	Elected representatives / political parties engaged to secure their commitment	200 participants attend conferences from elected representatives and political parties community

3. BENEFICIARIES:

 KEY RESULTS :

The following key results are expected from the project:

• # of groups of active citizens formed.
• Comprehensive review of at least 5 laws/ policies on transparency and accountability conducted.
• # of citizens made aware about article 19-A, RTI, corruption related laws and existing remedial procedures.
• Citizens/ activists/ NGOs engaged in public discourse on the subject through participation of 870 participants in different meetings, workshop etc.
• Citizens’ charter of demands documented and finalized, through soliciting input from participants, activists, and stakeholders from RTs/ workshops/ mass meetings.
• Commitment secured from elected representatives from 5 major political parties to act upon and deliver on the demands presented in the charter.
• # of complaints and requests submitted by citizens’ committees under existing redressal mechanisms for strengthening anti-corruption mechanism in KP.

By the end of the project noticeable improvements expected, due to our activities contribution to achieving this (as per the key results provided in RFA) are follows:

• Citizens use information received for their rights to information, and their voice for transparency and accountability is strengthened,
• Citizens use information to complain about their problems
• Citizens become watchdogs in countering corruption, inefficiency and lack of accountability by identifying and reporting it,
• Mind-set is influenced for behavioural change to cease accepting corruption as a cultural norm and stand against it 
• Final Charter of Citizens’ Charter of Demands for Eliminating Corruption, and Building Stronger Transparency and Accountability Mechanisms is developed and disseminated so policy / law makers accept the demands and policy/ law makers work for effective anti-corruption, better transparency and accountability legislation and procedures and more importantly for its effective implementation;

Participation and inclusiveness of citizens in related policy and implementation initiatives is advocated for, and placement is secured for civil society on Committees and Forums of accountability alongside bureaucrats and lawmakers.