Funded by UKAid through the Department for International Development (DFID), AAWAZ has been conceived initially as a five-year long programme, from 2012 to 2017, with an allocated amount of GBP 34.05 million.
To celebrate, encourage and foster the struggle of women and men, particularly those from the disadvantaged sections of society,whose interests are articulated by rights-based civil society organizations, and to catalyse the process of the realization of citizens rights by the State, AAWAZ – Voice and Accountability Programme strives to strengthen stable, inclusive and tolerant democracy in Pakistan. The programme views democracy through a gender lens, and intends to contribute to women’s political empowerment, resolution of conflicts across the communities that it works with, and better public service delivery in the areas of health and education through informed and active engagement of citizens.
Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) is the management organization for implementing the AAWAZ programme, while Pakistan’s prime civil society organizations: Aurat Foundation (AF), South-Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-Pk), Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) and Sungi Development Foundation (SF) form the implementation consortium responsible for directly working with communities. AAWAZ has an in-built facility for the continuous creation of knowledge around its themes and generation of evidence on the basis of informed social action that can influence the policy environment. These activities are carried out by the Policy, Analysis, Results and Research (PARR) facility in AAWAZ. The PARR facility is housed in Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). Both consortia will actively engage,both strategically and/or financially, other civil society organisations, rights networks, trade unions, academic institutions, professional associations, counterpart government agencies, media and the private sector to further the AAWAZ cause.
Between 2012 and 2017, AAWAZ will work in atleast 7000 villages and urban settlements across 45 districts in the two northern Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). However, the PARR facility, while focusing on the districts and provinces falling within AAWAZ’s geographical coverage has the national mandate for influencing policy through evidence generated by the intellectual and practical work it undertakes or commissions.
