What is PDRC

Development is not sustainable if it is not conceived and realized by the target people themselves. Health, education and economic productivity are all associated with development. At the other hand international agencies and government alone cannot implement development approaches without considering the social, economic and political structure and the rights to people to decide for themselves. Target population must be involved in a way that brings them close to their aspirations.

Participatory Development Resource Center (PDRC) was established for research and development activities with an objective to assist development organizations building Alliances for Development in environmentally deprived areas in developing countries. The center is for research purpose and may carry Action Oriented Research thus contributing to accomplish the objectives of Government, Non-Government and UN agencies for good governance, environmental planning and health management.

PDRC approach is to carry out research and facilitate Development Approaches for Environmental Management and Sustainable Human Development through people-centered and participatory development involving all actors of the civil society.

PDRC aims to bring grassroots involvement to make research projects successful and to develop people's perception of their own needs and development at their own resources rather than attempting to compensate for poverty with external assistance and ideas.

The prominent NGOs, which are committed to facilitate PDRC for its research projects in Pakistan, are as under:

· Hamza Foundation, Pakistan
· Anjuman Ikhwan e Islam, Barki, Lahore, Pakistan
· Pakistan Society of Geographic Information Systems (PSGIS)
· Anjuman Faroogh e Talim, Kasur
 

PDRC welcomes other NGOs to join hands for working together for sustainable human development for health care, education and environmental management.

Anticipated Role and Ambitions
 PDRC aims to bring grassroots involvement to make projects successful and to develop people's perceptions of their own needs and development at their own resources rather than attempting to compensate for poverty with external assistance and ideas.

Grassroots Development with Community Participation
(Education, Health and Environmental Awareness)

Current (under consideration) Research Activities:

Health and Environment
Health Management Action Plan, Kasur - Pakistan
Education
Non Formal Basic Education for Tanning Workers in Kasur, Pakistan
(To increase environmental awareness among workers)

Photographic Section (Depicting  Environmental Situation in Kasur)

Photograph_1: Children are not involved to handle chemicals, but  they work outside activities like drying and shifting of leather.	Photograph_4: Gloves and long shoes are provided for this kind of process	Photograph_7: This kind of skin diseases ar very common among tannery workers	Photograph_10: Hand pump is still used as a source of water for drinking
Photograph_2: Polluted Environment	Photograph_5: Is there pollution or Not?	Photograph_8: "Our hands are wounded while disposing tanning industrial waste, but what we can do... we need to earn money and work with these wounded hands...No other option...."	This kind of skin diseases are common among workers
Photograph_3: Poor working Environment	Photograph_6: People have no other option except to breath in this polluted environment	Photograph_9: Vegetable Tanning in Multan.

Related Links: United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) World Health Organization (WHO) UN Environment Program

Embassy of Japan, Pakistan Government of Pakistan SAKANO Lab, Department of Social Engineering,  Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand