I really don't know if I was looking forward to this 30 minutes or somewhat dreading it..... It was awkward enough for me to be in company of someone so important....someone who have reached out to about 17 million people enabling them out of poverty!

Paul Polak, Founder of International Development Enterprises; Founder of D-Rev: Design for the other 90% and also the Founder of Windhorse International is one of our mentors here at the Unreasonable Institute and luckily enough even after the amazing sessions that we get to have with these mentors, each one of us is still offered time of about 30 minutes talk with them during scheduled out times. And my 30 minutes talk was just approaching while I floated inside my mind to gather each specific thing I would like to discuss to him.

The 30 minutes hadn't yet started perhaps when I started out of breath about what we were doing at Sughar, and most amazingly enough he helped me to feel more calm by asking more questions. The 4 strategy model at Sughar to prevent honor killings in Pakistan came as something interesting to him and it wasn't a few minutes when we were emerged in dialogue about how everything was set up and how some failure of our approach made us achieve even higher results.

One thing very interesting is, Paul Polak is someone with whom you would feel like, he is saying : Got 'ya! he did get me if not anyone else, the thoughts of him as someone who was probably too emerged into what he was doing and the fact that he indeed had lot on his hands and might not give much thought to what small just-taken-birth organizations would be doing, he got me because he was opposite of all that I thought, his concentration towards Sughar and what we did awed me.

"Providing people livelihoods and growing their income especially in the case of women, is to me the first solution to all problems", he said. He mentioned about the social restrictions to women in Bangladesh and how this very women bringing income to her family was the one who could break these restrictions and was respected and had a more higher self-esteem. The point is how you stand against a problem or better use that very problem to become the solution itself and while Sughar doing the same thing, he said our approach was much closer to where we start thinking about scalability and sustainability, which is one thing that cant be done by profit for your organization nor the profit for poor or whom you are working with.

I had the great privilege to be introduced through Paul to Paul Meyers of The Ten Thousand Villages organization, which reaches out to millions of people with an effective model of sustainability and scalability including replicable approaches. While talking to him on the phone I got a lot of insight on how organizations ought to be more persistence to some set goals which are hard to achieve at sometimes and in the case where a lot of competition is expected, planning and implementation need a lot of strategies.

Furthermore during my talk to Paul in 30 minutes, I could realize that his basic words most amazingly reflected that if you own a powerful idea, you may feel the need of a power organizational-setup to run it, otherwise its all waste. Thinking in the context of projects makes things unsustainable and thus ineffective and when activities are pre-planned with a strong revenue in-hand, that helps to impact millions if that's what your goal is. I just couldn't agree more!

When I set foot in Boulder, Colorado it was past midnight and my expectations about having to look at this place after hearing so much about it washed out as I was driven off from the Airport to the valley-type city of Boulder. Black shadows of huge mountains showed in the dark of the night and the glimmering lights welcoming me in this city was perhaps worth all that I missed...until the next day I dismissed the thought. I had surely missed the most beautiful welcome on this earth.

Pure green and thick grass softly danced and the wind slowly blowing upon it while the sky with its deepest blue smiled down the tall proud mountains of Boulder said this is what you missed.

There could never have been a better time for me to go explore, if it wasnt me, anyone would have done the same thing. Walking down the road surroudning by a jungle of trees and grass that spread to everywhere I could see,  my feet slowly touching the road creating the only sound and still not being able to budge the silence that was breathtaking, However off all this, I was sure for one thing, "Nature was at work". Nature during its silent moments was working with its all strength, thats what my eyes saw with the green of the grass and the blue of the sky, my ears heard the chirps of squirls and whoosh of the wind that would come teasing a tree or tickling the grass.... I watched and I felt Nature, so close and so honestly pure and serene it took me back to my identity....

Reminding me about my being a part of this whole circle of life... reminding me of the reasons each living being is born in this world... the reason to serve. Thats what nature was doing, serving with its beautiful peace and making each one of us realize that the whole circle of life is connected somewhere and sometimes if you listen.... you would hear the silence.... that is where Nature trully is and that is where you are... Nature says find that silence and come feel me so you could find "yourself".

"The Silence Within Me"

Do you know what Nature is whispering
Do you know what it says to me
It tells me there are people who
fight for reasons and identity

People seeking truth and purpose
They should come and learn from me
This wind is what you live alike
Even the rock and this tree

Slowly nature speaks it all
About you, me and this humanity
It tells me something I dont deny
Of the times I lose contact within me

When I know my existence
and yet I lose my identity
Then is when it talks to me
Its says listen, listen to me

I hear it yes
I listen carefully
I hear it says
Silence.....

Silence.....
Silence.....
That is whats missing in me
I need to stop, think and feel
everything that is surrounding me
Nature at its work
Silently

I close my eyes, while wind is whoosing
while grass is dancing
while sky is smiling
while trees are saying
Listen
Listen to me...


And I do hear,
"The Silence within me"

8 days left until the first ever Unreasonable Institute begins.... the thought itself is scary and exciting! However the most noticeable thing is right when things are being whole lot of a rush for the Unreasonable Institute official team, their enthusiasm keeps growing with it.... tough people, I was thinking while reading down the ever inspiring emails coming on our way while we now pack for Boulder, Colorado!

For me this is just the first of its kind experience where thrilling set of expectations, hopes, fears and odd enough... confusion come along. 10 week stay with worlds most high-impact ventures is nothing that I have experienced before! Of course YouthActionNet(R) Retreat is an exception which has shifted the paradigms of us fellows in just 8 days! I cant forget the time when I was training my team for a whole month on what I had learned during my short time in DC ! 8 days impact was overwhelmingly visible and now we are talking about 10 weeks in a row, We might in fact overflow with skills and expertise:)

While discussing our preparations, one of the fellows pointed out it was quite hard to wrap up while we prepare to take off to Boulder.... I had contemplated on this statement for so long I almost lost its meaning, but then again the importance remained. Total devotion to our ventures is needed at the Unreasonable Institute and it could not be made possible with our mind still strolling back to un-done things back in our countries. However for me wrapping up came with a little more of a different meaning, while I too am wrapping up my work here at Sughar, I am also concentrating on emptying my cup for the Institute..... I dont know if this means I am putting all my expectations on the Institute but for me the sole reason is the rarity of such experiences in my life where the offer was far too high and thus I don't mind being selfish enough to empty my mind off every little bits and pieces of whats inside to take in each second of what I learn from the Unreasonable Institute:)

Now when I pack for this great adventure ahead I leave behind every thing except for the vision, to create a society where women are NOT killed for "honor" but are honored and given equal status and rights.

Zar Gul, a 55 year old indigenous woman and mother of 7 children belongs to a small village of Union Council Pashta Khan of District Khuzdar. 

Zar Gul is one of the unfortunate victims of unexpected flash floods of recent past in the “drought hit” areas of Mountains of Moolla, District Khuzdar, When the sudden waves broke into the small village in the deep of night and took away with them great property, human lives including the 5 children of Zar Gul who were deep in slumber when disaster struck.

“It isn’t like we never faced floods before, but we have always relied with the core of our hearts on the traditional predictions that told us when to move up to the mountain tops with our family and sheep before any floods did came”. Says Zar Gul

The community like other surrounding communities of the district follows traditional practices of living, Medicines usually come from shrubs which are prepared in a certain way to cure even worse kind of infections and illness, weather predictions and seasons of cropping and harvesting are predicted by the indigenous wise people who have lived their whole lives in these mountains.

However most unfortunately at present when not only natural disasters are coming unpredicted the traditional pattern of cultivating land is also at great risks in Balohcistan, where the province mainly relies on “Khuskaba” and “Sailaba” patterns of land cultivation. The people in the upper areas usually wait for rainy seasons and work hard the whole year in preparing the land until rain falls on time, while people in the low lands prepare their lands to wait for floods to use water for cropping. These patterns have severely been under risk as rains show up right in the times of harvesting, or while crops are in the time of blossoming.
“Its all revenge of Allah that fells upon us”, Says one of the neighbors of Zar Gul, “our sins hold so much weight to let us face these horrible disasters and rain when we don’t even want it”.

 Sughar a civil society organization from District Khuzdar have been working with these communities to raise awareness about Climate Change which to them is “God’s revenge”, the organization have been influencing the people to do their share of mitigating or adapting to the new patterns, and while helping them to cope Sughar have provided Alterative livelihood measures in the form of 5 goats to each poorest of poor women and Embroidery Centers to help sell their traditional products in the huge markets around Pakistan and abroad.


Climate Change in Balochistan came as unconsciously as these floods that cost many lives, the province already facing severe droughts and harsh weather had seen drastic changes in the climate pattern from the very beginning of the century.

And while work is in progress, the faith of these people keeps lessening day by day on the traditional practices, which being a challenge for them locally is also a great challenge to the whole world and to its massive diversity including the very truth that the world is getting short on its most important as well as reliable source of knowledge and wisdom.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The above case study is a part of my Climate Change Awareness-Visit to almost all of the villages in District Khuzdar as a part of the The Climate Project (TCP) and Australian Conservation Foundations (ACF) Presenter activity and Sughar’s Reclaiming our Climate Campaign. I am proud to share that I also belong to a small community of Khuzdar and am most pleased to share this case study and open to any ideas and comments that come on my way.

With Respect,

Khalida Brohi
Sughar Pakistan-

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1. Treasure: (What is already there we got)
2. Opportunities: (What could be attained)
3. Obstacles: (risks and how do we avoid or fight them)
4. (Plan B)(We felt like having a plan B acts as a life saver sometimes and thus it did!)

• This the message and how powerful it is. (believe me a powerful message is the very treasure needed to approach millions)
• It also includes all those people, organizations, supporters and family members whom you know will support in funds or in spreading the word
• Your Team is the 3rd treasure item available, these are the people who forget living, eating, sleeping properly for the mutual goal and that's the true beauty of it.
• Family and those close ones to whom you rope up, these always stand there to make you feel good. Even if not financial helping the encouragement, love and support and the very thought that some one behind you is there to hold you strong if you fell is enough to make you successful.
• Willpower: Its you, yourself, and the belief in your mind and soul.

• Media first and foremost is an opportunity, reach out to as much as publicity you care
• The friends of your friends, the big plan always must have its detours, if your friends cant support could "his" friend support? just try it!
• Supportive (rich) people: There are millions of people out there in this world who want to put there money for a good cause, locate them and let them know about your message and why do you exactly need help.
• Put forward a reward for those who support, search how you or your organization can reward a certain person organization who funds you, it dosent have to be a return ticket to New york but you can offer as much as you can provide.

5. Obstacles: (risks and how do we avoid or fight them)
   
   Always count obstacles, fears, risks, blunders, barriers and each setback before you step ahead. NOT to be afraid of those but to be cautious of those.
   The point that I want to make clear at the moment is.... many times usually we search for obstacles in our planning and our accusing eyes try as much as to make visible the forces who would try to harm us or our plan. but have we ever thought that to reach a goal, or to succeed the main obstacle in reality is "ourself". We are the true enemies of our desires, goals and dreams when we start disbelieving our success.
   
   4. Plan B! (We felt like having a plan B acts as a life saver sometimes and thus it did!)
   
   This is the time when you use force! (kidding*)
   Plan B usually includes our power to be flexible to the environment we are fundraising in, if we are flexible enough we might end up reaching to our same goal but through a different road, and there is nothing bad to it. A mission as you know always includes persistence to succeed but when we add experimentation to persistence that can lead us to gaining even more then we ever wished for because that helps us learn new structures and strategies.
   For Sughar plan B did became a part of our reaching out for the funds. After the continues hard road of trying outs, when we did see that it perhaps was taking us all our lifes to reach out for the money we "went" to the money our-self! We initiated a door to door knock-knock! campaign and knocked at the doors of offices of civil society, media workers, policy makers, famous people*, rich people* and anyone we could get our eyes on in about 4 districts where we operate in Sindh and Balochistan and violla! we made it!
   
   5. Say thank you!
   In the end as the rule goes, "always say thank you" and we must. People who support you are those who have believed on our vision, on our perception and on how we see things, these people have put their money or any other support not just to please but to contribute towards change that you are eager to make and you must let them all see that very change happening! Say sincere thanks and keep in touch to let them in on the journey they chose to come alongside with you and your team, life becomes marvelous when supportive people join us~
   
   ....Writing all this I am compelled to think back about all the generous help and support that came from all around the world for Sughar, the unbelievable trust people put in us and right now we are taking our first steps towards paying them back by keeping their trust and fulfilling the vision we long see. We promise we wont disappoint anyone.
   
   Here's to an equal and sustainable society for all~